Well, technically the Janome cloth guide is not a foot……..but it is a machine attachment which comes standard with many of our machine models and which is worth its weight in gold! There are several types of Janome cloth guides and you might recognise one or more of them in the pic below. Perhaps you are not sure what it is for or how to use it?
- This guide is sometimes also called the seam guide and comes standard with some of our machines. It can also be purchased as an optional accessory.
The next photo shows it attached to the machine. The green (or other colour?) screw allows you to move the guide left to right to vary the width of seam or top stitching you may require.
2. The photo below shows our clear plexiglass cloth guide which comes standard with some other models in our Janome line. It can be used on some models with a free arm as it clips or slides onto the free arm and then is manually moved side to side to obtain the width away from the stitching required for the project. The fabric edge feeds against the little “wall” or guide. It is most effective for many different applications from 1/4 inch piecing to sewing deep hems on projects like aprons or drapes.
This shows how the cloth guide clips onto the back of the free arm.
3. The next option is a fully automated cloth guide which attaches to the closed embroidery arm of some of our embroidery machine models. It attaches with a very similar turn key as with the embroidery hoops. Generally this cloth guide is a standard accessory with these embroidery machine models.
The operation of the cloth guide is done on the LCD screen of the machine under the cloth guide icon.
There is a wide range of measurements available and in tiny increments of 1/16 of an inch. (These measurements are also available as metric by simply choosing the unit of measurement in the SET menu.)
Here the cloth guide has been set at 5/8 inch. The black fabric is lined up against the cloth guide and is 5/8 inch away from the needle. This works well for any measurement from 0-8 1/4 inches
Lots of options for measuring the amount of seam you want; or the distance you may wish top stitching or decorative embellishment from the edge of something. For example, a cute little decorative stitch 2 or 3 inches up from the bottom of a hemline? Or a line of top stitching further away from the edge of the fabric than guiding along one of our Jnaome feet will allow?
Janome Life 
Hello, I’m wondering if the Cloth Guide/Seam Guide will fit on Sewist 780DC model and into which hole(s)? How about the Plexiglass guide, would that fit onto my arm?
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Hi,
The Sewist 780DC does not include the cloth guide. This would be an optional accessory available through your Janome Dealer. No, the plexiglass one wont work on the Sewist series. You would need to ask your dealer about the seam guide that is shown in the firat photo in this blog psot from last September 2019. It is the one with the green screws that screw the cloth or seam guide into the needle plate.
Liz
JANOME CANADA
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can you share how you created the stitching pattern in the black fabric. I see it is serpentine, but what is the width and stitch length, and how far apart did you complete each line. It is VERY COOL!
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Hi
The photo shows the machine set up to construct a little bag using the Acufeed flex foot narrow and cloth guide. The stitching on the black fabric was not done with the sewing of serpentine stitches. It was an embroidery design done in the hoop – We used one of the Sashiko designs built into the Janome MC15000. I am sure something similar could be created using rows of Serpentine stitch. You would need to experiment with Stitch width and length and distances between your rows to achieve the look you require. As I did not do this for this little project, I am not able to be more specific.
Have fun creating!
Liz
JANOME CANADA
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I think I have been trying to use the plexiglass plastic cloth guide wrong. It is just for the free arm and not with the extension table attached, yes? I couldn’t get it to attach with the clear table. It would not hold steady.
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Hi Carol,
Yes, it fits around the free arm, just clips on and slides from side to side depending on the seam width you require. It is supposed to slide to some extent. There is a cut out slot on the extension table which allows this movement. It should not move when set at the width you need and then the fabric just rides along the guide.
Liz
JANOME CANADA
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