A Purr-fectly cozy and very special gift!

As a Janome Educator, it’s been great fun and very rewarding for me to meet so many fabulous Janome fans and fellow users over the years. Sharing information; all the tips and tricks; sharing the projects and samples I’ve created using the various machines and all the goodies Janome has to offer, or, as I simply put it, to share the Janome love!

Me sharing the love is all part of the job I dearly love for the company I dearly love, but imagine my immense surprise and moments of joy and gratitude I felt when I received a very special gift made with lots of love from one of our Janome users.

Alice G. is a very special lady who I met when I first started making my rounds over 5 years ago presenting education events to the various Janome Dealerships. Alice attended my very first education event, then later attended every event whenever I was in her area. She always brought lots of questions and enthusiasm, and even a project or two to show me what she made using her beloved Janome MC 15000. Alice is a very accomplished sewist, and makes beautiful garments, but she also spends a lot of her time sewing for her furry friends and those at her local animal shelters.

Just in time for Christmas last year, Alice surprised me with this adorable, cozy, colourful, and reversible blanket for my cat, Raja, who my partner and I just refer to as, “Kitty”. Alice even addressed the gift bag to Michael and “Kitty”, lol!

Embroidering through 2 layers of soft, textured, fluffy and stretchy fabric can pose some challenges, but, as always, the Janome MC 15000 QuiltMaker was up the job. Given the size of the embroidery, the included SQ23 9.1″x9.1″ embroidery hoop or the larger GR 9.1″x11.8″embroidery hoop would accommodate, but, for these thicker, bulkier, hard-to-hoop fabrics, why not try the special Janome ASQ22 8.6″x8.6″ AcuFil Quilting Hoop?

Janome ASQ22 AcuFil Quilting Hoop comes included with all versions of the MC 15000.

The Janome ASQ22 AcuFil Quilting Hoop is not a traditional embroidery hoop as it as no inner hoop. Instead, it has magnetic strips around the perimeter of the hoop and uses large magnets to hold the fabric in position, as the photo above demonstrates. It’s a fun and efficient way to get your quilting done, but to also embroider through all layers of fabric, especially if those fabrics are thick and lofty like Minky, Cuddle and terrycloth. For more about the Janome AcuFil Quilting system, watch the video on the Janome HQ You Tube channel.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a Janome MC 15000 QuiltMaker or previous versions. There’s a special AcuFil Quiting Kit for the Janome MC12000 and a separate AcuFil Quilting Kit for the Janome MC550E, MC500E, MC450E and MC400E. Check with your Janome dealer for details!

The blanket measures 18.5’x27.5″ so it’s a good, generous size for kitty to snuggle under, but I’ve actually used it to add some extra softness and some extra beauty to kitty’s very old and raggedy bed, which sits on a trunk at the foot of our bed.

For years, I’ve been saying I’ve wanted to sew a new cover for kitty’s bed; one which is removable so I can wash to freshen-up and put back into place. It’s been one of those projects I never get around to on my TO DO list. Can anyone relate? lol! Until that time, Alice’s cozy and adorable blanket does the trick purr-fectly!

Kitty and I thank you SEW much, sweet Alice, for your very thoughtful, generous, and very practical gift! And, of course, thank you sew much for sharing the Janome love!

Do you have a special furry friend in your life who could use a soft, cuddly blanket like this? If you don’t have one at home, perhaps you’ll sew and donate a few little blankets for the animals in your local animal shelter to bring them a little more comfort and warmth this winter. We’d love to see photos if you do! Be sure to tag us @janomecanada @janomehq #sharethejanomelove #janomelife on our Janome Canada/ Janome HQ social media.

Happy Sewing!