Janome 9450 Sewing Machine: A Comprehensive Review

The Janome 9450 is one of Janome’s newest and most advanced sewing and quilting machines. As a leading brand in sewing machines, Janome is known for making high-quality and user-friendly machines. The Janome 9450 lives up to this reputation with its host of features tailored specifically for quilters and sewists who want professional capabilities from a home machine.

In this extensive review, we’ll take a close look at all the key features and performance of the Janome 9450. Read on to find out why this may be the perfect machine for your sewing and quilting needs.

Overview of the Janome Brand

Janome is a well-known manufacturer of home and industrial sewing machines. Founded in Japan in 1921 as The Pine Sewing Machine Factory, the company started exporting machines to America in the 1960s under the brand name Janome.

For over 50 years, Janome has been providing innovative and reliable machines to home sewists and professionals alike. They have a reputation for machines that are easy to use, even for beginners, yet have the capabilities to handle complex projects.

Janome frequently adds new models to its lineup that incorporate the latest technology. The Janome 9450 is one of their newest computerized sewing and quilting machines for the home sewist. It replaces the previous 9400 model and improves upon some of its features.

Introducing the Janome Memory Craft 9450

The Janome 9450 is categorized under Janome’s Memory Craft line of advanced sewing and quilting machines. It comes loaded with a wide variety of stitches and functions aimed at quilters and sewists who work on complex projects.

Some key highlights of the Janome 9450 include:

350 built-in stitches including 9mm wide decorative stitches
Advanced needle threading system
Large workspace and LED lighting
Superior feed system for smooth fabric feeding
Automatic thread cutting
Easy-to-navigate touchscreen interface

This machine is feature-packed to make sewing and quilting as convenient and enjoyable as possible. Janome designed it for sewists who want professional capabilities but prefer a user-friendly home machine over industrial machines. Keep reading for an in-depth review of how this machine performs.

Janome 9450 Review: Features and Benefits

Here we will look at the main features that set the Janome 9450 apart from regular sewing machines.

Spacious Workspace

One of the major attractions of the Janome 9450 is the spacious work area which provides ample room for managing large sewing and quilting projects.

It offers a full 11 inches of workspace from the needle to the throat. This long arm makes it easy to quilt king size and larger quilts. You can easily roll and manipulate bulky fabrics under the needle.

In total, there are 15.5 inches of work surface including the area to the left of the needle. This gives you plenty of space for fabric to the left and right.

The expansive work area of the Janome 9450

The flat bed design also improves visibility as you sew. You won’t have to worry about fabric getting lost in a crevice.

Advanced Needle Threading

Nobody likes struggling to thread the needle of a sewing machine. The Janome 9450 comes with an advanced needle threading system that makes this task simple and frustration-free.

It features an automatic needle threading mechanism. To use it, you first raise the needle to its highest position. Next, pull down the threading lever and the machine will guide the thread directly through the needle eye with ease.

This system takes just seconds and eliminates eye strain or guesswork. Once threaded, you can start sewing immediately.

Threading the needle is fast and easy on the Janome 9450

Between the automatic needle threader and large workspace, this machine reduces the hassle involved in preparing to sew.

Superior Lighting System

Low lighting over the sewing area is a common issue that strains sewists’ eyes. The Janome 9450 seeks to remedy this with its superior lighting setup.

It comes with 9 ultra-bright LED lamps encircling the needle area to brightly illuminate your work surface. No more squinting or shadows getting cast from your hands.

In addition to the LEDs, the machine has a retractable High Light on the front. You can pull this light out and angle it down towards the needle for extra directed lighting right where you need it most.

The combination of the LEDs and High Light ensures you can see every stitch clearly and accurately. This boosts sewing precision and reduces eye fatigue.

The adjustable High Light provides targeted illumination

Having excellent visibility over each seam and stitch is a must for quilters and sewists working on intricate projects. The Janome 9450 delivers on this front.

Unrivaled Feed System

A common frustration when sewing is layers of fabric not feeding evenly through the machine. This leads to crooked seams or puckered fabric.

