I was feeling very guilty for not using my Janome 1600P for so long. I had it on my Grace frame and the last quilt I used it on was Dressed to the Nines last March. Professional machines like the 1600 liked to be used, oiled, and loved so I decided, during these non-quilting holidays, to remove it from the frame and do some playing.
Actually, when I first purchased the 1600P it was during the panic of using the frame for the first time and discovering my Horizon wasn't the best machine for the job. I ran to the dealer and purchased it sight-unseen. That was more than two years ago and other than the quilts I've finished on the frame, I've never really played with or sewn with this beautiful, heavy-duty machine. I moved it onto my Gidget table, although it doesn't fit in the cut-out/drop leaf for flat-bed sewing like my 3160 does. I remembered the machine came with a plastic extension table and I retrieved the never-opened box from storage. I've never used extension tables with any of my machines because of the sewing tables I have and I was pleasantly surprised how well it fit and how much extra room it provided for sewing. It feels smooth and sturdy too.
Of course, I knew the 1600 could free-motion but I'd never sewn a 'feed-dog up, 1/4" piecing foot straight stitch' on this straight-stitch only machine! That was my first test. I was excited to see the patchwork 1/4" foot (with 1/4" on both sides of the needle) with no guide. While it takes a bit more concentration for me to keep the fabric aligned with the edge of the foot, it is great to be able to do any kind of sewing with the same foot and not have to switch it out because of the guide getting in the way. For example, if I wanted to sew some diagonal seams while joining binding or half-square triangles, I'd have to swap out my 1/4" with-guide foot to a regular foot or switch machines.
The stitching on this machine is gorgeous and the 1/4" seam was very accurate. I tried different weights of thread and changed the stitch length to see my options. I also increased the speed to the highest, 'leaping rabbit' setting and was blown away how fast this machine sews (1600 stitches a minute, in fact - good name!). I couldn't even keep up and had to move back down towards 'turtle' to keep in control. How nice to have all that speed and power at the ready depending on the type of sewing.
Next, I opened up the accessory box and marveled at all the different feet I had. I believe when I bought the machine I got the optional extension table and quilting feet as well. I have also purchased the convertible free-motion foot and frame set so I could quilt with the foot sideways on the frame and also use rulers with the higher ruler foot. There was no documentation with any of the goodies in the box and I couldn't even figure out what the other feet were for. The manual only lists the hemmer foot and I couldn't easily find any info on-line so I grabbed the box and headed to my dealer. Turns out I have a Teflon foot for leather and vinyl stitching, two different zipper feet, several regular sewing feet (one with about an 1/8" foot), and the hunk of metal I thought was just something from the packing material, is a velvet foot! (The gold-tone one in the photo). It rides above the bed of the machine so it doesn't crush the velvet or nap while it sews. Cool!
I was also super excited to discover I have a hopping darning foot! I've never used one of those before but since they are what is used to free-motion quilt on a longarm, was always curious what they 'felt' like. I tried it and loved it! Other than the irritation of having to pull the threads through the closed-circle foot, it stitched like a dream and just seemed to be very smooth. Speaking of that, when I used the machine on my frame I removed the feed dogs completely. The 1600 doesn't have a switch to lower them and while I think there is a feed-dog cover available (I don't have it), apparently quilters feel it catches on the fabric a bit and find it preferable to just remove the feed dogs instead. It's a simple screw holding them down but if I were to continue to use this machine for both piecing and free-motion I'd probably want to figure out a different, more streamlined solution.
Finally, I attached the walking foot to experiment with straight-line quilting. The even-feed foot has feed dogs on the top to help move thick layers of fabric easily under the needle. I was happy I had this optional foot since they cost about $100 to buy! It is very similar to the one included with the 3160 so I was familiar with installing and using it. It works great (and I just love the sound a walking foot makes and have missed that with my Horizon's Accufeed feet. Weird, I know!).
Playing with and exploring the 1600P off the frame has been like Christmas came early. It's like having a completly new toy to play with and it has been so fun to discover the features and feet of this machine. I love that it still has the thread cutter, needle-down, and knee lift options but feels so heavy, and industrial in a way, that I feel I could stitch through anything. I love that it's a Professional Series sewing machine and it's so sleek and beautiful.
My friend Maureen made my day when she informed me that the Janome 1600P is the same machine that the charming and talented Elizabeth Hartman (of the Craftsy Inspired Modern Quilts and FREE Creative Quilt Backs classes) pieces and quilts on! I was delighted to find her post All About My 1600P and read how much she loves her machine (and so do the other owners who commented!).
I enjoyed my exploration so much that I've decided to purchase a custom table just for the 1600 to allow me to piece and quilt in more comfort. I realize I have three machines that can do the job but it is fun to sew on a different one for different reasons and projects. I own it so I might as well use it!
