Here are some observations based on the sixteen kiddos in my Stitching Stallions maker club who have met with me every Friday since mid-September:

(1) Get a sewing machine with a top loading bobbin.

(2) Get a sewing machine with a needle threader.

(3) Retractable spool pins should be METAL- not plastic.

(4) Keep it simple. You do not need a machine with 60 gazillion stitches, 40 fonts and 24 buttonholes.

(5) A speed controller is nice – especially for slowing down those race car driver wannabes. However, they can learn how to manage the foot pedal just fine with some practice.

(5) Buy one of those screw on seam guides, if your sewing machine has a screw hole on the needle plate to accommodate one. It really does help the kids maintain a consistent seam allowance.

We used four different machines in our club – a Brother, two Janomes and an Elna. The vertical bobbin Janome sewed fine for me, but it wasn’t the most user friendly machine for my 10 & 11 year old stitchers when it came time to thread the machine – or OMG – fix a tangled thread in the bobbin area.  The Brother was okay, many of the kids didn’t seem to like it. (They couldn’t articulate specifically why, they just didn’t like it).

The Janome Jem Gold 660 was the only machine that the kids consistently felt comfortable using and were able to operate independently.  They did like the Elna Carina for its speed controller, but of the four machines – the Jem Gold was the one they chose first when all four were set-up.

This is the fourth group of students I’ve taught with some version of a Janome Jem machine. All four groups have had similar results with this particular machine. Really think I need to consider a trade-in of the vertical bobbin Janome for another Jem Gold 660. [Update 12/23/15 – I decided to keep the vertical bobbin to use for applique with classes and bought another Jem Gold 660 at a super price from the local Janome dealer. Now, I have two identical machines with top loading bobbins and needle threaders. Much easier for me and the kids.]

Not affiliated with Janome in any way.  My favorite all-around machine is my Janome 3160 QDC. 🙂 

Saw a poster by the entrance of my local Barnes & Noble advertising an upcoming Maker event.  Of course, the poster featured something that resembled a pixelated Lego creation.  This geek girl loves her Legos and computer programming as much as the next person, but maker clubs are designed to be hands-on activities where you make stuff.  This can include sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet, jewelry making, papercrafts, origami, screen printing, tie-dye, bird houses, gourd painting…soapbox derby with carpentry, even cooking and baking can be a kid’s maker club.

My local school sponsors weekly clubs that meet on Friday afternoon. I sponsor the Stitching Stallions – which is Crafty S.T.E.M. rebranded and retooled with a decidedly stitchy focus.

Week 1 – Rules, expectations & project possibilities. Craft DIY project bags from Ziplock bags, chalk tape, stickers & markers
Weeks 2 & 3 – Fabric postcards, DIY Stuffies (hand-stitch) & Floor cushions
Week 4 – Stuff and finish floor cushions
Week 5 – Pom-pom spiders/open sewing
Week 6 – Pillowcases
Weeks 7 & 8 – Owl & monster pillows
Week 9 – Club showcase

I have 15 kids, 3 sewing machines and 1 adult non-sewing helper who manages students while I am at the machines with other students. Our club is flexible so that if we need to omit/revise a project, that’s fine. This is a rough outline to keep me focused and utilize materials I already have on hand.  Last year, I discovered that stations work quite well and it’s less stress on me if students do the actual prep work whenever possible. Students will use the die-cut machine to cut fabric shapes for their hand-stitched felt stuffies. They will select fabrics for the floor cushions and cut out the panels from a freezer paper pattern. Some can hand-stitch while I work with others at the sewing machines to complete the fabric postcards. Stuffing the floor cushions is going to take an entire class period, based on what I learned from summer sewing camp. It will take about 3 pounds of stuffing per floor cushion. Pillowcases can be made in one session IF kits are cut ahead of time. Monster and owl pillows may also need to be precut in the interest of time.  We’ll just have to see. Yes, it is a lot of prep work on top of teaching 32 library classes a week, but I enjoy it. The kids are so excited to be there. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.

I’m suffering from a serious case of sewing machine lust.  The object of my affection is the Janome 8900QCP. 

I have neither the space nor the budget for a longarm machine, so I am trying to find a solution that would still fit my Horn Quilter’s Dream cabinet (the older style) and give me more space under the needle for machine quilting. This machine will give me approximately 2-1/2″ more in space to the right of the needle than Jewel, my Janome 6600P.  It also has a freearm, which Jewel does not.

I also test drove the 8200QC, which is the next model down. It’s a very nice machine, but I immediately noticed it did not sew as fast as the 8900 (860 spm versus 1000 spm).  Apparently, there is an 8200 QC special edition out there that has the the 1000 spm speed that I want, but doesn’t have all the extra stitches. That’s fine by me.

The burning question is whether or not those 2-1/2″ are worth the money. That little bit of extra real estate is going to run about $600/inch for the 8900 WITH a trade in.  A little less for the 8200. Ouch!!

Decisions. Decisions.