Janome 3128 Sewing Machine

Customer Ratings:

This Janome machine was a good investment. While the features aren't as plentiful as some other models, the machine works very well.

I have used it for zippers and oilcloth (even the two together) and it had no problem with either.

The only issue I have found is the bobbin tends to get caught up in itself (this could be user error but I am more convinced it's a design flaw). I wish the bobbin design was different (maybe a drop in rather than a shuttle) but other than that this machine has held up very well.

The storage compartment in the front is a nice addition. I hadn't sewn in years when I bought this and the instructions were very straightforward and the machine was simple enough for me to use that I have been able to produce several items. It's lightweight and small which makes it easy to store.

Pros: works well, is quiet, easy to use, light weight, compact, has extra storage built in, comes with cover and carrying handle

Cons: bobbin is frustrating and jams occasionally

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Cricut Fontopia Cartridge

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $34.99
Sale Price: $26.97
Today's Bonus: 23% Off

I gotta tell you, I'm heartbroken. This is my first Amazon review, and it's because I'm disappointed. This font cartridge isn't what you think. Every letter is different. So if you want to type a word like, "Fox," the F is one font, the O is a different font, the X is yet another type of font. The FONTOPIA cartridge is great if you are creating artwork that involves initials. But if you want to type entire words or phrases, just know that every letter will look different. I thought, "Maybe I'm missing something here. Surely I can type an entire alphabet in a certain font." Nope. I really don't know what Cricut was thinking. They should've called it "INITIALTOPIA," which would've explained this cartridge a bit better to the Cricut customer. What you're getting are initials. Mind you, the Amazon description says, "Features intricate, layered monograms." But what you may not realize is that making monograms is the ONLY thing you can do with these fonts. One letter per design. It's a bummer because these fonts are amazing.

Having said that, there seems to be one font style (the letters look like flags) in which you get the entire alphabet in that font. You can see it on the cover art as "ABC." You get a whole alphabet in that flag style, but that's it. All of the other font styles you see in the picture (like that beautiful J and L), are just solo images. You can't create a whole word out of them. So basically what you're buying is one flag font alphabet, which is, of course, the plainest of all the font styles in this cartridge. All of the gorgeous art nouveau, swirly fonts = one letter only. Mind you, each of those letters is absolutely gorgeous. There's no mistaking that these fonts are intricate, interesting, and just plain beautiful. Unfortunately, you can't type an entire alphabet of them.

But all is not lost! On the plus side, there's a whole array of arrows, scrolls, banners, trims, decorative embellishments that actually makes the FONTOPIA cartridge worth owning. These extra images are done mostly in an art deco style, which is always stunning. It will definitely create a mood for your craft. There's a lot offered in the area of embellishing trims (far more than you see on the cover photo) and it won't disappoint you. That's the only reason I'm not returning this cartridge, and believe me, I was thinking about it because I felt deceived. I wouldn't have felt that way if it was called "INITIALS" or "MONOGRAMS."

Overall, buy FONTOPIA for the decorative art nouveau embellishments this cartridge offers, not for the fonts, which are different for every letter.

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Distinctive Pearls and Sequins Sewing Machine Presser Foot

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $21.99
Sale Price: $15.99
Today's Bonus: 27% Off

This is a new "must have" if you want to attach pearls or sequins. I am very satisfied with this product, and plan on adding some pearls to a very plain dress to give it a designer touch.

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Tri Electronics Gold Tester GT-3000

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $219.00
Sale Price: $199.00
Today's Bonus: 9% Off

This tester is not reliable. It gives false positives and cannot distinguish gold-filled from solid karat gold. It gave a reading of 721 on a US gold eagle coin and a reading of 945 on a sterling ring electroplated in 18k gold. Out of three readings on the same piece of plated Chinese fake "10k white gold" it read 435, then 509, then 415. When I put 18k testing solution on the piece, it started to cook out, with yellow smoke and green bubbles, after the GT 3000 tester had given three readings within range of low karat gold.

It also gives false negatives and low readings on known high grade gold coins and bullion bars.

If I had known what an unreliable piece of junk this thing is, I would never have bought it. Too bad that one star is the lowest rating available, or I would have given it a negative 3 stars.

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Simplicity BH600 The Blind Hemmer

Customer Ratings:

I would agree that the Simplicity BH600 does not take a long time to learn to use, but a better manual would really help. The instructions for threading are good, but not for other operational details. There are 3 knobs which can be adjusted to accommodate different fabrics, stitch length, depth, and thread tension. The manual tells you that much. However, it doesn't tell you what those things mean nor what the numbers mean or when you should turn the knobs which way.

Take stitch length, for instance. On my old Singer machine stitch length meant the number of stitches per inch, and measured the distance the feed dogs moved the fabric per stitch. Higher numbers meant smaller stitches. On my Janome, stitch length refers to the number of millimeters the fabric moves per stitch the needle makes. Smaller numbers mean smaller stitches. I have no clue what the "stitch length" means on the BH600 or what is measured. The total information given is "Variable stitch length to customize the stitch for every fabric weight." Not a clue concerning what is measured (interval between stitches? length of the stitch from the edge of the fabric?) or when you should turn the dial one way or the other.

Nevertheless, its compact size is very important for those of us who only need a blindhemmer once every couple of weeks, it stores very neatly in the box it ships in, and it worked well right away on the lightweight cotton the machine was set up for. I'm just afraid that it will be a bear when I have to try to figure out those knobs by trial and error.

