Janome Memory Craft 11000 (MC11000)

from reading the posted comments there seems to be a common fault with the 11000. I have in my possession no less than 16 broken bobbin casings due to jaming. in the last 2 years i have purchased 6 Janome machines Limited edition sewinfg, 350E, 1100, MB-4 and the latest quilting machine which only came out last month. I have no trouble with any of the machines except for the 1100 which is a real lemon. Janome Australia does not seem to care after th 12 month warranty period is up they do not want to know.

I have had my 11K since 2007 and did the first upgrade last year. I LOVE IT. I used to work for the dealer (Bought it before working for him) You must really thread it properly….As they say, listen for the snap to make sure it’s in there properly.

One thing Janome doesn’t say, is WHENEVER POSSIBLE - Have the spool VERTICLE.

I have the thread stand and set it off to the right side of the machine and use the thread guide on top that came with it. before going to normal threading.

If you lost that little thread guide or didn’t get the thread stand and want the little piece, you can order that part separately. When I worked for the dealer, I called Janome to get the bitty part number and sold many, case they fit a lot of janomes.

When I sold it, I always sat the new buyer down and explained the importance of the snap and the thread being verticle. Don’t have a thread stand, spend 7 bucks and buy one.

The other thing when doing embroidery is proper balance on the bobbin thread. 60 weight bobbin thread is essential I have used Fil-tec, Madeira bobbin thread and the janome spool that came with it. Fil tec is #1 and Madiera a close second.

Also, having learned a little repair at the shop….

if the problem is in the bobbin case area, it’s your upper threading is off. If it’s up above, it’s your bobbin thread messed up.

Oil the bobbin case in that little open dot underneath the bobbin at least every 8 hrs of sewing with proper sewing machine oil Haven’t sewn for over a week or 2, oil first.

Change your needles every 25000 - 30000 stitches, esp. if you are using Organ needles. Don’t keep going on an old needle, they are cheap.

Get a can of blow off for electronics. Blow from the top down toward the needle (get that little straw in there) and blow the lint and dust and threads out of the tension, every time you oil the bobbin case.

Take the bobbin case out now and again and get the lint out of that area, use your vaccum for the keyboard attachement.

It’s like little routine maintainence and consistent threading, verticle spool, never a problem.

Also, get it professionally cleaned by your Janome Rep every 6-12 months. Too big of an investment to mess with.

For all you Experienced sewers having trouble…the electronic machines do so much more and and have so many sensors that you need to treat them with a little reverence. These are not the machines we grew up with and that mom had.

I have had my 11000 at the dealers countless times on the same problem. The bobbin case keeps jamming up. I have replaced the case at least 8 or 10 time in the passed 2 1/2 years I’ve had it. The dealer keeps telling me i don’t know how to thread it. I find the insulting because I have won ribbons with my work. I find I can only straight sew on this machine.
Anyone can find a cheaper machine then paying $7500.00 to do only straight sewing. I wouldn’t recommend this machine to anyone that I knew. Plus everyone I know, knows about this problem anyway. They all have gotten a different machine.

I have had nothing but trouble with this machine, I always use the correct needles and bobbins and been ultra careful whilst threading up, but have had constant bobbin case problems with it spinning round and getting damaged. it has been back to the dealer and Janome more times than I can count. Since having it returned recently and it working fine for a while I decided to upgrade to the V3 quilting, I followed the instructions to the letter and when I put the USB in the machine and turned the machine on the screen went blank and now I have nothing working but the light. Please don’t waste your money on this machine.

I love my 11000SE!!! But have had trouble with the bobbin case twisting and getting ruined! After reading the Janome Guy and Robin, I went back to my machine and not only checked to be sure the thread was in the take up lever, BUT ALSO in the first place the top thread goes is under a piece of white plastic and we can’t see what is under there. BUT when threaded correctly, there will be a little snap with the thread if it is in right. That is the spot I had been missing and consequently ruined 2 and almost the third bobbin case.
When starting to thread the machine, do just as the book says, hold the thread in both hands while threading the first part so there is tension on the thread and the little ’snap’ is heard and then be sure to also get it in the thread take up lever. That should fix the problem. At least it did for me and I am SO THANKFUL!!!

I am begining to wonder if my MC11000 is a Toyota! Will not buy a Janome again. Saving for a Bernina.

