The Sewing Place
Machine Talk => Overlockers & Coverstitchers => Topic started by: Kittensposies on November 30, 2019, 09:58:21 AM
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Morning all!
I’ve been dithering about buying a coverstitch for months, got to try a few out at the knitting and stitching show, and have a dilemma.
I have seen a few really good deals on the Janome CoverPro, but I’ve read that it’s not a great machine.
There’s the Britannia machine, but I’m concerned that I’d be stuck for accessories as the guy at the show said you couldn’t use universal accessories.
I’ve found a Singer coverstitch which I’ve heard nothing about, but it’s a reasonable price... I know the Elna is the same as the Janome, but Singer doesn’t appear to have comparisons.
Then I’ve found a Juki, which is double my budget. But it’s fabulous.
What would you do?
I am soooo sick of my awful twin needle hems, so many things that are unwearable because the twin needle hem is a disaster (tunnelling, so many skipped stitches).
I did consider selling my overlocker and getting a combined machine but older posts on here suggested that was a false economy.
Hmmmmmm. Decisions. Any advice?
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Oh I forgot one - Bernina B42. It’s cheaper than the Juki, but the man at the show said that unless you’re getting the Juki you may as well get the Britannia... not sure how true that is!
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I have the Coverpro 2000 about a year now. It doesn't get that much use so I couldn't really justify spending so much more on the Juki. It's been fine, just needs me to put more time and effort into reading about how best to use it but so far it's done everything I want.
Personally I'm more comfortable buying what I can afford but that's your choice.
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Thanks Vezelay! They’re all affordable; it’s the value for money aspect that I can’t figure out as there just aren’t that many reviews out there.
I’d rather buy second hand, but not many sellers use PayPal, and I only ever use PayPal for buying online as you get buyer protection.
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In that case, it goes against the grain (my grain anyway) but Johanna Lu who wrote "Master the Coverstitch Machine" (which I own but haven't read yet :|), says to get the best machine you can afford.
If you follow that advice, just forget the rest and buy the Juki! I'm assuming it's the MCS 1800 that I see you can buy in the UK for £700? It's much more expensive here.
Edit: I see Juki UK are selling the MCS 1500 for £629 which sounds great value. https://jukiuk.com/shop/coverstitch-sewing-machines/mcs-1800/. This one seems to come top in a lot of 2019 reviews.
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You say that you can't get accessories for the Britannia but would you want accessories? My guess would be that very few people use a coverstitch for anything other than hems. Anything else you nay be able to do with a coverstitch you can probably do just as well with a sewing machine.
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I have a convertible Bernina 1300DC serger and only managed to convert once.
Instead I use honeycomb stitch on an ordinary sewing machine (hint from ejvc).
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I have a Janome 2000. It does the job, though I am going to try raising the rear feed dogs as suggested on another thread here (https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,8532.0.html) To be fair it doesn't usually skip stitches and behaves itself. I've tried a few of the dodges for sewing over seams etc which all help.
Myself, I bought the machine when it was on a very good offer and I wouldn't have paid any more for it. They are a bit of a one-trick pony, it's just that they do that trick very well. I never had much success with double needle hemming either. I use the chainstitch occasionally for sewing up toiles or 'tacking' to test fit.
I think I know who you spoke to on the Juki stand, he's a very good salesman! He sold me a Juki overlocker last year, but to be fair that was a considered and researched purchase on my part so I was easy prey.
The Janome has been a good machine for me, though I haven't tried any others!
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I bought a pack of accessories for my Britannia with the machine, at a very good price (£99). I can't imagine needing any others. The accessories are: Belt Loop Folder, Binder Attachment, Hem Guide Foot, Clear-view Foot and Storage Box.
I have to admit that I haven't used my coverstitch very much, and I have never used or tested any other coverstitch machine, but I am happy with it insofar as I have used it!
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Ah yes, you will need a clear view foot. That was the only extra I bought. The machines should come with that as standard.
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Yes - once I'd changed to the clearview foot I couldn't understand why anyone would ever use a solid one.
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I’ve got a Babylock BLCS 2. They have got expensive now but I love it. I think @Bodgeitandscarper has one too. I originally had a Janome which I bought from a friend but did find it a bit temperamental.
I also use a clear foot but I think they suggest using the metal one as it grips better. But it’s whatever you’re comfortable with isn’t it.
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What would you do?
Don't get a combined machine! The only extra I have with my Janome 1000 CPX, apart from the clear foot (essential as others have said), is the hem guide and I only use the metal part but it's good. I like the 'harp' space on the Janome as well, plenty of room to manoeuvre the garment.
