6 Best Janome Sewing Machines for Quilting, From a Portable Piecer to a 13.5-Inch Throat

Our verdict

Top Picks

Quilting on a Janome comes down to four things: how much room sits right of the needle, how fast the machine sews, whether it has a table and knee lifter, and whether it pulls the top layer along with AcuFeed or needs a separate walking foot. This guide compares six Janome sewing and quilting machines sold on Amazon, from a 12.6-pound class machine to the Continental M6 with 13.5 inches of workspace. Every figure comes from Janome’s own regional site, a Janome dealer’s spec table or the listing we link. For the wider category, see our quilting machines hub.

Price tier legend: $ = entry level, $$ = mid-range, $$$ = premium, relative to the machines in this guide.

Compare the picks

Compare the Janome quilting machines

Each row is the exact listing the review links. Workspace is the room right of the needle, width x height, as the named source states it.

Sources: Skyline S6 AE, Continental M6 and 1600P-QC from Janome Australia (1600P-QC inches from the Janome Junkies dealer; Janome Australia gives 225 x 140 mm); MC6650, 3160QDC-G and the M6’s knee lift from the Janome Junkies dealer table; HD3000 workspace from the Ken’s Sewing Center dealer page (6.5 inches by 4 11/16 inches), its speed and kit from the listing; bundle contents and the MC6650’s feed dogs from the listings.

How We Chose These Janome Machines

What decided the picks

• Room to quilt: the workspace right of the needle, width and height.
• Feed for layers: AcuFeed Flex, a walking foot in the box, or feed dogs only.
• Speed: the maker’s or dealer’s maximum stitches per minute.
• Quilting extras: extension table, knee lifter, quarter-inch and free-motion feet, and frame use where a source states it.
• Availability: a Janome sold new and in stock on Amazon, with the seller named where it is not Amazon.

Where the facts come from and what quilters on Reddit ask for

Where the facts come from

Janome’s US and Canadian sites would not load for us, so maker figures come from Janome Australia, Janome’s own regional site, and its 1600P-QC brochure. Janome Australia sells the same model names; where the US box could differ, each line says whose list it is. Two Janome dealers fill the rest: Janome Junkies and Ken’s Sewing Center. We found no independent test of any of the six, so the evidence is owner reports from r/quilting and r/sewing, plus two quilting blogs: Leah Day, who uses affiliate links and whose site sells Grace longarms and quilting frames, and Lo & Behold Stitchery, whose author was on Janome’s Maker team.

What quilters on Reddit ask for

In the r/quilting thread “Choosing a higher-end Janome machine – seeking recs!”, which ranks for this search, the poster’s “top two priorities are having a lot of throat space (10+ inches), and stitch regulation”. Several replies come from Continental M7 and M8 owners. One M6 owner says, “I have an M6 and adore it but wish I had went for one with a stitch regulator.” Another commenter, who says they have no Janome experience, warns that “stitch regulation is not all that it seems”. None of our sources lists a stitch regulator for any of the six, and Janome Australia says the M6 cannot take one; the guide below names the Janomes owners say have one.

Detailed Reviews

Janome Skyline S6 AE, Best Overall

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/quilting, Skyline S6 owner: Skyline S6 (2022 post), not the AE.

The S6 AE is the one machine here whose standard accessories, as Janome Australia lists them, include Janome’s AcuFeed Flex top feed. Janome Australia describes it as “AcuFeed™ Flex Layered Fabric Feeding System” and lists the twin-type foot as standard, with the single type optional. The Janome Junkies dealer says AcuFeed Flex “feeds fabric from the top and bottom layers simultaneously”, the job a separate walking foot does. The workspace is 8.3 inches by 4.7 inches, top speed is 1,000 stitches per minute, and Janome says “An extra wide table is supplied in the machine carton as a standard accessory.” The accessory list includes a quarter-inch seam foot, a darning foot and a quilting guide bar, and the page lists an adjustable knee lifter. There is no pivot function. An owner of the standard Skyline S6 (not the AE), posting in r/quilting in 2022, wrote: “I bought the same machine about a year ago! It has been such a great machine so far!” A quilter in another thread, who used an S6 (version not stated) in a class and then bought an S9, adds: “The overall sewing on the S6 is very nice though!”

