Get Ready to Bling All the Things!

I love sparkly things, but often say to myself that I wouldn’t bedazzle everything, even if I had the chance. This is such a lie! If I had a Be-dazzler in my life, NOTHING would be safe. Did you know if you made friends with a Crow it may find you sparkly things and give them to you as gifts? Crows get a bad rap but they like the sparkle, so how can they be bad?

On a recent trip to a fabric store I stopped by the notions department and my eyes were instantly drawn to something very glittery. I zeroed in on it and found these beautiful sparkly gems on a string. I had zero clue what I’d actually use them for but I got them to practice using the Janome Beading Foot and Beading Attachment Part Number 202041108 for all current model Janome sergers. Check out the link for the list of compatible models, and of course, check with your Janome Canada dealer for details.

The Janome Beading Foot and Beading Attachment is 2 parts, a guide and a foot with a guide. Used together, magic happens! Set your machine for a 3-thread rolled hem using the Left needle. All the step-by-step directions are right in the cardboard insert that comes with the blister pack.

I’m using it on the Janome FA4 Serger/Overlocker, which is a great machine, but the Janome Beading Foot and Beading Attachment is compatible with many models.

Janome makes this way too easy for us, and we thank them for that! There are a lot of little adjustments you can make to get this just the way you want. Taking the stitches out couldn’t be easier so your beads won’t go to waste. Flip your piece to expose the back and cut the ladder stitch you see. It’s that easy!

I always start my beads first and sew a few stitches. I then raise the presser foot and add in my fabric.

The special Janome Beading Foot – Serger has a groove on the underside of the foot which allows a string of beads, or yarn to pass through easily. It’s a smaller, shorter foot which allows you to see everything clearly. Make sure the beads aren’t too big for the slot and you go slowly so nothing jumps out of place. It’s recommend to lower the upper knife blade, but you aren’t in danger of sewing over the beads. They stay to the right of the needle because of the engineering of the foot.

I sewed one row of sparkly goodness on to the edge of the fabric. Then I decided I wanted some in the middle of the fabric. How the heck can you do that? Magic! Ok, that’s a lie, it is really easy. I dialed my needle tension down to 1 and folded my fabric along the line where I wanted the beads in the middle of the fabric. I then serged them together as I did before.

Once you have them on, you simply pull your fabric open, give a bit of a tug if needed to have it lay flat and then the string of beads or yarn is in the middle of your fabric.

When you place the beads in the middle of your fabric, the back of the fabric has this really cool ladder stitch! Even this on it’s own could be a fun way to add interest! The technique is basically a Flatlock which allows you to join 2 pieces of fabric together without adding bulk. Consult your serger’s Instruction Manual for how to adjust your machine for a Flatlock, and many other fun techniques you can do with your serger.