12 Days of Christmas: Win a Sewing Machine from Janome

Every sewing journey begins with a first stitch. For Janome, that moment dates back over a century, to 1921, when the company became Japan’s first domestic sewing machine manufacturer. What followed is a story of design ingenuity, technological experimentation, and a deep, enduring commitment to helping people make things with their hands.

Janome’s roots stretch even further back to 1860, when William Barker and Andrew J. Clark founded what would become the New England Single Thread Hand Sewing Machine Company in Massachusetts. Their machines — later rebranded as New Home — became beloved fixtures in households across America. When Janome acquired New Home in 1960, it brought together two pioneers whose innovations shaped the sewing world.

Janome Model 670 'High Dream', designed by Jiro Kosugi. Released in 1964 to commemorate the Tokyo Olympics.

Janome’s own name emerged from a small but transformative design shift. In the 1920s, founder Yosaku Ose introduced a round metal bobbin to replace the long shuttle system. The circular shape reminded Japanese makers of a snake’s eye — janome — and the name quickly became synonymous with reliability, precision, and user-centred engineering.

Janome Continental M7 Professional, a computerised model from 2019.

Over the decades, Janome continued to redefine what domestic sewing could offer. From the Model 53 in 1921 to the unifying of household machine dimensions in 1948, and from mid-century expansion to the groundbreaking Memory 7 in 1979 — the world’s first programmable, computerised domestic sewing machine — the company consistently stayed ahead of its time. The 1990s and 2000s brought further leaps: advanced embroidery options, USB connectivity, and, more recently, the Horizon Memory Craft 15000 and the award-winning Continental M7 Professional.

By the time Janome celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2021, it had become a global leader with a presence across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Australasia. Yet its guiding principle remains the same: to empower makers everywhere through machines that are intuitive, dependable, and quietly transformative.

12 Days of Christmas: Win a Sewing Machine from Janome

This season, one lucky reader will take home a Janome sewing machine worth £469 — the ultimate companion for creative exploration. Designed to support both seasoned makers and complete beginners, it offers the rare combination of technical precision and ease of use that Janome is renowned for.

From garment construction and home textiles to embroidery, repairs, quilting, and upcycling projects, the machine adapts effortlessly to your imagination. Smooth, even stitching and intuitive controls allow you to move confidently between fabrics, whether you’re working with delicate silks, crisp cottons, or sturdy denim. Its thoughtful engineering reduces noise and vibration, making longer sewing sessions more comfortable, while versatile settings let you fine-tune each stitch to suit the task at hand.

Perfect for winter evenings spent planning new projects or for the simple pleasure of slow, hand-guided making, the prize encourages you to reconnect with the tactile joy of craft. Whether you’re starting from scratch or expanding your practice, this Janome machine offers an invitation to stitch, mend, experiment — and create something entirely your own.

To enter our final competition for this year's 12 Days on Christmas, click on the button below, or visit the Selvedge Enter a Prize Draw page.

Winners will be announced on 13 December.