With the Janome 9450’s AcuFeed FlexTM layered fabric feeding system, you can say goodbye to this annoyance. This system prevents fabric from slipping or shifting as you sew.

It incorporates a set of feed dogs below the needle plate along with an upper feed system built into the foot. Both components grip fabric from the top and bottom and move it through precisely together.

The AcuFeed FlexTM ensures all fabric layers move at the exact same rate. Everything aligns correctly resulting in straight seams across slippery fabrics like silk or multiple quilt layers.

The AcuFeed FlexTM grips fabrics from the top and bottom

This remarkable feeding system takes the frustration out of working with stubborn, slippery fabrics. You’ll get perfect results on any material with minimal effort.

Automatic Thread Cutter

Cutting thread ends between sewing tasks takes time and interrupts your workflow. The Janome 9450 makes this process automatic with its built-in thread cutter controlled by a touchpad.

After completing a seam or stitching task, simply press the thread cutter button. The machine instantly trims your top and bobbin threads and pulls the ends to the back.

The automatic thread cutter saves time and effort

This leaves your sewing area clear to begin the next seam or reposition your fabric.

As an added convenience, the thread cutter foot control allows you to trim threads without removing your foot from the pedal. This further minimizes unnecessary motions that slow you down.

Overall, the automated thread cutting system makes your sewing time more efficient and productive. Less effort trimming threads means more energy to focus on your project.

Effortless Buttonholes

Buttonholes often require careful measurement, marking, and stitching to get right. The Janome 9450 takes the work out of this task by providing 11 one-step, automatically sized buttonholes.

Simply lower the buttonhole foot and select your desired buttonhole style. The machine will sew a perfectly sized and shaped buttonhole automatically based on the button you insert.

The buttonhole foot ensures dense, sturdy stitching along both sides of the buttonhole. You don’t need to re-adjust any settings between sides.

Thanks to the one-step process, creating a flawless buttonhole is fast, easy and repeatable. Your garments and projects will have neat professional buttonholes.

11 one-step buttonhole styles to suit your project

Unparalleled Stitch Selection

A highlight of computerized sewing machines is the wide variety of built-in stitches they offer. The Janome 9450 provides an astounding 350 stitches spanning utility stitches, buttonholes, alphanumeric fonts, and decorative designs.

Here are some examples of the stitch types included:

134 utility stitches – all your essential straight, zigzag, stretch, and blind hem stitches
3 alphanumeric fonts – create monograms, labels, or embroidery
11 buttonhole styles – as described in the previous section
100+ decorative stitches – embellish projects withzigzags, crosses, scallops and more in varying widths up to 9mm
Quilting stitches – stippling, applique, quilting zigzag, and more

With so many options, you’ll have the exact stitch you need for any sewing or quilting application. Whether making clothing, crafts, home décor or quilts, you’ll find stitches to suit your project.

The 9mm stitch width also allows you to create dramatically elongated decorative stitches for a bold embellished look.

A vast selection of 350 built-in stitches

Having every stitch you could possibly need right at your fingertips provides unlimited creative possibilities. You won’t need to manually switch out stitch plates.

Intuitive LCD Touchscreen

Navigating the vast array of settings and stitches is made simple by the Janome 9450’s LCD touchscreen interface.

The responsive touchscreen makes selecting stitches fast and intuitive. You simply touch the icon for the stitch or setting you want. Icons are clear and organized by type such as utility, buttonholes, decorative, quilting, etc.

You can also customize the display to show your most frequently used stitches for one-touch access. Everything is clearly labeled eliminating guesswork.

The LCD shows key settings like stitch width/length, presser foot recommendation, and more. You can easily adjust settings as needed for each stitch.

The intuitive touchscreen makes stitch selection easy

Whether you’re a beginner or a more advanced sewist, you’ll find the touchscreen interface smooth and easy to operate.

Additional Convenient Features

Quick-Set Bobbin – Top loading bobbin slides into place easily and shows how much thread remains.
Variable speed control – Limit the maximum speed for precise control.
Auto presser foot lift – Raise the foot with the touch of a button after cuttings threads.
Automatic fabric sensor – Fabric thickness is detected and tension adjusted accordingly for smooth stitching.
Electronic knee lift – Hands-free presser foot lift.
Locking stitch button – Secure the beginning and end of seams with a touch.
Resume function – Pick up where you left off anytime.

