JANOME SERIES ON FEET: GATHERING FOOT

Well, I am hoping you will agree with me that this is better late than never?! Was originally scheduled for October…….so moving along……..here it is at last. The plan is to catch up this month and then move on to more & different feet & accessories in 2015…….hopefully the wheels won’t fall off again and stop me from achieving this goal!

This JANOME GATHERING FOOT looks like this and has the letter V to identify it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This foot is for creating soft gathers in lightweight fabrics. Lightweight really is the operative word. If you try to gather a thick, stiff denim with this foot, it will more than likely not yield the results you might be hoping for. BUT, for gathering up short or long lengths of lightweight fabric it is simply wonderful as it does it all in one step for you so it is quick, efficient and super easy.

 

How to set the machine up:

1. Attach Janome Gathering foot V to the machine (As per the link: there are various options for this foot so do be sure you consult the link and discuss with your local JANOME dealer which part # is the correct foot for your Janome machine model).
2. Lengthen the stitch length of the straight stitch. I usually try a 4 or 5mm stitch length. The longer the stitch, the more gathers will result. If, for example, you were gathering a very soft thin fabric like chiffon and you did not want it to gather too much, you might like to try a slightly smaller stitch length as a longer stitch will gather it more.
3. The thread tension will also need to be adjusted: Increase the tension on the upper thread which will cause gathers to form. Again, you might like to experiment with different tension settings with different fabrics until the amount of gathering is what you are looking for.
4. As you start stitching, hold your finger behind the foot to “trap” the fabric as it is fed through the machine to the back. This is very important as the gathers will be “wimpy” if you miss this step.  You might like to watch the video about how to use this foot for more information. Check out this link OR go to the NEW JANOME VIDEO APP for Apple and Android mobile devices

1. Please note that this foot does not gather like the “old fashioned way” where we may have stitched 2 parallel rows of long gathering stitches and then pulled up the bobbin thread until we had the fabric gathered to our liking. No, this method uses one step with just one row of stitching which cannot be adjusted after it is stitched – the fabric does not shift along the stitching so you may need to adjust the machine settings beforehand to obtain the result you want. Is this a big deal? No, not at all. Very simple and may only take you a few minutes to achieve the look you want.
2. I often get asked how much fabric should I cut to gather up for a specific finished gathered length? Is it double or triple the length or what? Well, that is hard to say as it depends on the fabric being gathered, the stitch length and the thread tension. It is a bit like trying to answer the question: “How long is a piece of string?”  SO, here is my advice to simplify things and not to have to get all hot & bothered with math! Just cut more fabric than you think you might need for , say a frill around a pillow or an apron, and then gather it up using the Gathering foot V. Then cut off the left over gathering, join the ends & use the leftovers for another project: like a bow? or around pant legs on a kiddie outfit, etc.  However, if anyone has the time & aptitude to come up with a mathematical formula for this, we’d love to hear from you?!
3. The JANOME GATHERING FOOT V may also be used to gather and stitch a piece of flat fabric together at the same time – like stitching a frill onto a hem. The underside of the foot is raised behind the needle and has a thick bar in front of the needle to gather and attach a ruffle onto a flat piece of fabric simultaneously.  

If you wish to obtain more dramatic gathers, tucks or pleats, we recommend using the JANOME RUFFLER. A search on janomelife blog will reveal the many posts we have previously done about the various ruffler attachments that are available for our Janome machines.