Deciphering the Janome Accessories Guide

We have a treat in store for you this month! In response to lots of feedback we receive, we’ll be focusing on some of the many accessories available for your fabulous Janome machine, regardless which model it is.

Janome comes out with a variety of fabulous, exciting new machines each year, but we’ve heard from many who say that they don’t necessary want or need a new machine, they just want to get more out of what they already have. The extra presser feet and accessories available can unlock a whole new world of creative possibilities regardless which machine you have.

I couldn’t agree more. My little mechanical Janome machine, an early predecessor of the Janome HD1000, served my sewing and quilting needs for over 20 years, starting when I studied Fashion Design in college. No one knew which seams of my garments were sewn on the expensive industrial machines at school, or my very economical domestic sewing machine when back in my apartment.

Janome HD1000 is also available in black, Janome HD1000 BE

I finally upgraded to the then top-of-the-line Janome MC15000 so I could embroidery quilt labels, and yes, at nearly double the throat space, improved LED lighting and push button controls were among the many other reasons to upgrade, too.

Janome MC15000 Quilt Maker

After nearly a decade as Janome’s TOL machine, this model has technically been discontinued, but you can still find some fabulous deals at your Janome dealer as many sewists traded in their beloved MC15000s to upgrade to the Janome Continental M17.

Janome Continental M17

Although there’s always many reasons to upgrade machines, it’s often the extra accessories which can breathe new life into your machine, whatever model it is, so you can try new techniques and improve the quality of the results. You can find a list of accessories in the Janome Accessories Guide, which, conveniently you’ll find in the Accessories Tab on Janome.CA.

At 70 pages, it’s a valuable resource for whichever Janome machine you have. Each machine type is grouped into a letter category. For example, our Janome HD1000, including my now 32 year early predecessor, is Category G, which by description is a “Front Loading (Low Shank) Oscillating hook- Mechanical) machine.” For more information on Front Loading/ Oscillating Hook versus Top Loading/ Rotary Hook review this handy Janome JumpStart blog post right here on Janome Life.

Although our fabulous Janome MC15000 Quilt Maker is not pictured below, we know from the descriptions that it’s Category N “9mm Sewing and Embroidery with AcuFeed (High Shank)” This would also be the case for the Janome MC12000, for example. The descriptions are your clues.

Want to know whether your machine is 5mm, 7mm or 9mm? High Shank or Low Shank? No problem, the next page in the Guide some clues, as does this very handy Janome JumpStart blog.

The next page in the guide gives you a list of the letter Categories and a brief list of machines within that category. I say brief because there’s no way every machine Janome ever produced could be there or the Guide would be 10 times the size. Did you know Janome is now proudly 102 years old?! Can you imagine the thousands of models which have been produced?! lol!

As you flick through the Janome Accessories Guide, you’ll see a photo or drawing of the presser foot or accessory, it’s description, and a chart with all the corresponding letter Categories of machines with which it’s compatible. Best of all, the Part Number is also included so you can contact your Janome dealer to see if they have the item in stock, or can order in for you. The more information you share with your dealer, the faster and easier it will be for them to order, and be sure they have the correct item compatible for your machine.

You’ll find specialty presser feet and accessories for all type of machines, including the Overlock/ Sergers and CoverPro machines. There’s no limit to the fun and creativity which awaits you!

Given that Janome is a Global company with subsidiaries around the world, the Part Numbers, Names and Letters of the presser feet and accessories listed in the Janome Accessories Guide are the same, no matter where you may live. The Janome Bi Level foot, (BL) for example, is a 9mm specialty presser foot, Part Number 202-461-005 compatible with all 9mm machines, whether just sewing, or sewing and embroidery; whether the machine has AcuFeed, or not. Order this foot by name in Canada, the US, Australia, the UK, Ireland, India, etc. it will all the be the same foot with the same part number. Please keep in mind, though, that not every Janome subsidiary carries the same products. A certain machine or accessory may be available in the USA, but not in Canada or Australia, etc., for example. Always check with your Janome Dealer for details.

You can choose to print out the Janome Accessories Guide if you wish so you always have it handy. As new presser feet and accessories are made available, or as older ones may be retired, the Guide will be updated online as we continually try to share more of the Janome love with our Global Janome family.

Happy Sewing!