• Some machines are not allowed to be sold or have prices shown on the internet.
• Some machines are allowed to be sold on the internet, but minimum advertised prices are set by Janome.
• Some machines sold in stores are supposed to be sold for at least a minimum price.

This week we had a customer from North San Diego County call us, wanting to know what our “best price” was on a Janome Horizon MC7700. This is a machine that dealers are supposed to sell for a minimum price, and Temecula Valley Sewing Center has always followed the rules, so we told the customer the minimum price set by Janome. The customer went on to say that her local dealer was going to sell her the machine for $700 less! Not wanting to break the rules, but feeling rather let down, we told the customer that we were not willing to break the rules, and we lost a potential sale.

This little incident bothered us, as a sale of a Janome Horizon sewing machine means a lot to us. So we contacted our Janome representative, telling him what had happened. In the past, Janome has always said that dealers who didn’t follow the rules were at risk of either not being allowed to place any more orders, having orders shipped at low priority, or having their dealer status removed.

It’s important to understand that the phone call described above was not an isolated incident.

Our Janome representative called us shortly after we contacted him, and in no uncertain terms, told us that since Janome did not have any signed contractual agreement regarding the minimum sales price of the Janome Horizon 7700, that we could technically sell the machine for whatever price we wanted to. In fact, with the exception of the new Janome Horizon 12000, this is true for any model. We were told that we should do whatever it takes to make the sale.

So, if you have called us in the past and we have told you that we were following the rules, and that you would have to go to that other dealer who was not, we want to apologize. We would certainly like to have sold you your sewing machine, and in the future we will do “whatever it takes”.

BERNINA has begun offering new “Exclusive” embroidery design collections again, one of which is Sepia Petals. The forty-three, yes, forty-three (43) designs included in the collection are perfect for heirloom projects, quilting projects, embroidering on paper, etc.  Each design uses a maximum of three thread colors and BERNINA has shown the designs in two additional color families to show the possibilities.

One of the designs in the collection (my personal favorite,) is a large tree.  For those who have embroidery machines that can handle jumbo designs, the tree design would make an awesome center-piece of either a quilt or framed family tree.  Imagine placing family member’s names around the tree and presenting the project to the family patriarch or matriarch at a special anniversary or other significant occasion.

Years ago, it seemed BERNINA offered Exclusive embroidery design collections every month, but several years ago, the Exclusive designs stopped coming. We are thrilled that new embroidery designs are being offered through BERNINA once again, and pleased that the quality of the designs is the same superior quality we had come to expect from BERNINA.

We were originally intrigued by the collection because we were experimenting with embroidery on paper. However, after examining the designs, we were imagining the designs on a host of other media.

If the designs interest you, check with your local BERNINA dealer to procure your copy of the collection.

If you haven’t seen Janome’s 7318 video on youtube, we’ve got it ready for you to view right here on the Temecula Valley Sewing Center website. All you need is 9 minutes to see how great this little machine is. Take a look:

There are a number of software products that have color charts and that will help you keep track of your threads, but we wanted to give you something you could print so that it was really easy to manage your Isacord thread collection.

At Temecula Valley Sewing Center, we sell Isacord embroidery thread because we think it is the best. One of our suppliers sent us an order form that has all of the updated colors, so I modified it for use as a checklist, and am letting you download it for free.

Isacord Thread Chart / Checklist Download

Click HERE to download the TVSC Isacord Thread Checklist. It is in PDF format, so you will need Adobe Reader, Preview (Mac), or similar software to view it.

Last week, one of my students came to her sewing machine mastery class with a hand crafted needle case her husband made for her.  It was, of course, exquisite in craftsmanship, but the man took a practical notion and created a phenomenal work of art.

The needle cases are made of exotic woods, Zebra wood, Jerusalem Olive wood, Burl, and others. Some are laminated and reflect undulating lines while others are buffed to a pristine shine.  What sets these needle cases apart from all others I have seen, is the brass top and bottom.  The bottom of the case sports a shiny, stationary brass cap.  The brass cap on top of the case is fitted with a ring so the case can be worn on a lanyard AND the inside of the top brass cap has a magnet so the needles are exposed and held in place when the top is removed.  No more shaking the needles into your hand or stabbing yourself to find the needle you are looking for.

I am told that this man is also going to make wooden stilettos for sewing and hand applique.  If the stilettos are the same superior quality as seen in the needle cases, I know I will be purchasing a stiletto as well.

We brought a few of the needle cases into the store.  Because of the incredible craftsmanship of the cases, and because no two are alike, we consider them to be one-of-a-kind works of art.  We will be offering the needle cases for sale for $29.95.

This affordable machine offers 50 stitches, including 3 one-step buttonholes. You’ll also find a range of easy convenience features, including a memorized needle up/down, Speed control slider, and a locking stitch button. It is easy to use and perfectly equipped for sewing at any level.

We will be ordering these machines right away, and if you are signed up for our email newsletter, we’ll let you know when they arrive!