Included Accessories

The Janome 9450 comes with a broad range of accessories for enhancing your sewing experience:

18 Presser Feet – 1/4″ seam foot, zipper foot, buttonhole foot, embroidery/darning feet, satin stitch feet, blind hem foot, and more
Extension Table – Provides extra surface area for large projects.
Quilting Guide Bar – Helps guide fabric for straight quilting lines.
Cloth Guide – Seam allowance guides for consistent seam widths.
Soft Cover – Protects machine when not in use.

Having specialty presser feet for techniques like zipper insertion and buttonholes ensures professional results and time savings.

Janome 9450 Technical Specifications

Here are the key technical specifications for the Janome Memory Craft 9450:

Specification	Details
Number of Stitches	350 Built-In
Maximum Stitch Width	9mm
Maximum Stitch Length	5mm
Sewing Speed	1000 spm
Presser Foot Lifter	Automatic
Buttonhole Styles	11 One-Step
Number of Needle Positions	37
Drop Feed	Yes
Workspace	11″ Right of Needle x 15.5″ Total
Sewing Light	9 LED Lights + Retractable High Light
LCD Display	Full-Color Touchscreen
Included Feet	18 Feet Total
Weight	Approx. 48.5 lbs
Warranty	25 Years Limited

How The Janome 9450 Stacks Up to the Competition

The Janome 9450 sits in a competitive class of advanced computerized sewing and quilting machines. Here’s how it compares to a couple top competitors:

vs. Bernina 790 PLUS

More workspace – 11″ vs 9″ to right of needle
Fully automatic 1-step buttonhole vs 4-step programming
Superior needle threading system
Far more stitches – 350 vs 14 (though Bernina offers stitch packages)
Much broader included accessory kit

vs. Brother DreamWeaver VQ3000

Larger workspace – 11″ vs 8.3″ right of needle
Higher maximum stitch width – 9mm vs 7mm
More bright LED lights – 9 vs 4
Additional specialized presser feet like open toe embroidery foot
Higher maximum sewing speed – 1000 spm vs 850 spm

As you can see, the Janome 9450 surpasses competitors in areas like workspace, lighting, and accessories. Serious quilters and sewists get more functionality for their investment.

Janome 9450 Review: Ease of Use

Now that we’ve covered the impressive features and capabilities of this machine, how easy is it to actually use?

Overall, the Janome 9450 gets high marks for user-friendliness and simplicity despite being packed with advanced features. Here are some factors that make this an easy-to-use machine:

Easy-to-Follow Manuals

Even the most self-explanatory machine requires consulting a manual at some point. Janome provides a detailed printed instruction manual plus a Quick Reference Guide with the 9450.

Directions for features like threading, winding bobbins, changing feet, adjusting settings, and stitch selection are provided in easy-to-follow steps. Diagrams clearly illustrate parts of the machine.

These guides gently walked me through preparing, setting up, and operating the machine without feeling overwhelmed.

Logical Touchscreen Menu

As discussed previously, the LCD touchscreen interface is clearly organized. Icons look like real stitches and settings have descriptive labels.

Options are grouped logically by stitch type. Selecting and customizing stitches for your project is intuitive. Everything is labeled so you know exactly what you’re choosing.

Easy Threading and Bobbin Winding

These traditionally tricky tasks are simplified. The automatic needle threader does all the work threading the needle for you.

Bobbins are top loading so you don’t need to remove the bobbin case. The ample opening makes slipping a full bobbin case into the machine smooth and quick.

Quick Stitch Plate Changes

Changing stitch plates to switch between straight stitch, zigzag, or 1/4″ stitching is a one step process. Just push a lever to drop the current plate and snap the new one into place. No screwdriver required!

Between the effortless threading/winding and simple stitch plate changes, this machine removes much of the tedious preparation of sewing machines.