I have been buying Janome machines since my early 20’s. I began with the 4800, a fantastic machine which I still use to this day. Never a thing goes wrong with it.
I have a 6600 very heavy quilting and sewing machine wonderful to use and runs like a dream. Uses any and all bobbins not just the expensive Janome pre wounds.
I also have a16P quilting machine which is great for powerful quilting, sews like a dream. It has one thing which I really don’t understand, it uses small metal bobbins and with a front bobbin change door which makes it very hard to change bobbins.
I bought a 300E embroidery machine to start what I thought would be a lot of fun embroidering patterns onto anything and everything. I almost ended up throwing it through the window. The gigabyte hoop would not match up patterns when turned to complete the other half of the design. I wasted a lot of material and time and money trying to get it to match up.
I finally decided to get rid of it and buy the latest 11000. It was fantastic to start with and still is when running properly. I maintain my own machines (keeping them clean and running smoothly)and have had no problems at all. I now find that after paying what amounts to a price for a small car, I can find no mechanic that is able to service the 11000. The main headoffice in Melbourne only does warranty work and will not look at repairing machines out of warranty. There are very few mechanics that I would give my expensive ‘baby’ to, to be fixed or serviced.
Janome needs to look at building up it’s repair department, before a lot of sewing people show their disatisfaction with the lack of knowledgable mechanics, by buying into Bernina, Pfaff and others.

I bought the Janome MC 11000 and found out that I was causing the computer to “glitch” by putting in too many patterns at one time. Since I’ve limited the number of designs, the machine sews like a top!! I LOVE embroidering with it, as it is very precise, user-friendly and also quiet. I desperately want to upgrade to the SE and get the extra hoops but I’m having difficulty coming up with the extra money. I guess I will have to save up. Now that I know why I was having some problems and stopped overloading the computer, I am very happy with my Janome and would recommend this brand to anyone. It’s a lot of fun because it is easy to use!!
Keep smiling and sewing!!

I hae had my JanomeMC11000 for about 4 months now and paid the extra $599.00 for the version 2. upgade so mine would be like Janome MC11000 special edition but now the machine keeps saying lower presser foot when it is already down and the machine will not sew.
i am very dissappointed.
is there anyone out there that can help me please.
i have turned the machine off then on nothing

I got the 11000 for a Christmas gift, and the very first time I used it, the machine ‘froze up.’ None of the buttons would work - just beep. I had to do a “cold shut down.” I contacted the dealer asap and he removed the program and reloaded it, which made a huge difference in the speed but the machine continued to freeze up when I pushed ’start.’ I did discover that if I pressed the threader button a couple of times, that eventually it would trigger the start button into waking up. Right now (nearly two months later) it is in the shop again being fixed, and I’m getting lots of ‘user error’ excuses, which don’t fly with me at all because I have the 350E which I LOVE and had the 1001 for four years. Recently I was asked if I would recommend Janome, and I said ‘no.’

I have a Janome 11000 & I love my machine - - I have also added the upgrade. I have had my machine almost 2 years & have used it a lot & no problems at all with anything. I also never took but one class & when I went for it, they saw i already had done everything on it from sewing & embroidery & the computer. It was so very easy to use. One person in these reviews said you couldn’t use different bobbins. I do , I use ones from my old Kenmore & ones I buy at Walmart & never any problems but I do use the janome needles. My Mother has a Brother Pacesetter 6500 & my opinion is that’s it’s worthless. She’s had it in the shop numerous times & when you put a embroidery card in it you sure better turn the machine off first. Has to be off to insert or take out. Craziest thing I ever heard. If you don’t it will blow the motherboard. Mom blew her first one in about 3 tries on embroidery ( she had bought a friends machine) she turned right around & bought the same kind which I never figured out & then I got mine & she says over & over what a great machine I have. SO BUY JANOME! I highly reccommend it.

I am a Janome person and have several Janome machines that I use strictly for home sewing. I have recently purchsed a Janome MC11000SE. I LOVE it and to date have not had any problems. I find that as with any machine, it needs to be treated with respect. Threading and tension is an important factor and can affect the operation of the machine. When I thread, I open the door on the side to make sure of thread direction. I have read the other reviews and am very surprised by the comments of unhappiness. I also have a Janome MB4 which is in constant use. It works great and when there is a problem, it is usually my error - something not quite right in the threading. I am fortunate that I have an excellent dealer who provides great support - I do find that the Janome manuals are lacking in some regards.