Specs (linked: Skyline S6 AE)

• Workspace: 210 x 120 mm (8.3 x 4.7 in) (Janome Australia)
• Max speed: 1,000 stitches per minute (Janome Australia)
• Feed: AcuFeed Flex, twin foot included, single foot optional; 7-piece feed dog (Janome Australia)
• Stitches: 196, with 10 one-step buttonholes; 9 mm max width (Janome Australia)
• Quilting extras: extra-wide table, knee lifter, quarter-inch foot O, darning foot PD-H, quilting guide bar (Janome Australia)
• Weight: 10.7 kg (Janome Australia)

Janome Memory Craft 6650, Best 10-Inch Workspace

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/quilting, MC6650 owner: MC6650.

The MC6650 trades the S6 AE’s AcuFeed for space. The Janome Junkies dealer table gives a 10-inch by 4.7-inch workspace and 1,000 stitches per minute, and the listing describes “an all-metal seamless 10″ flatbed” with 7-piece feed dogs, an independent bobbin winder and 12 included presser feet. Neither the dealer nor the listing names AcuFeed, and the dealer’s included-accessory list shows a free-motion quilting set but no walking foot, so plan on adding one for straight-line quilting. The dealer’s spec table lists the knee lift as optional, but the same page’s feature list describes a “built-in knee lifter”, so confirm with the seller. In an r/quilting thread asking about this exact machine, one owner wrote: “I have this machine! It’s an absolute dream. Throat space is great. Machine runs smoothly.” The Amazon listing we link is the machine alone; other 6650 listings are bundles.

Specs (linked: MC6650, machine only)

• Workspace: 10 x 4.7 in (Janome Junkies dealer)
• Max speed: 1,000 stitches per minute (dealer; listing)
• Feed: Superior Feed System Plus, 7-piece feed dog; AcuFeed not listed (dealer; listing)
• Stitches: 170 plus 2 alphabets; 9 mm max width (dealer)
• Quilting extras: 12 presser feet (listing); free-motion quilting set (dealer); knee lift “Optional” in the dealer’s spec table, “built-in” in its feature list
• Weight: 24.25 lb (dealer)

Janome Continental M6, Most Room for Big Quilts

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/quilting, Continental M6 owner: Continental M6 (bundle not stated).

Janome Australia gives the M6 “Width 343mm (13.5″) Height 140mm (5.5″)” to the right of the needle and 1,300 stitches per minute, with a 7-inch colour touch screen and a pivot function. On the bare machine, Janome lists AcuFeed feet as “an optional purchase” and the extra-wide table as optional. The listing we link is the Continental M6 Bundle, whose kit includes “Extra-Wide Extension Table, HP Professional Foot and Plate, AcuFeed Foot”. The knee lift is still optional, per the Janome Junkies dealer. Janome Australia also says the M6 “is not compatible with Janome’s Accurate Stitch Regulator”. That is the trade-off the owner in the ranking r/quilting thread names: “I have an M6 and adore it but wish I had went for one with a stitch regulator.” In a second thread, another owner writes, “I really like the M6” for quilts and bags. The listing puts the machine at 38.4 pounds, and an owner of the M7 and M17 (not the M6) says “you will not be able to take the M6 with you unless you are very strong and there is a lot of space provided for sewing”, so this machine is for a fixed sewing table.

