Perhaps with such a coy title you thought I was going to talk about fashion accessories; something you’d wear? As the saying goes, “Accessories make the outfit”, but in this case, it’s the accessories which make the machine! Which machine? Well, the Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 of course!
The optional accessories available bring even more fun and creativity to your quilting!
If you’ve been a regular reader of janomelife, and we certainly hope that you are, (if not, do subscribe so don’t miss a post!). Perhaps you’ve been following our recent 4 part series on the fabulous new Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 long-arm quilting machine.
This just in…..UFO invasion!? Gasp! Never fear, Janome to the rescue!
Part 2 of UFO invasion! Janome to the quilting rescue!
Part 3 of UFO Invasion! Janome to the Rescue!
Part 4, UFO Invasion! Janome to the Rescue!
Today’s post will focus on the optional accessories available to help make your quilting even easier and more fun! We encourage you to visit your local Janome Quilt Maker Pro participating dealer for more information.
The Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 Channel Locks are perfect for straight line “matchstick” quilting. Very popular in the “modern” style of quilting. The two Channel Lock rings clip on to the wheels of the machine carriage to lock it into place, either vertically or horizontally. As a long-arm quilter for hire, I use my Channel Locks a lot when I’m stitching in the ditch along borders. I stitch at a slower speed so I can gently guide the fabric so the ditch lines up with my needle. My client’s quilts aren’t always square and straight, but using the Channel Locks helps a lot to bring them in line.
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/qm-channellock/
The Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 Ruler Base is a very fun accessory as it allows you to safely and easily use all those cool rulers and templates you see at all the shows.
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/qmp-rulerbase/
The Ruler Base slides in to place and you now have an 18 inch platform to safely support the acrylic rulers and templates which help make your quilting easier and more accurate.
Since quilting is a form of creative artistic expression, your quilts are your canvas on which to create your masterpiece. The needle of the fabulous Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 long-arm quilting machine is your “brush”, and all that gorgeous, yummy thread in all those glorious textures, sheens and colours is your “paint”. Yes, you can use any thread you wish on the Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 and the optional Horizontal Spool Holder gives you more options.
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/qm-horizontal-spool/
The Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 Horizontal Spool Holder simply screws into the top of the machine head and it allows you to use smaller cones and spools of thread which are stack wound (when the thread lays on top of each in a horizontal stack) versus cross-wound, which forms an X of the threads as they cross one another over the cone.
I often use smaller spools of thread when I have a customer who’s very specific about the colour of thread matching their quilt. Hot Pink, for example, isn’t a colour I use very often, so instead of buying a whole big cone which will sit around for years, I buy smaller spools of the colours I need to complete that one quilt. While I don’t mind fabric staying around for years, thread has more of a shelf life so I don’t like it hanging around for too long.
Just as we quilters love having several specialty presser feet for our domestic sewing machines – Janome is known for them! – we now have the same flexibility, ease of use and unlimited creativity with the specialty feet now available for the Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 long-arm!
Now don’t feel left out if you’re a sit-down quilter. The accessory feet will fit the Artistic SD-16 sit down machine as well! COOL!
The Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 Glide Foot is specifically designed to “float” around applique, bulky seams, and is great to use when stitching a pantograph. The curved shape of the foot allows it to smoothly go on and off the fabric without catching and flipping back the edge of the fabric, which sometimes happens if your basting lines aren’t close to the edge of the quilt.
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/glidefoot/
The Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 Echo Feet are very cool and oh, sew cute! With sizes of 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch, you have lots of flexibility and versatility. No longer are you limited to stitching only 1/4 inch away (the width of the standard hopping foot), you can now run parallel rows of stitching whatever distance you desire, all perfectly and evenly.
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/echofeet/
Since I’m a big fan of using the fabulous Janome Free Motion Couching Foot http://www.janome.com/en/accessories/sewing-machine-feet/free-motion-couching-foot/ with my fabulous Janome Horizon Memory Craft 15000 Quilt Maker
I was super-excited to see Couching Feet for the Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 long-arm. These feet take quilting to another level and they’re perfect for any type of thread-painting, fibre art, project.
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/couchingfeet/
There are three sizes of guides, which are the little holes in the centre of each foot. 1.5mm, 2mm, and 3mm. This means you can use any type of specialty thread, thin cords, all those gorgeous textured yarns, on the surface of your quilt and you stitch over them, or “couch” them down while you’re doing your quilting. SEW fun and sooooooo many possibilities! A whole new world of creativity is at your fingertips.
Now, while the following accessories aren’t quite as fun as the ones I listed above, they also help make your quilting easier and more enjoyable, so they’re definitely worth consideration.
The adjustable Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 Casters come as a set of 8 so you have enough for the entire 12 foot frame. If you’re only going to set up your frame for 4 feet or 8 feet, store the casters along with your extra legs and rails in case you get a larger space down the road and can accommodate the larger frame set-up.
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/qmp-casters/
Each Caster locks and can be leveled, which definitely helps if you set-up your frame in an older home where the floors have sagged over time. I know the feeling! lol! 🙂 They also add a little extra height, if need be, though the table legs of the frame are full adjustable as well. The main benefit of the Casters, I think, is that you can easily move the machine around if you’re really fighting for space. Since you’re only ever working on one side of the machine at a time, you really don’t need tons of room around the frame, only enough to accommodate the movement of the carriage.
If you’re on the pantograph side, the back side of the table, you can wheel your frame so the front side is closer to the adjacent wall. You also really only need to walk around one side of the machine, so you could wheel your frame closer to the wall on one side and lock it into place. If ever you need to move your frame, like those ghastly times when you absolutely must vacuum!, then simply unlock the Casters and you’re free to move it wherever you wish.
The Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 already comes with one hand wheel on the quilt Take Up bar, but now you can purchase a Hand Wheel for both the quilt Top and quilt Backing bar as well. While not essential, it does make it quicker and easier to wind your fabric onto the rollers, and who doesn’t want that?! Less time to load, more time to quilt!
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/qm-handwheel/
One of the features which makes the Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 long-arm quilting machine so special is that it’s frame can be set-up to multiple sizes to accommodate any space. It comes standard as 12 feet, but it can also be set-up as 4 feet or 8 feet. A 2 foot extension is also now available so you can set-up the frame to 6 feet or 10 feet.
You’ll need to cut your leaders to any frame size smaller than 12 feet, but don’t worry, a full set (one for the quilt Top, one for the Backing, and one for the Take Up bar) is available if you later need to either replace your leaders or need them to accommodate another frame size down the road.
http://janome.com/en/accessories/accessories/qmp-leadcloth/
Of course things like extra Bobbin Cases, Bobbins, etc. are available as well. Contact your local dealer for more information, however not all dealers carry the Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18. Visit www.janome.com/qmp18 for more information.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at all the fun and exciting new accessories out there for the Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18. Remember, a few items like the specialty feet; Glide Foot, Echo Feet and my personal favourite, the Couching Feet, also fit the Artistic SD-16 sit down machine. These would make GREAT stocking stuffers for a spouse/ partner who quilts, or a great gift for a special quilting buddy. At least with these accessories you don’t need to worry about the right size or colour and they certainly won’t go out of style any time soon! lol! 🙂
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