I bought this machine from Cynthia sewing center in Las Vegas…I asked her point blank if this machine had any problems with the bobbin case before I paid for it..She and her son said No! never…I had problems from day one…Traded that machine for another and guess what? The same problem..She blamed me, my husband. She lied and said “nobody ever had problems with the bobbin case”…We have had it with this machine!!Do not buy one…Never buy from Cynthia sewing center…We read all the reviews and even have called other machine owners..It has been a horrid experience…Cynthia represents herself as a christian and treats people like trash…I am very disabled and my entire dollar amount spent was all I had…I feel that She lied directly to our faces…This machine has been nothing but a nightmare in my life…She has not offered to make it right, She said I could trade it for a different machine but that “everyone who owns this machine loves it” I can read this isn’t the case…If you want to purchase a Janome sewing machine throw yourself into traffic or take all your cash and flush it down the toilet… For the amount of money it cast we could have had a nice time in Japan and adopted a child…I will do anything to convince potential customers to buy a viking and save yourself all the heartache..

I am in the market for a higher end machine. After reading the reviews, I am not going to buy the MC11000. I had one friend who bought a higher end machine and had loads of problems with it. She wondered if the dealer was yanking her chain as she had to take the machine back for work two to four times a month and it cost her each time as the dealer said “operator error not covered under waranty.” At that time, I bought a cheaper Brother from a big box store. I’m thinking of just skipping the higher end machine and buying another machine from the big box store as I could buy a new one every year and throw it away and it would still be cheaper than buying this machine and having to pay for expensive bobbin cases or expensive repairs. Thanks for the reviews.

I bought the 11000 for my wife, an experienced sewing machine operator. I am sick of the trouble she has with the bobbin jamming. Everytime the bobbin case is replaced and adjusted or whatever, but the problem still remains.
It has been a bad purchase and I intend to buy a better machine. It will not be another Janome.

I have the Memorycraft 11000 without the upgrade. I also have the Brother Innovis 1. I start to use the Memorycraft with good intentions but soon reverted back to the Brother as it has more user friendly features. I was going to upgrade the Memorycraft 11000 to the latest version but I may think twice about it now afer reading your comments. The sewing quality is fine as well as the embroidery. I have not had any bobbin problems I think it is the software that is not as advanced as the Brother.

I bought the 11000 almost 3 years ago as a retirement present for myself and have loved it! I take it to the shop every year for a tune-up and that has helped keep it running smoothly without any problems. I would suggest this for anyone having any make of machine, especially a high end model.

I have just left it for the upgrades to be installed and am looking forward to using the enhanced quilting features. I just wish they would come out with a stitch regulator for it….then I would be completely happy!!

I have had nothing but trouble with this machine, I am on my sixth bobbin case in 18months and as you know they are not cheap. When I went to my dealer I was told it was pilot error and I must be doing something wrong. I have had a Janome 10000 for several years now and have never had a problem with this machine it still has the original bobbin case,thank goodness I never got rid of it. Eventually after many letters to Janome they agreed to have my 11000 back and look at it. When it came back it worked fine although and they said they had found nothing wrong with it which I just didn’t believe. I had several months trouble free sewing and it has just happened again, so another £25 for a new bobbin case.
If my thread gets caught up on my 10000 it just breaks the thread but if this happens on my 11000 it pulls the bobbin up and the case spins round and the needle pierces the bobbin case. I am so frustrated and angry that a machine costing this much keeps going wrong.

At times I love my 11000- then at other times I would I
am at a complete loss as what I’m doing wrong.My dealer gave me minimal lessons when I bought my machine. Then I bought the upgrade and that seems to have messed up part mof my embroidery features. I too am having with the bobbin holder. I am not happy right now. The new quilting feature was a waste of money,as you do not get any instructions to go with it. I am ready to try to sell this machine and buy one that I can get some help with.

I have had my Janome 11000 since it came out and had it upgraded when that came out. I did have one experience with the bobbin case. But have learned to listen to the machine and if I hear the slightest unusual nose I stop it and check everything. This keeps problems to the minimum. Not threading correctly causes many problems as I have noted when I am in club and listening to the other ladies talk. Take your time when theading, it is a pain I know but worth it. An check to make sure you have the pressure set correctly. It is a computer and as they say garbage in, garbage out. I also urge everyone to take a class with your dealer as they can offer many tips to keep you sewing. This is my 4th Janome and I absolutely love it.

Happy sewing
J

I have just ordered the janome MC11000 now I am having doubts as to whether or not to cancel it as it is very expensive, but I thought it was the best, but lots of you seem to be having trouble with the bobbin casing what should I do my other option was to buy the Mc350E as I have never done embroidery before but this is also a pre retirement present to myself and the sales lady said I would soon get frustrated with this one as I do sew a lot just never embroidered before what do other people think or should I try a different make

I had the Janome 10k, the 10001, and now the 11000 upgrading to the SE ve2 and 3 very soon. This is a GREAT machine.

