Workhorse, with a little donkey mixed in

I bought this machine as part of a package deal with a quilting frame (the Little Gracie II). I usually use it to do quilting on the frame, but have done a little piecing with it.

The Janome 1600P-DB is one of three nearly identical machines in the Janome line. There's the 1600P, the 1600P-DB, and the 1600P-DBX. The 1600 refers to the number of stitches it can produce per minute at top speed. That's pretty fast - according to the website, the fastest on the market. There may be more differences, but basically the P is the standard machine, using standard needles. The DB and DBX require special "DB" needles, which have a round shank instead of a flat side. The DBX is X-tra special - it has a automatic thread cutter.

The machine doesn't do anything fancy. In fact, it only has one stitch - a straight stitch. But it does this very well. Although it goes veryveryfast, there is an adjustment lever on the front of the machine that allows you to set the speed. This is nice because when you accelerate with the foot pedal, the setting on the front of machine controls your maximum speed. If you have a heavy foot you can set the speed slower and you don't have to worry about it getting away from you. I use it on my frame with a hand control rather than the foot pedal. The control has a speed dial that works separately from the speed setting on the machine. Just like with the foot pedal, I can adjust the machine's speed, then adjust my control speed.

This has a larger space under the arm than the standard sewing machine. With a 9 inch arm, it's great for quilting larger quilts without a frame, and it's adequate for using on a frame. When quilting on a frame the quilt stays still and the machine is moved around on a rolling platform. The completed part of the quilt is rolled around a bar that rests within the arm. As you get further into the quilt, the rolled part grows and eventually you run out of room to move the machine around. With a 9 inch arm, you can expect to have about 4 inches of actual quilting space. This is great for free motion patterns, but not so wonderful if you want to do larger motifs. I couldn't afford to get a 16 inch machine (they cost 3 or 4 times what this one does), and I knew that the smaller space was my trade off. I'm very happy with what I can accomplish with a 9 inch arm.

One very important feature for quilters is the needle down. This allows you to set the machine so whenever you stop, the needle is down, in the fabric. For most clothing and other sewing, you want the needle up because you usually remove the fabric when you stop. In quilting, you frequently stop and adjust the fabric, so keeping the needle in the fabric helps keep the fabric in place. This machine allows you to set it for either needle up or needle down.

I went through a very long learning curve with my machine and frame set up. There are a lot of things you need to adjust, and I fought with it for months. When I finally conquered the monster in the basement, I found that for the most part, I really like this machine. The few things that I don't like, however, I HATE. The biggest negative about this machine is the bobbin. It uses a standard metal L bobbin, and it inserts from the left side of the machine. The metal plate lifts up and out, and a plastic door on the base pulls down. The bobbin case fits into the machine about four inches inside the case. Unfortunately, the opening is only about three inches wide, which means you have to stuff your hand inside that three inch wide space while holding the bobbin case with the lever pulled out, then push the case in (still holding the lever out), then close the lever once the bobbin case is seated. It's a real pain, sometimes literally.

I'm not thrilled with the thread path. There are at least 10 things the thread must pass through between the spool and the needle, and nearly all of them are a challenge. Most require the thread to be put through a closed hole - no hooking it over an open edge. It takes me two, even three times as long to thread this machine as it does to thread any of my others.

Because it uses DB needles, you need to find a good supplier. You can't just pick them up at the local sewing and craft store. I needed larger needles for quilting (size 18), and I was only able to find one place that sold them. You also have to be a little more careful when installing the needles. Even though the shank is round, there is still a front and back to the needle, and it must be installed correctly.

Although the bobbin, thread path and needles all present challenges, I really do like this machine. It does beautiful work, makes consistent stitches, and handles quilting like a pro. I've been able to complete many beautiful quilts now that I have this set up.