Specs (linked: Continental M6 Bundle)

• Workspace: 343 x 140 mm (13.5 x 5.5 in) right of the needle (Janome Australia)
• Max speed: 1,300 stitches per minute (Janome Australia)
• Feed: 7-piece feed dog (Janome Junkies dealer); AcuFeed foot included in this bundle, optional on the bare M6 (listing; Janome Australia)
• Stitch regulation: not compatible with Janome’s A.S.R. (Janome Australia)
• Stitches: 400 up to 9 mm, 5 alphabets (listing)
• Quilting extras: extension table and HP foot and plate in this bundle (listing); knee lift optional (dealer); free-motion feet QC, QO, QV and ruler work foot QR (Janome Australia’s list; the Janome Junkies dealer also lists a free-motion foot set and ruler work foot)
• Weight: 38.4 lb (listing); 17.3 kg (Janome Australia)

Janome 1600P-QC, Best for Free-Motion and Frames

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. Leah Day (quilting-tutorial site; affiliate links; sells Grace frames): 1600P (version not stated).

The 1600P-QC sews one stitch, a straight stitch, and does it fast. Janome Australia’s 2015 brochure lists a maximum of 1,600 stitches per minute, an “Extra large 225mm x 140 mm arm space”, an adjustable knee lift, a large extension table and up to 11 pounds of presser foot pressure, and says the “Side-loading bobbin also allows for easy access even when on a quilting frame.” Janome Australia’s brochure also lists a darning foot and plate in the box. Leah Day, whose quilting-tutorial site ranks first for this search, writes: “I believe the 1600 is the best Janome sewing machine for quilting because of these features”, citing its straight-stitch speed for free-motion and ruler quilting and “Compatibility with many Grace Company products” (Leah Day’s site sells Grace longarms and frames). The review covers the 1600p line without naming the version, and says the 1600P variants and the HD9 “are all extremely similar”. Leah Day also names the downside: “The distance between the sewing needle and the motor is only 9 inches.” The US dealer Janome Junkies lists the darning plate but no darning foot or extension table among its included accessories, and Leah Day writes that for free-motion quilting “you will need to purchase a darning foot”. Leah Day also writes that the 1600p came with a general sewing foot and a rolled hem foot and “Neither of these will work for piecing accurate 1/4-inch seams”; neither Janome Australia’s brochure nor the US dealer lists a quarter-inch foot either, so budget for one.

Specs (linked: 1600P-QC)

• Workspace: 225 x 140 mm arm space (Janome Australia); 8.8 x 5.5 in (Janome Junkies dealer)
• Max speed: 1,600 stitches per minute, minimum 60 (Janome Australia)
• Feed: feed dogs; straight stitch only (Janome Australia; dealer)
• Presser foot pressure: up to 11 lb (Janome Australia)
• Quilting extras: knee lift and darning plate (Janome Australia; US dealer); large extension table and darning foot (Janome Australia only; not in the US dealer’s list or the listing’s visible included components)
• Frames: side-loading bobbin “for easy access even when on a quilting frame” (Janome Australia)

Janome 3160QDC-G, Best for Classes and Retreats

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. Lo & Behold Stitchery (blog; author was on Janome’s Maker team): 3160 QDC (version not stated).

The 3160QDC-G is the light one. The Janome Junkies dealer table lists a 6.8-inch by 4.5-inch throat, 820 stitches per minute, the Superior Plus Feed System and no knee lift, and the listing calls it “Perfect for home studios, sewing classes, or retreats” and includes an extension table and hard cover. The Amazon listing title also names a bonus quilt kit, and the dealer lists a “Quilting Attachment Kit”; neither names the parts. The small throat is the trade-off. The Lo & Behold Stitchery author, who chose it with Janome and was sent it as a member of Janome’s Maker team, reviewed the 3160 QDC without naming the version and wrote: “The only thing that I feel like this machine is really ‘missing’ is that the throat space is a little on the smaller side.” The author adds that “quilting anything larger than a throw will be more of a challenge”, and that it suits makers who send big quilts out or hand-quilt them. The same author writes that a walking foot and a foot with a 1/4″ guide bar were “included with the machine”. An owner in r/sewing says simply, “I love mine.”