For those having bobbin case puncture problems: You MAY be using the wrong bobbins! The Janome bobbins are not the same size as just every bobbin. If you are using normal bobbins or nebs or other prefills, they do not fit properly and cause the spinning as they get low, pull up and poof, punctured case. That said, some of the first machines came off the line with an adjustment necessary. If you have bobbin spinning/case punture problems I urge you to buy Janome bobbins from the dealer and fill them yourself or buy the prefilled Janome bobbins from the dealer. If that does not help, take it to the dealer for adjustment. As mentioned by Janome Guy, one of the problems can be that the thread’s not in the takeup lever. Thread as he mentioned but know there is a teeny tiny spring in the catch of the takeup lever that can be missing…poof….problems. Have the dealer check it.

Bottom line..I love, love, love my Janome 11000. It is easy to use, an absolutely solid workhouse and provides excellent quality of stitching and embroidery. I would not trade it for the world.

Janet you have a sensor that needs to be adjusted. When you get the message, try to turn the handwheel toward you a bit, then press start. If it doesn’t start repeat the process. You should be able to sew till you get into the dealer for adjustment.

I just got my 11000 and am so excited. I was so careful and read the manual thoroughly instead of jumping in because I was afraid I would ruin something. Now for the problem. I have embroidered a few things - one or two built-ins and one from my computer. The problem is that I have run into the problem where it won’t embroider because it keeps telling me to change the foot to the P foot - well the P foot is already on. I was trying to embroider 12 pink shirts for my family to wear while at the hospital tomorrow for my sisters double mastectomy.
If anyone has any suggestions, please help! I would really appreciate any help you can offer.
Janet

I think the reason that people have problems with it is they did not get enough training. I had troable at first because i did not read or understand how to properly use it. It is a machine that that takes time and patience It is one of the easier machines to learn.make sure you buy from someone that will take time to give you help in understanding how to use it. I love mine but unfortunitly I have to sell mine because of health and hardship. I love it. I feel if you have had a problems it was because you did not get enough help

I have had my 11000 for 2 years after trying another brand and trading it in for this one. Yes it it pricey, but I have only had it in the shop once for an adjustment. The store where I bought mine has excellent service and is family owned. I have made quilts, embroidered towels, blankets, burp cloths, etc. and only messed up on one towel. I recently had it upgraded and can’t wait to use those features.. I would recommend it to anyone.I hope the people who had trouble have gotten theirs fixed so they can enjoy their machine

i’m with bmace so much so that I thought I might have written the review myself. It has been a tremendous waste of time and source of contention in my relationship with my wife. I honestly an barely remember a single project that it completed - this machine is the worst money I’ve ever spent.

“After at least a dozen trips back to the store we’ve completely given up hope. The machine does nothing but jam and skip and ruin everything we try. The bobbin casing will not stay in place and is just miserable. We’ve invested over $7500 and I just want to smash it into little pieces out of frustration.” wrost investment ever. I hate this machine. will never buy another Janome in my life. if somebody has an idea what can I do to fix my problem I’ll be very thankfull.

I have read through all the reviews on this product and I wanted to offer some advise to the common thread I see in regards to the bobbin case spinning. This is caused when the upper thread is not locked into the take-up lever. The MC11000 take up lever is a little different than any of Janome’s past top-ends and the trick I use is when you are threading the machine, open the side door on top and when you pull the thread through the take-up lever pull up at a 45 degree angle.

I have done this enough times an burned through enough bobbins cases now to know if that thread is not completely locked in that take up lever it will slide out and jam up the machine.

If this happens, do not just re-thread and try again as there may be a hole in your bobbin case, instead take out the bobbin case, use than little white screw driver you get with the machine and file down and burrs or holes created, if you smooth it out you will not need a new bobbin case, just make sure when you put the bobbin case back that there is not a large amount of wiggle left to right in the bobbin case, or your bobbin case stopper may have been shifted when it jammed, a local dealer should be able to show you how to fix this at hime if it happens.

Hope this helps.

I’ve had my machine for 3 years, been in the shop 3 times, all for embroidery problems, now it sounds as if birds are chirping in the machine when I use it. I found that the tension was difficult to adjust on many of the decorative stiches and on the embroidery designs. Looking for a different machine, but gun shy about buying any of them.