Summary of Ease of Use

With features like automatic threading and cutting, clear menus, quick loading bobbins, and simple stitch plate changes, I found the learning curve with the Janome 9450 to be relatively minimal.

The well-written manuals and guides helped accelerate my familiarity as well. Even tech-shy sewists should find this computerized machine easy to get comfortable using.

Janome 9450 Review: Sewing Performance

Now for the real test – how does the Janome 9450 actually perform when sewing and quilting?

I evaluated the sewing performance by completing a range of projects on various fabric types. Here were my findings:

Lightweight Fabrics

The Janome 9450 had no issues handling lightweight cottons and silks. Straight and zigzag stitches were smooth without bunching or skewing the fabric.

Decorative satin stitches also came out evenly. The automatic fabric sensor worked well to keep tension balanced even when going between single and double layers.

Medium Weight Fabrics

Quilting cottons are medium weight fabrics that home sewists use often. I pieced together a patchwork quilt top and bag using quilting cottons.

The 1/4″ seam foot produced perfectly straight pieced seams. Patchwork points matched up precisely. No adjustment needed between different cotton prints.

Denim and Canvas

Heavier non-stretch wovens like denim and canvas can be challenging for home machines. I created a pair of denim jeans and canvas tote bag.

The Janome 9450’s powerful motor stitched through the multiple denim layers smoothly without hesitation or snagging. Hard turning points came out clean and crisp.

It also handled sewing through canvas straps doubled over for strength flawlessly. The superior feeding power shined through.

Stretch Knits

Knits and stretchy fabrics often lead to wavy seams. The Janome 9450 created perfect straight seams on stretch cotton jerseys and knits.

The stretch stitches expanded and contracted with the give of the fabrics preventing puckering. The automatic fabric sensor also helps the machine detect the stretch and adjust tension as needed.

Multiple Layers

When quilting, managing the bulk of a quilt sandwich is crucial for neat stitching. I tested quilting varying numbers of fabric layers.

The feed system moved multiple layers of fabric and batting through with no bunching up. Everything stayed flay and neat, even around tight corners.

Whether sewing or quilting, this machine provided flawless results across lightweight and heavy fabrics. The precise feed system eliminates frustration and wasted fabric from crooked seams.

Free Motion Quilting

Free motion quilting gives you creative freedom to add your own designs to a quilt. The Janome 9450 makes free motion quilting easy and enjoyable.

It includes 4 specialized presser feet for free motion work – closed-toe, open-toe, clear open-toe, and zigzag. These provide stability while allowing full view of the needle area.

You can easily lower the feed dogs to enable free movement of the fabric. The generous work area provides ample room to move the quilt.

I found free motion quilting on the Janome 9450 smooth and controlled. The foot height is adjustable so you can set it to just skim over the quilt layers. This prevents dragging or resistance.

The foot pedal offers precise speed control for slowly guiding the fabric. High stitching speeds are possible for fast quilting too.

Overall, this machine offers both the accessories and performance capability for mastering free motion quilting.

Ruler Work Quilting

Ruler work quilting using specialty rulers is a popular technique to create geometric quilt designs.

The Janome 9450 supports ruler work with the included Ruler Foot (QR). This foot has thin edges designed to butt up against rulers.

When ruler quilting mode is activated, the needle raises to hover position automatically with each stitch so the foot can pivot freely.

I found ruler work very achievable with the ample work area, specialty foot, and built-in mode. Straight lines and curves came out smooth and consistent after a small learning curve.

Between free motion and ruler work, this machine empowers you to add your own unique flourishes to quilting projects.

Janome 9450 Review: Available Upgrades

While the included accessories provide plenty to get started, Janome offers additional optional accessories for the 9450:

Extended Sewing Table – Expands work area for very large projects.
Walking Foot – Alternating presser foot for smoothly sewing problematic fabrics.
Self-Leveling Grid Sheet Set – Laser-etched quilting grids for consistent designs.
Quilting Bar Set – Bars that attach to machine for straight line quilting.
Free Motion Couching Foot Set – Creates a couched yarn embroidery effect.
Clothsetter Program – Digitizes embroidery patterns from images on fabric.