Recently, one of our customers purchased Bernina Embroidery Software V6. I installed it for her, and during installation, the installer kindly let me know that ActiveSync was not compatible with Windows 7. My customer had a 64-bit computer, but Windows 7 32-bit may also have this problem.

ActiveSync is a Microsoft product, and Bernina has been using it to connect the Bernina 730 and 200 to computers that have their software products installed. Since it can’t be installed on Windows 7, I figured that Bernina must have included a different solution, but after installation the Bernina Embroidery Software V6 would not make the connection to my customer’s Bernina 730.

The solution ended up being rather easy. I downloaded Microsoft’s Mobile Device Center 6.1. Once installed, the Bernina 730 was easily connected, and designs could be transferred.

Horizon Memory Craft 12000 owners can now update their Horizon Link software: http://content.janome.com/index.cfm/LearningCenter/Software_Updates?VersionID=81

This update will add the following functions to Horizon Link software:

• Direct save of embroidery designs and combination stitches onto USB flash drive
• Open Horizon Link by double clicking the icon of a design / combination stitch file
• Importing embroidery designs from any drive location on the PC
• Resolution of minor issues from the previous version

Users of Digitizer Jr. can now save embroidery designs onto ATA PC Cards up to 2GB in size. This update is available at the following link: http://content.janome.com/index.cfm/LearningCenter/Software_Updates?VersionID=80

Finally, an update for Janome Digitizer MBX is now available, and can be downloaded here: http://content.janome.com/index.cfm/LearningCenter/Software_Updates?VersionID=79. This will add the following capabilities to the software:

• Full multi-language capability – English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Thai, Chinese-T, Russian, Portuguese
• Thai, Chinese-T: Online Manual and graphical user interface only
• Russian and Portuguese: Graphical user interface only
• Direct save onto USB flash drive is now available through “Write to Card” icon for MC12000
• Cropped photos are now able to be edited
• Resolution of minor issues from the previous version
• Information and modifications regarding the above have been included in the Online Manual and Help

These are all FREE updates. Janome will also be announcing these new updates on their website, through their monthly eBlast, and on their Janome Facebook page.

In the good old days sewing machines were really heavy. You’d practically have to be a professional weight lifter to pick one of them up because those machines were all metal. I’ve actually hurt myself picking one up before, which, to me, is just ridiculous, but I’m getting old so I guess that’s the way it goes. Anyway, all of the gears, knobs, pulleys, and every other part in one of those old sewing machines were metal. Metal does have it’s advantages; It’s really strong, and so these old machines were practically bullet-proof. You could generally sew through anything, and many of these older machines are still around today, although parts can be hard or impossible to find.

There are a few disadvantages to those old, all metal, sewing machines. All metal parts are expensive to manufacture, the machines tend to be harder to repair, and repairs are generally more costly because of the extended time it takes to access parts in the machine.

Nearly all household sewing machines manufactured today have plastic exterior covers that cover an interior metal frame. Not only are the covers plastic, but many parts, such as gears, pulleys, knobs, etc. are made of plastic too. Plastic is OK. It weighs a lot less than metal, and the parts are less expensive to manufacture. When the plastic covers are taken off of a modern sewing machine, typically an interior metal frame is revealed, and all of the parts in the machine are attached to the metal frame. This type of manufacturing process allows for easier, less costly repairs, and repairs that don’t take as long, because the parts are easier to get to.

Janome sent us a Christmas present this month. They gave us a metal frame of one of their Horizon sewing machines. I’m a big guy, and although I didn’t actually try it, I could probably stand on this metal frame without damaging it. I took some pictures of it so you can see what a sewing machine frame looks like when all of the parts are removed. It’s not a pretty sight, but shows that a machine built with an interior metal frame is definitely as heavy duty as the old all metal type.

There may be other issues regarding modern sewing machines that you have concerns about, but the metal frame NOT being on the outside shouldn’t be one of them. Please note that not all modern sewing machines have a metal frame. There are some brands out there that are completely plastic, and you should be careful that you don’t end up with one of those, or you’ll certainly be disappointed.

Come in to Temecula Valley Sewing Center and let us show you why that old metal sewing machine isn’t better than a new one. I know you won’t be disappointed.

I’ve previously written about donating sewing machines through Gospel For Asia, and because it’s right in the heart of the holiday season, I thought now would be a good time to present that opportunity to you again. You have an opportunity to bring Hope to a person or family in Asia, giving them something that provides income, while knowing that 100% of your donation is used to help these people.

We’ve all heard of organizations that accept donations but take a percentage of the donation for administrative costs. Gospel For Asia does not do this. You can donate money to them specifically for administrative costs, or donate designating that you want your money to go where it is most needed, but most donation options are presented as specific items. You can specify exactly where you want your donation to go, and I think that is what makes Gospel for Asia unique.

You can currently donate a sewing machine for $85.00. If you’re feeling generous, you can donate a motorized sewing machine for $115.00.

If your financial situation does not allow for donating a sewing machine, perhaps a water filter, a blanket, or a couple of chickens would fit your budget?

I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. My sincere hope is that reading this blog post will challenge you, and motivate you to donate to Gospel For Asia.

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.” – Proverbs 19:17