The Founding Of New Home
In 1860, William Barker and Andrew J. Clark began producing the “New England Single Thread Hand Sewing Machine” in Orange, Massachusetts. Over the next 20 years, the New England machine and the “Home Shuttle” were their two most significant products. In 1882, the company reformed under the name New Home (a combination of the labels New England and Home Shuttle), and it continued to operate under that name for the better part of a century. In 1960, ninety-three years after Barker and Clark first collaborated, New Home and the “New Home” brand were purchased by the Janome Sewing Machine Company of Tokyo, Japan.
For a more in-depth article on the early history of the company, visit The International Sewing Machine Collectors’ Society and access the piece called “The Men Behind New Home”.
Janome Begins
In Japanese, the word Janome (pronounced Ja-NO-me) means “eye of the snake.” The company earned the name in the 1920s when founder Yosaku Ose, a pioneer in Japanese sewing manufacturing, began to use a round metal bobbin system instead of the traditional long shuttle. The Japanese thought the new round bobbin looked like a snake’s eye, and from the innovative design, a name was born.
Janome has been leading the industry with such innovation ever since. The company now has sewing divisions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia and New Zealand as well as agents in Africa, Central and South America and throughout the Pacific Rim of Asia. The company’s manufacturing prowess has also made it a world-leader in the production of high precision robots.
In 1979, Janome technology introduced the world’s first programmable, computer sewing machine – the MEMORY 7. Today, our Memory Craft computer models consistently stand out in the industry for their ease of use and precise stitch results. Take a look at our Horizon Memory Craft 15000 and our newest embroidery software products.