First impressions: Janome 8002DX Overlocker

I have recently purchased my very own Janome 8002DX overlocker to give a professional finish to my garments as I start to develop my business. I chose this model as it was reasonably priced and met all of my overlocking needs. There wasn’t a lot of difference between this model and the Janome 9200D other than the tension dials are on the outside rather than inside (apparently the other model is also easier to thread). I decided this fact didn’t bother me as long as the capabilities were the same.

The DVD intro:

I found the narration rather uninspiring and a bit dry although because of this they were easy to understand so I guess that was the point. It showed me how to thread my machine which was useful as there is nothing quite like a video tutorial to walk you through these tasks. Then they went through all of the different capabilities of my machine. It was at this point that I started to get bamboozled with all of the tension changes, differential feed dials and stitch length dial changes.

First go:

I decided to just go for it. Nothing beats getting to know a new machine like making a few samples. My machine already came pre-threaded so I decided to leave those in place then got my sample-sized piece of calico and ran it through the machine ensuring I left a 5cm chain at the beginning. However it was clear something wasn’t right as my stitches were not meeting the edge of my fabric so I adjusted the cutting width. This seemed to solve the issue, so I decided to make a few more samples such as joining two pieces of fabric and following the whole edge of the fabric. The image above shows before and after the adjustment I made.

Through much of the experimentation I referred to the instruction book more than the DVD as I found the detail in there much more useful in terms of practical advice and trouble-shooting. 

Next up I decided to experiment with the stitch lengths. I went through each setting to see which finish I preferred. For the purpose of finishing the inside of garments I’ve decided I preferred either stitch length 2.5 or 3. I found stitch length 1 was too tight and the finished result too uneven for this purpose, I’m sure as I experiment further I’ll find a use for this one but currently I can’t think of one. If you know of any uses for the this stitch length please let me know. 

Rolled hems: 

I have now decided that I adore rolled hems after trying them on my overlocker. Despite how scary the DVD made it seem it was actually quite easy to set up. I simply followed the instructions and with no trouble at all I achieved a great finish. I can see myself using this function a lot as it gives such a neat finish.

Conclusion:

I am so glad I invested in an overlocker as the finishes I am going to be able to achieve on this machine will add a professional finish and help the garments I make last longer. There is still a lot I need to learn to get the most out of this machine but it is not as scary as I thought. It is simpler to use than I imagined but you do need a bit of patience when it comes to threading it. I look forward to using this in many of my future sewing projects.  

I will write a follow-up post once I have begun to master the machine. Please let me know in the comments if there is anything in particular that you want to know about this over-locker.