Presser Foot Versatility with Janome

One thing I hear over and over again from Janome fans is that they love, love, LOVE all the presser feet which came with their machines! Even Janome’s “entry level” machines, such as the adorable Janome Blue Couture, or Janome Arctic Crystal machines come with

4 standard and 4 BONUS presser feet, such as the 3-Way Cording Guide and Gathering Foot. These “specialty” presser feet are not included with most machines, but are available as an additional purchase from your Janome dealer, as well.

Janome presser feet are some of the most economically priced in the market, so don’t feel guilty about treating yourself to all which are available for your machine. Many of the same presser feet are available for the 9mm, 7mm, and even the 5mm models, so be sure to check with your dealer and consult our bilingual Janome Accessories Guide so you get the correct size presser feet and accessories for your machine.

Another terrific resource is the Janome Presser Foot Workbook, and additional supplements, such as the Specialty Feet Addendum, which describes in detail when and how to use the above mentioned Janome 3-Way Cording Guide and Janome Gathering Foot, for example. It’s an excellent reference guide to keep near your machine, especially since you may not use these presser feet, like the Piping Foot, all the time, so it’s easy to forget which machine settings work best, etc. Click HERE to read the article Sew4Home wrote about it.

Though Janome pretty-much has a presser foot or an attachment, like the Quilt Binder Set,which helps bind quilts faster than you ever thought possible, for example, for every need, I sometimes use certain presser feet in ways not specifically intended.

For example, I love using my “G” foot, or Blind Hem Foot to get a perfect Edge-Stitch approximately 1/8″ away from the fabric edge, as shown in the photo below.

I use a basic straight stitch, which in this case is stitch#1 with a centre needle position of 4.5, but I move my needle over to the left to 1.0, so it just clears the black metal guide of the foot. I sewed this T-Shirt tote bag on the new Janome Continental M7P, but this adjustment can be made on many other Janome machines, as well.

The strap of the tote bag I was sewing was quite bulky, so to keep the presser foot level, I love using the Button Shank Plate, which comes included in so many Janome machines, and is also available in a separate blister pack from your Janome dealer. I’ve written about the versatility of the Janome Button Shank Plate (it’s known as many names, but this is the one I often see in the manuals) in previous Janome Life posts on sewing tote bags/ heavy duty sewing, garment sewing, and most recently in my 3-part series on Skipped Stitches.

To add further rows of Top-Stitching, I often use the Janome 1/4″ Inch Foot, or “O” Foot, which has the convenient black metal guide at the side of the foot to keep your stitching straight and an accurate 1/4″ away from the fabric edge. However, instead of using the automatic 1/4″ stitch, which would move the needle 1/4″ away from the edge of the foot, (in the Quilt Section of the Janome Continental M7P it’s stitch#2) I instead again used stitch#1 and kept my needle at 4.5. The stitching was further away from the edge of my strap than 1/4″, which is what I wanted, and I could still take advantage of that handy metal guide to help keep my stitching straight.

The Button Shank Plate, “G” Blind Hem Foot and “O” 1/4″ Foot come with MANY Janome machines, but are also available in separate blister packs for those which don’t. Visit your Janome Dealer for more information.

I love, love, LOVE the versatility and flexibility of Janome machines, Janome presser feet and Janome Accessories. They allow us complete creative control to achieve whatever results we desire!

Happy Sewing!