One year later: I would take away some stars at this point. The tension system is not at all robust in this machine. Even though I do not use the machine heavily, with months going by without using it, the tension mechanisms are totally shot. It started giving trouble just before the warranty was done and I contacted a certified shop to see about getting the machine worked on. I was told that the spring is a little weak, just take it out and stretch it a little. I did and that worked for a while, but it is pretty worthless now. I supplement the spring with a washer my husband found that is the right size, but the plastic knob that holds the tensioner parts together is also cracking.

I would also not buy another straight needle hemmer. The problem with the straight needle is that a bar lifts the fabric up just as the needle is about to pierce the fabric. This tends to pull light-weight fabrics out of alignment, making the hem a little crooked unless you really fight it. All in all, I would not buy this machine again nor recommend it. Pay a little more and get a machine that is more robust and will work better.

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3mm Wide Double Sided Layer Adhesive Sticky Tape Sticker

Customer Ratings:

Use this tape instead of what comes with replacement ipad digitizers. Those pre-cut pieces don't provide enough coverage and strength to hold a digitizer on securely. Use this instead.

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GBC9112 - ClassicCut CL300 Series 15-Sheet Paper Trimmer

Customer Ratings:

Cutter is high quality. Heavy base, good solid feel to the arm, and it slices straight and crisply. I was surprised at the quality for the price. Since the cost was quite low I expected to get a cheap lightweight cutter. What I received was anything but. It doesn't take up much room, it accommodates paper as big as 11" x 17" and anything smaller with ease, can go through several sheets at one time, and the lines are clearly marked for easy line-up. Perfect for our busy church office. I'm very happy with my purchase of this cutter and highly recommend it to others.

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CARL 13836 CARL 36" Industrial Trimmer - 15 Sheets

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $433.11
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 42% Off

Works great. Good sharp blade that we've used to handle 5+ sheets at a time. Has no problems cutting a full 36" wide sheet. Some barely do it so it can be touch and go but this trimmer does a good job for us. Definitely worth the money and I feel a good value compared to some of the higher priced trimmers.

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8pc Clear Acrylic Bead Jars Containers - Spill-Proof Snap-on Tops

Customer Ratings:

I must carry medications with me if I go out for the day or to dinner, etc. It was a pain loading and unloading all my various medicine bottles into my purse.....and ziploc baggies are even worse. These little containers work perfectly as medicine dosage cups....I just fill each little jar with the pills I need at each meal while away from home, snap on the lid, drop them into my purse, and I'm good to go. They take up almost no room. Wonderful for traveling!

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Sew Perfect Shirring Gathering Presser Foot - Fits All Low Shank

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $16.95
Sale Price: $8.88
Today's Bonus: 48% Off

I like that the piece fit my machine, and it seems to be made of good metal...but the slot that you are supposed to be able to use to gather one material onto another could be a little broader, it does not have enough room for the fabric you want to remain flat while sewing the ruffle to it, so because of this the fabric slides out and goes all crooked.However it works great if you just want to make a gather and then sew it to you project as a second step.

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Mark Andrews ZeGear Seasonal - I Love Halloween - Quilt Squares

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $13.99
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

I'm collecting things to put into a quilt for my daughter for Halloween. I guess that I Was a little early because there wasn't much out there when I started looking. This will be at the center of the quilt.

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Fiskars 12-In-One Sewing Tool

Customer Ratings:

This sounded like a really great idea, but there are some issues. The tape measure only goes to 25 inches which really isn't enough to use for a lot of things. The other problem is that the tools aren't as sturdy as what Fiskars is known for. I plan to put this in my travel case, but won't be using it on a regular basis.

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Reliable MSK-588 Portable Blindstitch Sewing Machine

Customer Ratings:

I had learned on industrial machines back in design school, but when I opened my business, portable industrial machines were not yet available and I couldn't afford thousands for a stand alone hemmer. When Babylock introduced their home-model I purchased it gladly. I was content for many years. It was easy and quick, but the stitches were obvious because of the straight needle, no matter what the depth level. It was a pretty machine, had a good long life, but was no power house.

When it came time to retire it, I researched the now portable industrial hemming machines. It was a toss-up between this one and the Tac-Sew. The reviews swayed me towards the Reliable. (that, and the price) It was everything stated and more! It is not as quick to thread as my BabyLock, but it isn't as slow either! I have to learn to control the speed! It is a compact, tight, and efficient work horse, a solid piece of machinery. The stitches are beautiful and I can alter the depth easily. Changing the frequency/stitch length is more of a challenge as you need to remove a plate on the side to access the dial. Switching from the easy-to-control flat work surface of the Babylock to the clamp and curved needle was all about practice and control, but the results are worth it. The threading, needle changing, and final stitch-lock position are not hard to master. The curved needle makes all the difference in invisibility. I highly recommend it.

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Aquamarine AB Chip Glass Beads Beading Parts 34" Strand

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $7.99
Sale Price: $5.50
Today's Bonus: 31% Off

if you want aquamarine colored glass or anything that resembles the gem stone do not buy this. the ab coating on it makes it really gaudy. it is only cheap glass and very over priced too.

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Cricut Cartridge, Graphically Speaking

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $69.99
Sale Price: $32.99
Today's Bonus: 53% Off

I bought this from BargainPack.com and it is by FAR the best one out there so far. It is wonderful and has so much of anything you will want and need. Hundreds of images. I have a dozen or more cartridges to my collection, and this is the one I reach for the most often. My next favorite is Going Places. It is excellent also. This is one everyone needs!!

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