Will you use the coverstitch machine frequently? I don't but I wouldn't be without it. I went to Harrogate yesterday (last minute decision!) and looked at the Babylock. I was not impressed by the sample that the sales person did, it tunnelled on any fabric other than some ordinary cotton woven. She said 'I suppose the tension needs altering' I felt like telling her to d**n well change it if you want to make a sale! Excuse my French but it's not the way to sell a machine..........
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I swapped my Janome for a Babylock. The Janome (I think it was the 2000) used to skip stitches, but the Babylock never does. To avoid tunnelling on thin jersey fabrics, I make sure each row of stitches is on two layers of fabric. But then bought garments often show tunnelling so it's not something I worry about too much.
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Don’t usually have to change the tension on my Babylock.
@Kittensposies do you know who was demonstrating?
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I’ve found the old style Britannia for £300 on Pembertons website. It is swaying me... that’s assuming it’s in stock.
Then the Juki MCS-1500 on Juki website for £629 that Vezelay found. And Amazon has the Bernina Bernette B42 for £450. EBay has the Singer one at a good price too...
Helen that’s terrible the BabyLock demonstration was so bad!! You’d think they would have sorted out any tension problems before trying to get people to part with large sums of money
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@Ohsewsimple It was Franklins demonstrating the Juki and Britannia machines! They were really helpful, both machines sewed fabulously over even hideous stretch lycra.
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Franklin’s are pretty good.
I would avoid the Singer machines.
I have a few accessories with my machine but like most people don’t generally use them. But a coverstitch machine can do more than just hems. They are good for decorative work and they make wonderful cords.
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I have a Janome CoverPro 1000CP and the only accessory I have bought is the clear view foot. There is a post on here about adjusting the feed dogs if the machine is skipping stitches.
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I'm sure a couple of people on here got the Britannia one recently, try doing a search and see what comes up.
I bought an old Babylock combi and use it as a cover stitcher and its wonderful, but finding a babylock at a good price is like finding hens teeth :ninja:
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I went to buy the Janome 2000CP and came back with the Brother one , sorry can't remember the number. It's's a 5 thread machine, 3 needles and 2 loopers AND t comes with a clear foot AND it has markings on the bed to help with hemming etc. It's not been any trouble, in fact I've not needed to alter any preset settings yet despite sewing knits, wovens both thick and fine.
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@Kittensposies I can't remember where you are (and I'm on my phone so can't be bothered to check) but when I was trying to find a Britannia Pemberton's website said that they couldn't sell them outside Scotland, and when I emailed to check they confirmed it.
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I demo Babylock machines sometimes (it wasn’t me at Harrogate I promise) please don’t be put off because it is a fabulous machine and works very consistently. I have also used Janome and Bernina dedicated machines plus Husqvarna, Pfaff, Bernina and Babylock combined machines. My own machine is a Babylock combined and I make most of my own clothes in stretch fabric. Hope this helps
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@Kittensposies I can't remember where you are (and I'm on my phone so can't be bothered to check) but when I was trying to find a Britannia Pemberton's website said that they couldn't sell them outside Scotland, and when I emailed to check they confirmed it.
That is very good to know! Thank you! I am in Yorkshire, though I did live in Scotland for a loooong time. We have friends there I could get it sent to if I was so inclined :D
I am no closer to a decision. I have spent the afternoon looking for preloved/ used/ reboxed.
I've just checked out the Brother one with 5 spools, it looks good, though when I googled it I found a post here where someone returned it for being too fiddly. I don't want fiddly.
There is a Janome CoverPro 1000 on eBay with a whole load of accessories that might be a good deal, though I don't know if they'll post.
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I've had the Janome 2000 for a couple of years, haven't used it a mega amount but wouldn't be without now. It seems many owners need to raise the rear feed dogs to improve the stitch but mine seems ok. I had one project that it wouldn't sew but tried @Fabric Lover's machine (a Brother) and hers didn't like the fabric either. I think the key is to keep going - slowly if necessary - as my looper thread often breaks if I stop & start. If buying again I'd get the Brother (don't know the model of @Fabric Lover's but it's a Brother) as I like the presser foot raise lever on the right like on the overlocker. I also bought the clear foot, IMO it should be supplied with the machine as it's do much easier than the solid foot.
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@Lachica John Lewis are selling the Janome 2000 for £400, which is very tempting! And at least with John Lewis I know I can take it physically to the shop if anything goes wrong...
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@Kittensposies that's a good price. If I remember correctly I paid about that from SMD in 2017. I'm not sure how good JL would be at fixing any problems, but they're usually very good about replacing faulty items. I strongly recommend buying the clear foot, it will make your learning curve easier. I bought mine a couple of months ago as didn't know it existed until I joined the Janome coverstitch group on Facebook.