Specs (linked: 3160QDC-G with bonus quilt kit)

• Workspace: 6.8 x 4.5 in (Janome Junkies dealer)
• Max speed: 820 stitches per minute (dealer)
• Feed: Superior Plus Feed System, 7-piece feed dog (dealer; listing)
• Stitches: 60 (dealer)
• Quilting extras: extension table and hard cover (listing); no knee lift (dealer)
• Weight: 12.6 lb (dealer)

Janome HD3000 Black Edition, Best Budget Kit

Evidence: No independent test; owner reports. r/quilting, former HD 3000 owner: HD 3000 in black (kit not stated).

This listing is the HD-3000 Black Edition with a 6-piece quilting kit. The listing names the kit’s “1/4″ Seam Foot, Craft Foot (Open Toe Foot), Cloth Guide, Darning (Free Motion Quilting) Foot, Even Feed (Walking) Foot, Quilt Guide”, along with 18 stitches, 860 stitches per minute, 5-piece feed dogs (Ken’s lists 19 stitches and a 7-piece feed dog; we use the listing’s figures), a drop-feed slide for free-motion quilting and a hard cover. Ken’s Sewing Center, a Janome dealer, lists the throat as 6.5 inches from needle to arm and 4 11/16 inches high. One quilter on r/quilting who owned it in black wrote: “I loved the Janome HD 3000. Don’t get it in black, though – that was my mistake – as it makes sewing dark fabrics and thread more difficult than it should be. I did a couple of queen size quilts on it as well as a few bags before I sold it in preparation for an upgrade to a 9480QCP.” That is one owner’s view of the colour, but it applies to this Black Edition listing.

Specs (linked: HD-3000 Black Edition with 6-piece quilting kit)

• Workspace: 6.5 x 4 11/16 in (Ken’s Sewing Center dealer)
• Max speed: 860 stitches per minute (listing; dealer)
• Feed: 5-piece feed dogs, drop feed; even feed (walking) foot in the kit (listing)
• Stitches: 18, one-step buttonhole; 6.5 mm max width (listing)
• Quilting extras: quarter-inch foot, darning foot, walking foot, quilt guide, hard cover (listing); extension table and knee lift not stated

What Matters When You Quilt on a Janome

Janome sells sewing and quilting machines at every level, so the right one depends on what you quilt at home and what you send out.

Throat space: the room right of the needle

Throat space, which Janome calls work space, is the room to the right of the needle where a rolled quilt has to fit. In this guide it runs from 6.5 inches (HD3000) and 6.8 inches (3160QDC-G) to 8.3 inches (Skyline S6 AE), 8.8 inches (1600P-QC), 10 inches (MC6650) and 13.5 inches (Continental M6). Lo & Behold says quilting anything larger than a throw on the 3160 QDC “will be more of a challenge”. A Janome MC11000 owner in the ranking r/quilting thread says, “The 9″ throat size is sufficient to do up to queen size quilts (though actually I’ve never tried quilting a king size).” If you send large quilts to a longarm, a small throat matters less. For more room than any machine here, see the large-throat machines on our quilting machines hub.

AcuFeed Flex or a walking foot

Straight-line quilting goes more smoothly when the top layer is fed with the bottom one. Janome’s AcuFeed Flex is a top feed that, per the Janome Junkies dealer, “feeds fabric from the top and bottom layers simultaneously”; of the six, Janome Australia lists it in the Skyline S6 AE’s box and the Continental M6 Bundle adds the AcuFeed foot. The HD3000 kit includes a separate even feed (walking) foot. For the MC6650, our sources list no walking foot or AcuFeed in the box, so budget for one. The 3160QDC-G’s dealer lists a “Quilting Attachment Kit” and its listing a bonus quilt kit, but neither names the parts, so check for a walking foot before buying one.

Speed, and when a straight-stitch machine makes sense

The other five sew at 820 to 1,300 stitches per minute. The 1600P-QC reaches 1,600 but sews only a straight stitch, so it works best as a second machine. In the ranking thread, an owner of the HD9, which Leah Day calls extremely similar to the 1600P, writes “If you’re open to a straight stitch machine, look at the HD9” and keeps an older Janome “for the rare occasion I need a zig zag or button hole.”

