Foot of the Month: Janome Piping Foot

Editor: We know you really like our Foot of the month series which we have offered for many years. (You might like to do a search for Foot of the month in the search box to find all the many previous foot posts we have offered over the years). Michael has done an exceptionally good post on the Piping foot so this post below will kick off our popular Foot of the month series in its new first Wed of the month slot. Let us know in the comment box if there are specific feet you’d like us to cover. Now over to you, Michael!

When you want to add a little splash of colour, add a distinctive decorative flair, or add a more professional, couture-like finish to your sewing project, consider adding a row of piping before stitching your seams.

Of course, this is a quick and easy process when using the Janome specialty Piping Foot.

Janome has a Piping Foot for both 7mm and 9mm machines, so be sure you select the correct one for your machine. Consult your owner’s manual and visit your Janome dealer for more information. I am THRILLED to tell you all that you may also use the “search” function in the Accessories section of the NEW AND IMPROVED Janome Canada website, Janome.ca to find which presser feet are available for your machine.

As with all Janome presser feet and attachments, there’s full instructions on how to use the Piping Foot on the back of the blister pack.

There’s also great information and inspiration to be found in previous posts on the Janome Life Blog. Be sure to “Follow” us so you don’t miss a post!

Recently, I decided to add a little decorative touch to a quilt by adding some piping before I sewed on the binding. I also added a narrow flange; a 1.5 inch strip pressed in half before I added the piping. It’s basically piping with no filling, lol! After making so many quilts over the last 27 years, it’s fun to add some new techniques and some new elements to keep things fresh and interesting. Adding a little flange, or sewing piping is also a great way to use up left-over fabric, which is the perfect excuse, of course, to go out to buy some more!

The all-metal Janome Piping Foot has two grooves in the underside which allow yarns, cords, braids, etc. to easily pass through while sewing. No need to pull and tug while stitching; just let the machine and the foot do the work.

Use one groove to make the piping, and the other to sew the piping to your project. Again, full instructions are on the package, but there is also some terrific piping projects and tutorials from our friends at Sew4Home.

I keep a variety of cords and left-over yarns in a drawer next to my machine so I can make yards and yards of piping whenever the mood and the project strikes. It’s challenging not having a fabric store where I live, but I can sometimes find sewing supplies in some unlikely places. For example, some of my favourite cording to use for piping comes from the hardware store. I preshrink the cotton cords, by the way, as I certainly don’t want the piping to shrink whenever I wash my quilt, for example.

For even more information about the Piping Foot, Janome has created the aptly named Presser Foot Workbook so you can get comfortable learning about all the specialty presser feet and attachments available. Your Janome dealer will be able to order it in for you if they don’t have it in stock at their store. It’s a tremendous resource of information at your fingertips.

To what projects will YOU add piping?  Pillows? Sofa cushions? Garments, like around a pocket edge or lapel? SEW many possibilities with Janome.

Happy Sewing!