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I have the Janome 2000 and don't have any problems with it. I do tend to sew quite slowly over seams to avoid potential skipped stitches. I also trim the thickness of fabrics at the seams.
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I thought I was either going to get the Janome or Brother, but I just keep coming back to the Britannia because I can get the machine plus accessories for just £50 more than the Janome, and £50 less than the Brother... Why am I so rubbish at spending money?!
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@Kittensposies do you have a nearby stockist where you could try the machines? Do you live near enough to anyone on TSP who would let you try theirs? You're welcome to come & try mine if you're anywhere near. I'm in RG5, near Wokingham, not far from the M4 if that helps?
I'm also rubbish at spending on myself - years of putting others first maybe?
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@Lachica Thank you so much for the lovely offer, sadly I’m in Yorkshire!
I did get to try the Britannia one when I was at the knitting and stitching show, and it just wasn’t love, but maybe it doesn’t have to be for that price? It also took up a lot of space.
John Lewis in Cheadle still has a decent haberdashery section so I may call them and see if they have the Janome on site; I know they stock it online. I don’t know anywhere that stocks the Brother machine.
I know exactly what you mean - Any spare money I usually have goes on getting stuff fixed around the house, or buying stuff for the baby; it’s very frustrating not being able to be selfish now and then ;)
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@Kittensposies ah, yes, a bit of a long drive. I know nothing about the Britannia machine. I bought mine after searching reviews but now find a lot of people saying the Janome skips stitches. I didn't see those beforehand
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@Lachica Thank you so much for the lovely offer, sadly I’m in Yorkshire!
I did get to try the Britannia one when I was at the knitting and stitching show, and it just wasn’t love, but maybe it doesn’t have to be for that price? It also took up a lot of space.
John Lewis in Cheadle still has a decent haberdashery section so I may call them and see if they have the Janome on site; I know they stock it online. I don’t know anywhere that stocks the Brother machine.
I know exactly what you mean - Any spare money I usually have goes on getting stuff fixed around the house, or buying stuff for the baby; it’s very frustrating not being able to be selfish now and then ;)
@Kittensposies I'm very close to J Lewis in Cheadle and I'm 99% certain that they don't have it on display even though it will be on their website.
I know you mentioned the Brother machine but I read several reviews on different threads on Pattern Review forum, one of which said they hated the machine .............. There was a Yorkshire Janome stand at Harrogate, I can't recall who they were but maybe you could go and test the machine at their shop. Did you get a show programme? I have one and can look it up for you if that would be a help.
I know what you mean about not 'loving' a machine and I'd say don't go for that one. I was like that with my overlocker 30 years ago! I was keen for a Janome because my sewing machine was theirs, but I went for a Brother which I still have, love and use to this day!
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The Janome stand at the show was White Rose Sewing (http://whiterosesewing.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=36_54&product_id=63) and they're based in Harrogate.
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The trouble with testing a machine when you haven't sewn with one before - first overlocker, first coverstitcher - is that you aren't really sure what to look out for (at least I wasn't). So I've tended to choose mine on the advice of a local machine seller/repairer that I trust and from online reviews. Yes, I've "tried them out" first but frankly I haven't been much the wiser afterwards. I'll know better second time around of course :)
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Aw thank you everyone! I’ve done a good bit of googling today and can’t find a retailer nearby that has the Brother; one has the 5 thread version, but my chance to try these all out was the show, as I never get time to myself otherwise
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@Vezelay thats a really good point. If only I had one of those useful people! I think I’m going to mull it over for a few days and hope the discounts remain in the run up to Christmas.
Thanks everyone so much for the help! You’ve given me a lot of really useful advice :)
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They all seem to have mixed reviews - a lot of reviews saying the Janome skips stitches, which is my ultimate bugbear, and the Brother is fiddly the thread. I’m leaning towards the Brother because the whole point of getting a coverstitch machine is to avoid having the whole hems of skipped stitches that I currently have. I think I’d happily deal with fiddly threading if it didn’t skip stitches!
As I said, I've got the Brother 5 thread version and I have never considered it to be fiddly to thread, the needles can be challenging occasionally but that was solved by buying a good needle threader/needle holder tool for about £3. It's certainly quicker and easier than threading the overlocker
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I demo Babylock machines sometimes (it wasn’t me at Harrogate I promise) please don’t be put off because it is a fabulous machine and works very consistently. I have also used Janome and Bernina dedicated machines plus Husqvarna, Pfaff, Bernina and Babylock combined machines. My own machine is a Babylock combined and I make most of my own clothes in stretch fabric. Hope this helps
I was thinking of a baby lock combined how is changing from overlock to coverstitch?
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I have the Janome 2000 and don't have any problems with it. I do tend to sew quite slowly over seams to avoid potential skipped stitches. I also trim the thickness of fabrics at the seams.