Extension table, knee lifter and quilting feet

An extension table supports the quilt’s weight so it does not drag the needle. The 3160QDC-G includes one per the dealer and listing, Janome Australia lists one for the S6 AE and the 1600P-QC (the US dealer’s 1600P-QC list has none), and the M6 Bundle adds one. A knee lifter raises the foot while both hands hold the quilt: Janome Australia lists one for the S6 AE, the 1600P-QC’s US dealer and listing include one, the Janome Junkies dealer lists it as optional on the M6 and as both optional and built-in on the MC6650, and the same dealer says the 3160QDC-G has none. For piecing, check for a quarter-inch foot; Janome Australia lists one for the S6 AE and the M6, the HD3000 kit includes one, and neither Janome Australia nor Leah Day lists one for the 1600P-QC. For thread, see our guide to the best thread for Janome sewing machines.

Stitch regulation

A stitch regulator keeps stitch length even while you move the quilt by hand in free-motion quilting. None of our sources lists one for any of the six, and Janome Australia says the M6 is not compatible with its Accurate Stitch Regulator. In the ranking r/quilting thread, an owner of the Continental M8 says “It comes with the stitch regulator”, and a Memory Craft 9480QCP owner notes “the stitch regulation on the 9480QCP is extra $$”. Those two models are not picks here.

Quilting frames

Frame compatibility has a source for only one of the six, the 1600P-QC: Janome Australia’s 2015 brochure says its side-loading bobbin “also allows for easy access even when on a quilting frame”, and Leah Day, whose site sells Grace frames, cites its compatibility with Grace Company products. We found no frame claim for the other five, so check with the frame maker before buying one for them.

Frequently Asked Questions

For most quilters who piece and quilt on one machine, the Skyline S6 AE, because Janome Australia lists AcuFeed Flex and an extra-wide table in its box, and also lists a knee lifter. For bigger quilts, the MC6650’s 10 inches or the Continental M6’s 13.5 inches give more room. For free-motion and frame work, Leah Day names the 1600 (version not stated), the line the 1600P-QC belongs to.

The HD3000 Black Edition kit and the 3160QDC-G sit in the lowest price tier here. The HD3000 kit includes a walking foot, a quarter-inch foot and a darning foot. The 3160QDC-G is lighter at 12.6 pounds and computerized, with an extension table. Both have throats under 7 inches.

The Continental M6, at 13.5 inches right of the needle per Janome Australia. The MC6650’s 10 inches is the next size down.

We found no data on failure rates. The owners and bloggers we read raise fit issues rather than faults: small throats on compact models, no stitch regulator on the M6, and, from one owner, a black HD3000 body that makes dark thread harder to see. On bobbins, one r/quilting commenter advises, “Always use Janome bobbins”, while an M7 owner replies they have used other bobbins “since years and never had a problem”.

It depends on the throat and your patience. One owner says a 9-inch throat is “sufficient to do up to queen size quilts” but has not tried a king. For a king, the M6’s 13.5 inches is the most room in this guide. A sewing table that sets the bed flush helps with any of them.

No. All six here are sewing and quilting machines without embroidery. If you also want embroidery, see our guide to sewing machines for quilting and embroidery.

The bottom line

Final Verdict

The Janome Skyline S6 AE (check price) is the best all-round Janome for quilting here: AcuFeed Flex and an extra-wide table in the box per Janome Australia, a knee lifter listed by Janome Australia, and 8.3 inches of workspace. Move to the Janome Memory Craft 6650 (check price) for a 10-inch workspace or the Janome Continental M6 (check price) bundle for 13.5 inches, knowing the M6 has no stitch regulator. The Janome 1600P-QC (check price) is a fast straight-stitch second machine for free-motion and frames. The Janome 3160QDC-G (check price) suits classes and retreats, and the Janome HD3000 Black Edition (check price) kit is the lowest-tier way to get the walking, quarter-inch and darning feet together.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.