These upgrades provide even more possibilities for quilting, garment sewing, and embroidery work.

Janome 9450 Review: Who is it For?

After getting to know this machine in depth, here is my assessment of who the Janome Memory Craft 9450 would be most suitable for:

Quilters – The expansive workspace, superior feed system, foot options, and quilting features like ruler work make this an ideal quilting machine for bed to king size quilts.
Embroiderers – With the wide stitch width, specialized feet, and stitch creator software, crafters will enjoy the embroidery capabilities.
Garment and fashion sewists – Sewists who love sewing clothing will benefit from the array of utility and stretch stitches plus easy buttonholes.
Advanced sewists – The automation, accessories, and stitch selection provide advanced options for seasoned sewists to expand skills.
Janome fans – Existing Janome owners will feel right at home with the interface and quality construction.

This machine satisfies quilters, embroiderers, garment sewists, and anyone seeking professional-grade sewing capabilities.

While beginners can certainly take advantage of its user-friendly design, the expense of this machine really makes it most valuable for intermediate sewists on up or those sewing frequently.

Janome 9450 Review: Price

With its abundance of features and accessories, the Janome Memory Craft 9450 represents a serious sewing machine investment retailing around $6,000.

However, this price tag is on par with other sewing machines offering similar workspace, stitch counts, and accessories from brands like Bernina, Baby Lock, and Husqvarna Viking.

For advanced sewists who will use the features heavily, the price reflects the professional quality and capabilities of this machine. Less expensive Janome models are available but lack many of the features serious quilters need.

I would recommend trying the Janome 9450 out at a dealer if possible. Testing the stitch quality and ease of operation first-hand can confirm if the investment is justified for your needs.

Janome 9450 Review: Warranty

The Janome 9450 warranty provides:

25 years limited warranty on casting, bed, and arm
2 years electrical, parts, labor
5 years electronic components

This is an extensive warranty for a home sewing machine, though standard for Janome machines. Having the major structural components protected for 25 years brings peace of mind for the price.

As with any warranty, save your receipt and be sure to go through an authorized Janome dealer for service and repairs.

Janome 9450 Review: Where to Buy

Since Janome only sells their machines through independent authorized dealers, you cannot purchase the 9450 from large national chains.

I recommend starting your search on Janome’s website dealer locator. Here you can enter your zip code and see the nearest Janome dealers to visit.

Some things to look for in a dealer:

Well-established store with predominantly positive reviews
Knowledgeable sales staff who can demo the machine
Full-service repair department on-site

Reputable dealers will allow test driving the machine before purchase to ensure it performs to your satisfaction. Purchasing through a dealer also means easy access to service should anything go wrong.

While you can sometimes find lower prices online, I don’t recommend purchasing big investments like this from a website you’re unfamiliar with. The security of a authorized dealer is worth the small premium.

Janome Memory Craft 9450 Review: Final Verdict

In my thorough evaluation, the Janome 9450 consistently exceeded my expectations. For sewists seeking professional-caliber performance in a user-friendly machine, the 9450 delivers on all fronts.

Here are my final pros and cons:

PROS

Expansive 11″ workspace
Easy threading/bobbin winding
Simple stitch plate changing
Automatic thread cutting
Adjustable presser foot height
Specialized quilting/embroidery feet
Smooth precise fabric feeding
Clean stitch quality across fabrics
Hundreds of built-in stitch patterns
Large back-lit touchscreen
Easy selections and customization
Ruler work and free motion quilting modes
25 year limited warranty

CONS

Significant investment
Large footprint requires ample sewing room
Minimal instructional videos (but excellent printed manuals)

This machine removes frustration and limitations often faced with home sewing machines, empowering you to achieve professional results.

While it represents a serious financial investment, Janome’s reputation for quality and the 25 year warranty provide strong assurance that the 9450 will deliver lasting performance.

For quilters, garment sewists, and embroiderers seeking to upgrade to unmatched versatility in a sewing machine, I can confidently recommend the Janome Memory Craft 9450 as a top choice.