Today we’d like to introduce you to Isa Kriegeskotte of Isa Tailored & Made. She has been a Janome fan for many years!
{Photo credit: Justin Meredith}
What does Isa do with her Janome? Hint: You’ve probably seen some of her garments on the Red Carpet and in fashion magazines! You can view her portfolio here. Recognize any of them?
We recently reached out to her to see if she wanted to try one of OUR favorite machines, the straight-stitch only + super speedy 1600P! (Did you know that it’s machine model number indicates how fast it stitches? Most home sewing machines will sew around 650-1000 stitches per minute. The 1600P goes up to, yep, you guessed it: 1600 stitches per minute!) We’re a little partial in our love of the machine, but here’s what Isa sent us after only having the machine for 24 hours!
“My absolute favorite part? The performance of a real industrial, with the versatility to take on location. Being portable for me is key! Time is always at a premium so I need to set up quick and be ready for sewing on a reliable machine. I have tried and heard of "industrial home machines" before, a term I usually greet with a chuckle because its a total oxymoron. An industrial machine in my mind can sew through anything and is attached to a powerful motor and a table. I have never seen a portable machine able to do what an industrial does, well, until I tried out this Janome!
This was proven to me years ago when I was on set with a denim company. One other tailor and I had around 25 pairs of jeans that had to be altered by the end of the day. That particular tailor had lots of fancy nice gear. A shiny metal box to hold his tools, a "portable industrial' sewing machine of a brand name that will remain nameless... He liked shiny things, and I do too, but I also like quality and efficiency. I had my little Janome Jem Platinum machine. We were stitching away, denim after denim alteration, hems, flat felled seams, taking in waistbands, reattaching belt loops, you name it we were doing it. Over and over this fancy portable “industrial model” was not performing. It was unable to sew through all of the layers of denim. Even after trying everything in our arsenal, no needle change, thread change, or troubleshooting secret we had would get this thing to sew what we needed. At the end of the day, I ended up doing most of the alterations on my little portable Janome, and basically vowed right then and there that any machine claiming to sew like an industrial that wasn't attached to a motor and a table was not worth trying (or lugging around to on location jobs).
{Photo credit: Justin Meredith}
Fast forward to today when I got to try the 1600P, not even really knowing how powerful of a machine I had in front of me. My mind was instantly changed, as I powered through spandex, elastic, denim, and silk all without skipping a stitch, getting caught on a thick seam, or getting stuck on the lighter weight materials. For the purposes I use my machines, which is alterations, tailoring, and making custom clothing, this is by far the best Janome I have tried to date!”
We’re so glad Isa is loving the reliability and dependability of the Janome 1600P and can’t wait to see her next custom projects on the runway!