I’ve had my MC11000 for a year now and have gone through 4 bobbin cases. I just bought a new bobbin case and already it is rattling around and I feel like I have to sit at the machine and be prepared to hit the stop button for fear it will jam up again. I’ve invested over $7000 in this machine and I’m ready to sell it or hopefully trade it in on something more reliable.

Fortunately, I have had nothing but excellent experiences with my MC11000. As a 20th birthday present from my mother, she purchased me my very own 11000. I made stuffed animals/toys to accessories for my clothes and dog to making bags and now starting on quilts and eventually maybe clothing. My mother uses the machine to embroider frequently, using the monumental amount of built-in decorative and utility stitches, and the extra 1000$ worth of goodies we received upon buying the machine. We were once trying to thread the machine the wrong way but quickly solved the problem by taking a quick look through the machine’s handbook (which is easy and clear to follow) and since have not had any issues. It is a very thorough and pleasant machine to use.

After at least a dozen trips back to the store we’ve completely given up hope. The machine does nothing but jam and skip and ruin everything we try. The bobbin casing will not stay in place and is just miserable. We’ve invested over $7000 and I just want to smash it into little pieces out of frustration.

I am a quilter and was so excited to get this machine home and start using it for free stitiching my quilts. To my dismay I can not use the machine and need to take it back to the dealer. The needle will not go down, the bobbin case is spinning and it was left as the dealer gave it to me…threaded and ready to go, so they said.

Have had the machine all for 5 hours and feel that I have made a horrid mistake.

This is a wonderful machine for embroidery. It does beautiful embroidery. Fills bobbins perfectly. It just is missing some great features that are on my other brand of sewing and embroidery machine.

i’m only new at this but why does the white bobbin fill show through the colored thread? i was told i had to use bobbin fill and a certain kind. i have also had problems with my bobbin i think? i suppose i thought that it was the best machine out there. even a dummy like my self could use it. i suppose i have to play around a bit. the only thing is this bobbin fill!!!!! do they sell other colours of it? very confused

the 11000 is my 5th janome/memory craft machine and i have to say the best to date. the embroidery it does is the best. i traded my 7000 for the 8000, kept the 8000 and bought the 10000, traded the 10 for the 11.
i also have a little mechanical to lug to class. the 11 is sooooooo heavy and i am very small. the thread cutter, the bobbin winder, the everything!!!!!

I am glad to hear some of you have had a good experience with your MC11000. I can’t say the same. I have had continuous problems with the bobbin basket spinning around counter clockwise and locking up the machine. I have had it in the shop so much I’ve lost track of the count. I have picked it up in the morning and delivered it back that afternoon. The dealer always has an excused for the problem and usually he says it’s operator error. Now he is saying that this is a common occurance and can be expected with all embroidery machines. I love the machine when it works, but have serious regrets about purchasing it now.

I had a Janome 10000 and upgraded to 10001. I wanted a bigger field to embroidery so upgraded to Janome11000 I love this machine the other onedid alot but this is the Queen and I can’t wait to embroidery on and sewing is fun two.

I bought my janome 11000 as a retirement present for myself, and while I love it when it is working right when it goes bad it really goes bad. Almost from the day I bought it I had problems with the bobbin case. It would embroidery for a while then the bobbin case would lift ant spin around and I would end up buying another case (not a cheap part when you buy often). After a few months my dealer told me it was my fault and when they sent it to the factory for repair I was required to pay for it. Now that it is repaired, I like it a lot better, but live in fear that the case will go bad again.

What a wonderful machine but very expensive. It sews and it embroiders; what more can a gal ask for? The bobbin winder is super. It uses a different motor to wind the thread tightly which provides better results especially when embroidering. Since the motor is separate, I can embroider and wind at the same time. My previous machine had a black & white screen which is OK, but this has a colored screen and makes things more clear and interesting. My main reason for upgrading to the MC11000 is the larger embroidery area. My previous one had max. area of about 4″. This one is double that size!

I’ve read on message boards that some people were having problems with the bobbin case, but I have not had any problems with mine. The thing I find odd is when creating folders in my USB flash drive on my PC, it’s not recognized by the machine. I have to make the folders on the machine.

I got this while there was a promotion going on and received about a thousand embroidery designs. It does cost a bundle and at first I thought I may have rushed into buying but that feeling quickly disappeared when I finally got home got it out of the box. This machine has so much bells and whistles it’s not even funny! The manual is great and I never felt lost. The colored screen is clear and very informative. There are hundreds of built-in decorative and utility stitches.