It’s been almost twelve years, Janome MyExcel.
Mum bought you for me when I was sixteen. You could do zig zag stitch and make buttonholes. You were easy to thread and everything in your clearly designed guide book made sense.
You were the Ford sedan of sewing machines.
I made hippie skirts and simple patchwork and I passed VCE Studio Art with you. I made costumes for student productions in Uni. We have good memories. Thank you for that.
But twelve years is a long time, Janome MyExcel, and you were the basic model even in 1997.
It’s not about you. Well it is about you, a bit. I hate the way you panic in moments of high tension (ha! sewing joke). And you make so much noise. I can’t talk to anybody or watch TV when you’re sewing. You’re a little — well, I won’t say selfish, but you don’t like to share my attention, now, do you?
But I’ll be honest. I owe you that. It’s mostly me. What can I say? Twelve years is a long time and I’m not the same girl I was then. I want to sew denim and leather. I want hundreds of pre-programmed decorative stitches. And I really want a shiny little push-button that makes the needle go up and down.
Call me superficial.
[I just bought the Bernina Aurora 440QE, a heart-stoppingly expensive computerised machine which seems able to do just about anything. It will probably take me months to figure it out. Have any of you used this machine, or own it? I'd love to know what you think.]
May 3, 2009 at 10:31 am
Hi, I see you are moving onto bigger and better things. My sister has just given me her “never used” MyExcel 18W… only problem is with no instructions. Could I please ask for your instructions manual!! I am happy to remunerate you! Also, any tips, the good, the bad and the ugly!! Thanks… Bernadette
May 3, 2009 at 11:51 am
Bernadette, you seem to be able to download it for free here: https://www.2instructions.com/search.php?cmarque=JANOME&modele=MY%20EXCEL%2018W
but if that doesn’t work, I’d be more than happy to copy and send my manual. (I’m keeping the machine as a backup and a spare so I’d like to hang on to the original). Use the email address in my profile to send me your postal address. Payment is really not necessary, I’d be glad to help.
September 10, 2009 at 2:22 pm
i have been looking for an instruction manual for a second hand janome my excel 18w that i recently purchased. were you successful in downloading a free copy. could you pls let me know.
cheers
May 3, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Ha! Very entertaining read. Poor little Janome. I’m glad my Janome MyStyle 36? wasn’t listening. She is **shhhh** 16 years old. I didn’t even think of her as old until I booked her in for her *gulp & blush* first ever service a year ago and the lady in Spotlight said “Ooh, that’s an old machine you’ve got there!”
I hope you have fun with your computerised late model luxury vehicle.
May 4, 2009 at 12:13 am
Yes, they’re such reliable troopers of sewing machines, aren’t they? It does seem strange to think of the MyExcel as ‘old’, though she is.
I wrote this post as a breakup letter because it really does feel like I’ve betrayed a loyal friend. I’ve been saving money and thinking will I, won’t I buy a new machine for almost a year now. Thinking that maybe I was being silly to want something new. It also shocked me a little to find out how expensive good machines are.
But my Janome struggles to sew through four layers of cotton, and I had the chance to play with the Bernina at a trade show. The difference! It can sew through eight layers of denim without missing a stitch. And the buttonholes look professional, rather than like fabric that’s been mangled by a cat. Well, there’s no going back, and I hope one day I can pull the Janome out to teach a friend or to give to someone who needs a simple machine.
My Mum used her c1960/70s machine to teach me how sewing machines work. Perhaps in a few years I can do the same for someone small, and I’ll want a simple machine for that rather than the Bernina.
May 4, 2009 at 11:23 am
Congratulations on your new machine! I love, love, love my Bernina 440QE!!! It really does do everything. (And, even after 4 years, I still refer to my instruction manual for some things.) But there really is something about that old workhorse, that machine that you learned on and used practically to death that makes it hard to move on in some ways. Mine was a Pfaff. I just couldn’t bear to part with it, and even though I never use it– it’s there.
May 4, 2009 at 11:56 am
Oh, I’m so glad you like the Bernina after four years, Robin. It bodes really well for me! (And I’m glad you still have room in the attic for your Pfaff).
May 4, 2009 at 10:22 pm
It’s funny isn’t it. I still have a Janome XLII. Not the one I bought in 1978, but one my Mum bought a year or so later because she liked mine. She gave it to my sister, who gave it to me after I left mine in front of the open sunroom window on a wet day. It is a real trooper. When I bough my new Janome about 3 years ago, part of the sales pitch was that it could sew through so many layers of denim. But I swear the old machine does better. My new Janome has a hissy fit if it doesn’t get serviced every few months, but the old one can go years without a service. My next machine won’t be a Janome, but I bet my old XLII will outlast the newer Quilters Edition.
May 17, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
May 22, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Would you be kind enough to send me a copy of your Janome My Excel 18w manual to my email address? Thank you,
Min.
September 10, 2009 at 2:23 pm
i noticed you were looking for an instruction manaul for janome my excel 18w. i am also looking for one. did you find one and i was wondering if you could send me a copy. hope its not too much bother
cheers
May 22, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Min, I do not have this electronically (please read through the comments above). Much as I would love to be able to share it, I don’t have time or resources to photocopy it many times. I’m also not comfortable with the idea of making a number of reproductions. I’m sorry — I suggest you use the paid service above or contact Janome.
May 25, 2009 at 11:54 pm
How exciting!
I’ve just been checking out sewing machines to replace my Janome, and think I like the Bernina 1008. It’s only got 16 stitches but from everything I’ve heard it’s a workhorse, and at the moment I don’t use anything but the straight and zigzag stitches anyway (and to be honest, the more computerised ones with five million different functions freak me out a little).
Best of luck with your new relationship!
May 28, 2009 at 1:22 am
I have the Bernina 440QE, and I adore it! I would suggest taking any free classes they offer where you bought it. Although I know how to sew and quilt, it was nice to work through the specifics of the 440! Congrats! Don’t be afraid… you’ll have a ball!
May 28, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I agree with Betsy… take those free classes.
I have a 440Qe also and don’t cha just love all those thread cutters.
I replaced a Janome also and I love how well the Bernina sews stuff on the bias. Miracle.
Congrats and welcome to the sisterhood of Bernina.
June 3, 2009 at 5:36 pm
a family friend has given me a Myexcal 18 w funny thing is i don’t know how to use it , unfort. i don’t have a manual or instruction to help me. If anyone can help me please it would be greatly appreciated .
Thanks Ruth,
October 25, 2009 at 7:53 am
Hi i was wondering whether any body could help me pleas. I have a janome my excel 18w i do not have a manual.Has any body got any ideas of how to get one please
many thanks
lisa
November 17, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Hey im also looking for a manual for my janome my excel 18?
could any one be of any help?
thanks