Sewing Machine Review - Janome Memory Craft 300E Embroidery Machine

Here is my next sewing machine review on my embroidery machine, a Janome Memory Craft 300E

What brand and model do you have? This machine is a dedicated embroidery machine, a Janome Memory Craft 300E.

How long have you had it? I purchased this machine in February 2007, so as of writing this review I've had it for just over 6 and a half years.

When I first started making day care sheet sets at the start of 2007, I realised (after I'd already committed to supplying sheets for my son's new daycare centre) that I needed to be able to sew names in large letters onto the bags that the sheets go in. My father (who owned a sewing machine shop at the time) came to the rescue, and sold me this ex-demonstrator embroidery machine, which he had just replaced with a newer model. He even had it shipped to me in under a week!

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? Once again, I did not pay full price, but the value of this machine when new was in excess of $1,500 AUD.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? This machine is mostly used to put names onto bags for the daycare sheets that I sew. I do like to make other things with embroidered designs on them, but seem to spend more time doing samples of the designs and drooling over designs from Sue Box Creations, than actually making something out of them.

Peg Bag featuring a Sue Box design

Cushions featuring Sue Box designs

A5 folders featuring, you guessed it! Sue Box designs

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? For sewing on sheet names this machine gets a bit of a workout from the end of each year until around February, when all the new year day care enrollments are ordering sheets. For the rest of the year there are the odd sheet orders to be done, but it mostly takes up desk space, silently begging me to sew up some different designs.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? This machine does the job that I need it to do. I wouldn't say I'm passionate about it, but since I first bought it, I don't know what I would do without it! And no, I haven't given it a name.

What features does your machine have that work well for you? In built alphabets are great! I know that needle threaders tend to be standard equipment on all machines, but this is the only one that I actually use it on!

The different brands and sizes of threads that I have
L to R Echidna, Mettler, Janome, Isacord (sml) Iscacord (lge)

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? To stitch a design that is not pre-loaded, you have to transfer it to a CF memory card, which you use with an ATA PC Card. You can only use a small Memory card, which are becoming harder to obtain these days. I hope mine don't all die on me at the same time, I would have a disaster on my hands. I would love to be able to use a USB stick to transfer designs. I did actually try it once. I used an ATA PC Card with USB adaptor, but unfortunately it would not read the USB stick at all. I hate to say this, but I should have listened to my dad when he originally told me that!

A QWERTY keyboard for the alphabets would be a nice touch, but you do actually get used to where the letters are.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? I would probably say if you are in the market for an embroidery machine, look for a newer model with some extra features, but if you could get a good deal on a used machine in excellent condition then this would be a good investment. It's great to be able to put designs on things at home, and for small designs it works really well.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? Find one that meets your needs! My embroidery machine is great for home use, but wouldn't be that great for someone whose work centred on the production of embroidered articles.

Do you have a dream machine? For an embroidery machine, I would love one that takes a USB stick, especially if I could save a lot of designs on it. One of those great big machines that you can thread 10 colours at a time would be great too! But I don't really have a need for one, and I certainly don't have the space for anything like that, so yeah, just one that is easier to transfer designs onto, and can do finer designs.


Catch up on my other sewing machine reviews:

Janome 1600P
Janome Memory Craft 4800QC 
Pfaff Hobbylock 4870
Janome Mylock 634D Overlocker
Janome Coverpro 1000CP

Head over to sew mama sew to see more sewing machine reviews.