Finally, took the plunge...

... and bought the next Janome Memory Craft model. It's been out for a couple of years, and for a couple of years, I've been vacillating over whether to pick it up or not. I put it off for a long time, since my 6500 was pretty new when the 6600 came out, but now I wish I'd gotten it sooner! It's an amazing machine -- everything my 6500 has, plus a number of other great features, not least of which is a built-in walking foot. I've sewn a couple of thick slings with it now, and it makes a *huge* difference. It's really quiet, too. Shiny all around. I kept my 6500 rather than trading it in -- they offer only 10% of the purchase price for trades no matter what kind of machine you're trading in, and the 6500 is worth way more than that. So I'm thinking that if brunahildm wants to, she can sew for me on the 6500 while I sew on the 6600, and I'll be able to take more orders, which would make my potential customers happy!

The 6600 isn't inexpensive by any means -- I paid $1149 for it at my local sewing machine store -- but I figured it's an investment in my business. It's already saving me time, too: you can reprogram the stitches (something I *really* wanted on the 6500!) and since I was constantly changing between stitches and having to adjust them each time, it should cut at least 5 minutes from my sewing each day. Doesn't sound like much, but sometimes 5 minutes is the difference between comfortably finishing by 11am and having to rush down to get Sophia. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who does a lot of sewing! It's an incredible machine, and a big step from the 6500.