I was rereading this thread (currently unwell with a seasonal virus, ho ho ho :S) and remembered that I had found this to be the way to use the Janome successfully. It's capable of high speed and so it's easy to get carried away! That was when I had skipped stitches. Now I observe a strict speed limit and all is well.
Wishing you well with your decisions.
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@Sewgorgeous it is very easy on the Babylock, the most difficult part is moving the needles, I used to have a Bernina and it was not easy at all.
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I've had the Janome 2000 for around 2/3 years now and has never been a problem apart from tunnelling on light fabric, which has now been solved. I use it in fits and starts, usually doing a two or three items on the trot, then it get pushed away for a few months.
If I had the money I would go for the Babylock, but only because everybody who has one seems to like them. However, I think if I had the money I probably wouldn't, I don't do that much with it other than hems, necks and sleeves, bit of a one trick machine for me really. But, it does do a good trick.
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I’ve got the Coverpro 1000, which until a few weeks ago I would gladly have thrown out of the window. I’d tried every suggestion on the Internet, but nothing cured the skipped stitches and tunnelling on flimsier fabric, until I read on Facebook about adjusting the back feed dogs. What a difference, definitely now a keeper. Not only were the front ones higher, but the back ones weren’t level, no wonder they didn’t feed the fabric properly!! My only complaint now is that it’s a bit plasticky.
If and when I come to replace it, it will be a Juki, simply because, I’ve got a Juki overlocker and I’m soooo impressed with it. It’s so solid and feels like it’s built to last.
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I was all set to buy the Brother Coverstitch. Then husband said “shall we go to Center Parcs again at Easter... friend 1 and 2 are going with their kids...” and there went my coverstitch fund!!
I’ll keep scouting ebay and maybe a good preloved one will turn up. Definitely have a good idea of what I want now, so this thread is not in vain! Thank you all for helping me figure it out :D
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Ha ha! Good decision and enjoy your holiday! The ideal coverstitch opportunity will come your way in time.
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If you want an easy life, go for the Babylock. My dealer tried to sell me the BLCS2 first off and I said no thank you because it was so expensive. The other one I had in mind was the Britannia. I had read about the Janome 2000 as being temperamental so ruled it out. Anyway, I agreed to try the Babylock and it not only looked lovely, it sewed beautifully with no problem - so easy! Threading is a breeze because it has the jet air threading. I then decided to try the Britannia for comparison but as soon as he opened it I said no thank you. It was so much bigger than the Babylock BLCS2 and appeared clunky! Needless to say I bought the Babylock and I am delighted with it. My dealer doesn’t sell Juki, which is another I might have looked at because it has good reviews, although the threading on the Babylock is a dream. I love the choice I made even though it was expensive. It’s a quality product.
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I'm in the hunt for one also, under the assumption that being able to do a decent hem would have me sew more knits. But that's a lot of money to invest on hemming a handful of tee shirts. :o I looked at Babylock. They started at $800 and into the several thousands. Huh? :S Noooo....
You read mixed reviews on all of them so that's not all that much help. At Pattern review I did get a couple of Private messages with suggestions.
I've heard maybe more good then bad about the Brother and some good info on a Singer, though I'll need to check my notes to see if it's a combo or solo cover stitch.
Meanwhile, I've decided to just plop a bit of money aside every month so when I do make up my mind there's much of it already gathered up.
On the topic of feeling like you're being self indulgent spending on yourself, "Santa" has acquired a rather good quality tablet for me. It's bigger, so I can see things on it, 13 hour battery life so I can look at whatever I like in a days time and has decent cameras both front and back. Good being 5 and 8 mega pixels. Did I mention a good camera, big enough "viewfinder" that I can actually see what I'm looking at? Still, I could have gotten an adequate for my needs one for much less. This one was 5 times what the small one was. :S
I figure I can use it to watch videos of home repairs while I do them. That way I might stop feeling like it was self indulgent.
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I have the Janome 1000CP, and I bought the clear foot as well. Strangely I had a 100CP years ago, which I sold to buy a combi machine. That was a big mistake and I went back to separate machines. The first Cover Pro was bad for skipping stitches, the second one rarely does. The feed dogs may have been set higher on the newer machine, as I dont think I have every had a problem with skipped stitches on it.
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Hi everyone!
I’ve got a permanent eye out for Babylock or Brother coverstitch machines on eBay :D Nothing has come up yet!
In the meantime I’ve managed to make twin needle stitching a bit more successful on my sewing machine by buying a spare bobbin tray thingy and adjusting the tension to as close to zero as I can get. I still hate it though and am definitely avoiding sewing stretch and knit because of the hassle of hemming.