Janome DC4030P Electronic Sewing Machine

I received this machine in two days, wow!! This is the second Janome DC4030P machine that I have purchased. The first machine I bought elsewhere last year to use for teaching children, it is that safe. However, I actually wound up giving the machine as a gift to my college age niece who wanted to learn to sew. I missed having that machine in my sewing studio, lol!The DC 4030 machine is one of the best values for such a quality product. I own a larger machine, the Janome MC 6300 Professional, which sews like a dream, and the smaller Janome DC 2012 that I take to classes and absolutely LOVE!!! The stitch quality on those two machines is excellent. Well, the same is true for the DC 4030, and I would say even more so!This machine is solid but still portable at 18 lbs. It is electronic, mostly metal and sews whisper quiet. The ease of use and it's simplicity is why I really wanted this machine for myself. You can quilt with this machine without using a walking foot, and if you quilt with decorative stitches all you have to do is change the presser foot pressure by one. This is the same feature on the MC 6300! The DC 4030 has Adjustable Presser Foot Pressure Control, Stitch Elongation X5 for the satin stitches, a 7 point feed dog and the feed dogs do go down if you really want to try free motion quilting or need to darn.Word of caution- I do not plan to do free motion quilting (FMQ) with my DC 4030 machine. I have tried with my DC 2012 and did not like the stitches, though FMQ with the MC 6300 was a piece of cake. If you'd like to try FMQ and want this machine, I would suggest viewing Leah Day's YouTube videos since she does not lower her feed dogs and makes other adjustments on her presser foot instead. Some machines handle goingback and forth between jobs better than others. I love the 4030 so much I just don't want to mess up the bobbin tension and FMQ is not something I routinely do.The machine is easy to thread, with the thread paths just before the needle visible from sitting distance. You do not have to scrunch down to make sure the thread is seated before you thread the needle. The actual needle threader works well and just takes a little practice. The machine has a STOP/START button, needle down button, reverse button and a fix stitch button to help you end those decorative stitches when they are completed. The machine comes with a walking foot, a wide foot pedal with a retractable cord, as well as some bonus feet: Stitch in the Ditch foot, Large and Small Pintuck Feet, Gathering Foot, Ribbon/Sequins foot, Fringe Foot, 3-Way Cording foot and Gathering Foot. The light on the machine is pretty decent and I like the option of not needing the foot pedal to sew. Nice package!This machine sews over many layers and if you read through the manual you will learn how to adjust various settings when needed. I sew clothes and home dec items, as well as quilt so this is a full service machine as far as I'm concerned. There are 6 buttonholes on this machine that stitch out beautifully. There are stitches to sew knits and delicate fabrics with as well the heavier wovens and fleeces. Not only does this machine have a great appliqué stitch and triple stitch (perfect for those bags we make!), there is also a nice saddle stitch you can use for a more couture look to your topstitching. At least 4 out of the 30 stitches could also be used for Heirloom sewing if you use a Wing Needle. I love the Stitch Elongation ability with the Satin Stitches. My MC 6300 only has 3X Stitch Elongation and the 4030 has 5X!!!All of this being said, the DC 4030 did not come with a spool pin for Twin Needle sewing but I knew this and purchased an extra one ahead of time. The machine I purchased before was the same deal- no extra spool pin! I have no idea why this would be because the machine does very nice twin needle sewing. It does come with a walking foot; however, no darning or FMQ foot.The machine does sew up to 820 stitches a minute and has speed control. This is much faster than most regular sewing machines though it is not as speedy as 1,000 stitches with the MC 6300 and others like it.This machine is a pretty little workhorse and has a fantastic capability with its 30 stitch package. You could easily quilt up to a twin size quilt with this machine, and soon I am going to experiment quilting a full size. I am 61 years old with arthritis in my right hand and I wear bifocals, LOL! I just want to sew and not fool around with technology when I'm sewing or quilting. The DC 4030 fits the bill for me! This machine is high quality for the money you are paying. I am sure it will last a very long time, unlike some of the newer, computerized models with astronomical prices. It is a great investment for any level sewer.

The machine will not pick up the bobbin thread.Not what i expected

This is a beautiful machine. It's like butter, and I'm not even kidding. Can sew over multiple layers beautifully, I'm making a tote bag now that my beginner Brother machine would have choked on.It's fairly quiet, comes with a sturdy hard case and loads of accessories. I got lots of extra machine feet with mine.Things I love:1. I'm a beginner (maybe advanced beginner) and as such, I appreciate the auto thread tension. Wonderful feature worth it's weight in gold.2. Speed control. Available on many lower end machines. So useful with narrow hems and cornering and especially for a beginner as I am learning to take control of the fabric. My old brother used to take off at a gallop with the slightest pressure on the presser foot.3. The start/ stop button so you don't have to use foot control, locking stitch and reverse button within easy reach.4. The sleekness of it and how quiet it is, the smooth operation. It's pretty too! :)5. All the extra accessories that came with, this varies by seller.6. You can put the case on without removing the thread from the spool.I am still awkward with my bobbin winding on this machine, coming from my trusty Brother XL2600i. I'm going to watch some you tube videos on Janome bobbin winding since it's set up a bit differently than I'm used to. I was able to do it but it took some fiddling around to get it right each time I've done it.Things I wish this had that lower end Brother machines have:1. Easy bobbin threading/quick set bobbin where you just drop it in and pull out the thread through this guide to the side and it's ready to use. Higher end Janome machines have this, like the $500 DC2015, but that one is too bulky for me and I don't like the screaming red accent color, although I love red. Why can't more Janone machines have this? Oh well, threading the bobbin is not hard.2. More decorative stitches. But this is not necessary at all, just a nice option3. Quilting table attachment . Again no biggie since I haven't even started quilting but a nice to have. I don't think this supports a table attachment but I'm not sure. Definitely something to ask about if this is something you want to have.I will post an update on usability after I've had it longer.Update: 2/3/2016Love it! The only downside to this machine is the weight. Its hefty, so I don't enjoy toting it to class, especially since there are stairs where I live and I'm usually taking multiple bags of sewing supplies too, it adds up. So I will be getting a second lightweight machine just for classes, most likely a used Janome Jem Platinum 720 or a Brother XR1355 or XR3140. I prefer keeping this one stationary in a designated spot. Wonderful machine. Oh and the bobbin winding is super easy, it just took a little getting used to after my old brother machine.

My brother cs6000i didn't last long. It was broken middle of my project and I was so upset. Since I am a beginner I didn't want to spend too much money on it but my husband told me not to get cheap one again. He thinks it won't last long . So I bought Janome dc 5100 and it looked pretty cool but i had to return it because screen didn't display anything. I am very happy about it now because it made me change my mind.Some people say that who care about the design but I do. This machine is white and baby pink which I love. It is very easy to use, stitch quality is great. It came with many foot including walking foot. I like hard cover too. It was around 500 before but I got it cheaper this time. It is delivered in 2days. Everything is perfect. I want to give more than 5stars.

Nice machine, except that there seems to be an issue with power, and the foot pedal, upon beginning to sew. I returned it.

I really like this machine a LOT! I especially like the start/stop button. You can use the foot control, or you can simply unhook the foot control and use the start button. It's like having cruise control! There is a slight delay when you push the start button which gives you just enough time to get your hand in position to hold the fabric when it begins feeding through. You can adjust your sewing speed easily with the slider button. The needle-up button is also very useful. Mine came with a hard plastic cover and I was surprised to find a walking foot included with the accessories. The instruction manual is very easy to understand. It was delivered VERY quickly--much faster than I expected!