Today my youngest and I are excited to share our review of the Janome New Home Pink Sorbet sewing machine. We’re answering the question – Is the Pink Sorbet a good kids’ machine?
This post is sponsored by Janome Canada. I am a Janome Artisan and have been using Janome machines for many years – before they started sponsoring me. I love their machines and only recommend what I truly love. Thanks for reading!
First off – Unboxing this machine with my daughter was so much fun. She is so EXTRA *lol* – and was thrilled to open every package of accessories and see all the parts of the machine. Opening the bobbin case and removing the free arm. Peeking into every part of it, figuring out where the light above the needle came from. (Making sure to get out her handmade the sewing supplies and apron first!)
As an aside, you’ve got to check out this hilarious video of her unboxing the machine – “It’s Pink!”
Where we’re coming from:
- Normally I sew on a Janome Skyline S9 – an on-loan combination sewing and embroidery machine. I also own a Janome 2030 QDC machine. My daughter loves to sew as well and the bigger “fancier” machines sometimes feel like a lot for her to handle on her own.
- Janome gave us the chance to check this one out and I’ll be reviewing this “Colourful Series” Pink Sorbet machine with kids in mind.
The Short(er) story:
- This is a great beginner machine. I love Janome because they include diagrams for inserting the bobbin, easy bobbin filling locations and simple-to-thread machines. This one is no different.
- It will grow with your child! As per Janome’s usual they have included so many accessories – perfect for a beginner to comfortable home sewer and allows your child to explore options beyond a straight and zigzag stitch, once they master those.
- Lots of extras. This machine includes a zipper foot, buttonhole foot, and blind hemming foot. It also has four bonus feet I would have loved to have when I just started out – a gathering foot, 3-way cording foot, rolled hem foot and gathering foot.
- Lots of stitches. This machine goes beyond straight and zig-zag, there are multiple stretch stitches for sewing knits and it even allows you to sew on buttons with an included darning plate.
- It feels sturdy and is a great weight. This machine is easy to lift, but weights enough to be sturdy and stay in place while you are sewing.
My REVIEW: In general, I love that this machine is beginner-enough to allow your child to sew on their own, yet has enough features and included feet to let them explore and learn for many years. It is a great first machine that will grow with them until they are ready to invest in their own machine.Kids aside, it is also great for a home sewist who would like to be able to do simple sewing tasks like mending, tailoring, and hemming – using those included feet! It is also great for simple quilt piecing, as you can see in this review by Ginger Quilts.
The Long(er) Story:
Once the machine was unboxed, we filled the bobbin, threaded the machine and inserted the bobbin. Since it lives in a fun bobbin case behind the free arm, my daughter made a very-8-year-old-esque unprompted tutorial video on how to install the bobbin for you all. It is not without its technical faults (read, check your manual too!) but it’s a good gauge for how simple it is to use the bobbin case! 
To test the machine, we decided to sew a simple drawstring backpack to take on our upcoming beach vacation. She chose all of the fabrics and the zipper colour and I sewed it on the Pink Sorbet machine. This included her specific instructions to use yellow thread in the bobbin and blue on the spool – this is her bag! The machine is very simple to use. It did everything I needed and the foot pedal is very responsive with a good speed. I got to use the zipper foot, free arm and (as usual, my fault!) I did get to test that the included seam ripper worked as well. *lol* 
She used the machine after school to sew a visual of the available stitches and was excited to try the bonus gathering foot as well. It was right before dinner, or we would have spent a lot more time playing with that one! Courtesy of Daylight Savings time – you get fun, darkish photos of her using the machine. 
Summary:
Is the Janome Pink Sorbet a good kids’ machine? Yes, this is a great sewing machine for kids! My more detailed product review is above in the Short(er) story… But, as you can probably already tell we really like this machine. It’s cute and colourful and also really robust and ready for any beginner sewist to learn on. It has tons of stitches and accessories to allow for learning without the “stumbling block” of having to buy more feet to accomplish the latest tutorial you wanted to try. Hope that helps you make your decision! Let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to help answer them!
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This might be my favourite post yet!! Loved the videos – the bobbin one is hilarious!! Your daughter did a great job of her drawstring bag. Thanks for sharing your review and all your posts!
Hooray Kelly! I”m so glad you like them. The videos were super fun to make! 🙂
So glad you did this review. My grand daughter has been asking for a sewing machine. This helped me make up my mind.
Wonderful news Joan! I’m so glad it was helpful. It’s a great machine!
Ah, this lovely smile! I’d love to see more of her creations on your blog
Happy sewing!
Helen
Hi Sherri,
I hope all is well with you. All the best of life in 2019. Take care.
Hi Ann! Thanks for asking 🙂 Everything is good – no major catastrophes for sure! I’m working on a post to explain hopefully coming soon. I hope you are having a great year also!
Will this machine handle heavier fabrics such as denim?
Hi Lynn, It is a bit on the light side to handle very thick denim, but should be ok for hemming pants! 🙂
Hi Sherri,
Miss your posts and tutorials ; ( Hope all is well with you.
Ann in Waterloo
Hi Ann! Thanks so much for keeping track. Things are going well. 🙂 I hope you are doing great too. Have a lovely week!
Thanks for a really well-researched and thoughtful article. Posts like these are so important because many people have no idea about this the Pink Sorbet a good kids’ machine. Will this machine handle hard fabrics ?
Thanks, this will go through fairly thick fabric. It’s a great starter machine!
It’s great to sew with kids, but the sewing machine is a little too pink for me 😀
Hi Elise! I get the very pink. It is a bit bright, lol, but my kids love it. Haha!
What is the price of this machine? Do you think it is a good value for the price? Also, does it come in any other colors? I have a grandson who is interested….but pink? thank you.
Hi Anne, Since I’m not affiliated with Janome any more I can’t seem to find out if this machine comes in different colours. I’d recommend calling your local Janome dealer to find a comparable model and it’s price point. Hope that helps!
My kids had expressed interest in sewing after spending some time with grandma and wanted their own machine. I was looking for one that would grow with them but wouldn’t totally break the bank. After reading this article I think I found my match! Thank you for taking the time to review it.
Good News Ryker! I hope it helps.
Hello,
Very beautiful pink machine ! Perfect for the girls ! 😉