Guest blogger Janome UK shares a reflection on their 100th Anniversary year and how far sewing machines have developed since those early days. A must read for those of you who love your sewing machine history!

How life has changed in the past 100 Years!

Many aspects of our lives have undergone major change during just this last year alone. Janome have now been producing sewing machines for 100 Years, witnessing incredible global change.

A legacy of the past and still true today, as you will see from the historic advert below, is that their sewing machines are “handsome, durable and must be tried to be fully appreciated”. Most of us make friends with our sewing machine, some people even name their sewing machine, and we spend many hours in their company… they really do become our best friends.

A sewing machine must be one of the most useful inventions ever. During the recent lockdowns having a sewing machine has also been a source of comfort. Whether it is used for working on practical projects such as making face masks, making PPE to support the NHS or undertaking a larger challenge, like taking part in The BIG JANOME Skill Share with Jenni Smith. For some, 2021 has offered an opportunity to learn a new skill or to mentor someone to share their passion for quilting.

Japanese entrepreneur Yosaku Ose founded the PINE sewing machine factory in 1921. He took the conventional oblong ‘shuttle-type’ bobbin and replaced it with a round bobbin. The innovative design improved efficiency and speed of the traditional sewing machine significantly. The new bobbin soon gained ground, and users affectionately called it Janome (Pronounced: J-No-Mey) meaning ‘the Snake’s eye’ in Japanese. The name stuck, eventually becoming an official trademark JANOME in 1935 and formally adopted as the company name Janome Sewing Machine Co. Ltd., in 1954.

Janome products have been at the cutting edge of sewing technology since the earliest days of their founding. Janome was the first to develop a computerised machine for home use (the Memory 7, in 1979), the first to offer professional style embroidery to the home market (the Memory Craft 8000, in 1990) and the first to offer a longarm quilting machines for home use (the Memory Craft 6500P, in 2003). The long-arm quilting machine has also evolved to the fourth generation with the introduction of the Horizon Memory Craft 9450QCP, which features (280mm)11” of arm space, removable AcuFeed Flex dual feed, and a high-resolution LCD touch screen with built in ruler work.

Technology remains at the heart of the company, taking its lead from customer needs. Janome produced the first-ever wireless-enabled sewing machine making it possible to send designs or monitor stitching using an iPad or PC. A recent model, the CM7P has the largest sewing space (343mm)13.5” of any household use machine plus it even has an onscreen scannable QR code to access instructional videos and more via the AcuSpark app. Help is just a scan away!

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Janome adheres to high ethical standards with regards to the use of child labour, safety, pay, terms of employment and working hours. Ethical audits are used and many of these audits are conducted as part of the company’s participation in the Ethical Trading Initiative which brings together representatives of government, business, trade unions and human rights groups. Janome believes that its customers have the right to expect that Janome products will provide them with truly aspirational levels of quality and value without exploiting the people who work for their suppliers.

Janome UK was founded in October 1968.

To find out more about the global brand visit Janome’s special 100-year Anniversary website and see how Janome has evolved to be the leading sewing machine manufacturer they are today.