Janome settings for free motion quilting can help you transform quilting from a necessary finishing step into an exciting creative adventure. With the right accessories and adjustments, your Janome sewing machine can become a free motion quilting powerhouse, able to handle intricate spirals, loops, and anything your imagination dreams up.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the key steps, accessories, and techniques you need to know to master janome settings for free motion quilting. From lowering the feed dogs to troubleshooting tension, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s dive in!

Janome Models Well-Suited for Free Motion Quilting

Certain Janome sewing machine models really excel when it comes to free motion quilting. Two great options are:

• Janome 1600P – This speedy, straight-stitch machine is quickly becoming a favorite for free motion and ruler quilting thanks to its high velocity and precision stitching. It can handle detailed quilting designs with ease.
• Janome NQM2016 – The “NQM” stands for National Quilt Museum, so it’s no surprise this model is ideal for quilting! Owners report it produces consistent, quality stitches while maintaining reasonable noise levels.

The high speeds of these Janome machines make them perfect for free motion quilting, where a fast needle is essential for smoothly gliding through intricate spirals and curves without hesitation. [Insert video showcasing free motion quilting on a Janome machine]

Must-Have Accessories for Free Motion Quilting

Certain presser feet and accessories can make free motion quilting on your Janome sewing machine a breeze. Here are some must-haves:

Convertible Darning Foot

A convertible darning foot like this Janome Convertible Free Motion Foot is invaluable for free motion quilting. It has an open toe design for optimal visibility as you quilt. The height is also adjustable using a thumbscrew, allowing you to account for different batting thicknesses.

Many quilters use the open toe darning foot for most of their work. But the converting capability means you can quickly switch to a closed toe foot when quilting around fuzzy fabrics or appliques.

Ruler Foot

Specialty ruler feet like the Janome Ruler Work Foot unlock the potential for using quilting rulers to create stunning designs. Follow along with the edge of the ruler to quilt perfect straight lines, curved designs, or anything you can dream up. The ruler foot helps grip and guide the fabric. Pair it with a quality ruler set to elevate your quilting game.

Walking Foot

A walking foot serves as an alternative to full free motion quilting. It feeds the layers of a quilt sandwich through the machine evenly, ensuring accurate stitching. The Janome Walking Foot / Even Feed Foot is like having feed dogs on the surface of your quilt. You do lose some creative freedom compared to full free motion work. But the results are excellent for overall straight line quilting.

Adjusting Janome Settings

To prepare your Janome sewing machine for free motion quilting, there are a few key settings to check and adjust:

Lowering/Disabling Feed Dogs

The first crucial step is to lower or disable the feed dogs. This prevents them from moving the fabric so you can move it freely with your hands to create free motion stitching.

On certain Janome models like the Skyline S9, you simply press an on-screen button to lower the feed dogs. Others like the Janome 4300 QDC have a physical lever on the back of the machine for this purpose.

[Image showing feed dog lever]

Attaching Quilting/Darning Foot

After disabling the feed dogs, attach your darning or free motion quilting foot. These feet hover just above the plate and feed dogs, allowing free movement. Make sure the fit is snug and the foot is properly attached before quilting.

Adjusting Speed

When first starting with free motion quilting, use Janome’s speed adjustment, normally located near the stitch length settings, to sew at a slower speed. This gives you time to coordinate the movement of your hands with the needle to produce good stitch formation. Once you’ve honed your skill, you can increase the speed for faster quilting.

Changing Throat Plate

Swapping out the standard throat plate for one designed for straight stitch quilting can help. The smaller hole provides more support around the needle and reduces flagging of quilt layers into the bobbin area. Janome offers straight stitch throat plates you can purchase separately for this purpose.

[Image of straight stitch throat plate]

Thread Tension

When switching between different feet like the darning foot and walking foot, check your upper thread tension and make minor adjustments as needed. The change in foot and quilting direction can influence tension. Test on scrap fabric when changing feet or techniques.

Fabric and Thread Selection

Choosing the right supplies is also essential for free motion quilting success with Janome machines. Follow these recommendations:

Needle Thread

Use quality needle thread designed for embroidery and quilting, like 40 weight rayon or polyester embroidery thread. These create smooth, consistent stitches. Stay away from old, dull needles that can shred thread and damage fabric.

Bobbin Threading Options

You can opt to match your needle thread by winding the same embroidery thread on the bobbin. This provides perfect balance between top and bobbin thread.

Alternatively, choose a lightweight bobbin thread designed specifically for the bobbin. There are many options like 60 weight polyester or cotton threads that are inexpensive and provide a nice foundation of thread on the bottom side.

Fabric

Prepare a quilting sandwich using scrap fabric and batting to test your stitch settings before launching into the final quilt. Check tension, stitch length, and adjust as needed for perfect stitches.

Key Quilting Techniques

Now let’s overview some of the most common methods for tackling free motion quilting on your Janome machine:

Free Motion Quilting

This technique is exactly what it sounds like – using your hands to freely move the fabric while the feed dogs are lowered to create customized quilting. It takes practice to coordinate your motions to form consistent stitching. But free motion quilting unlocks unlimited creative potential. You control every line, curve, and detail.

[Insert video demonstrating free motion quilting technique]

Ruler Quilting

As mentioned earlier, ruler quilting allows you to follow specialty rulers to quilt geometric designs. Using the proper ruler foot, you brace the ruler against it while guiding the fabric to neatly “trace” the ruler template. It produces incredibly precise quilted designs.

[Image showing ruler quilting]

Walking Foot Quilting

If you want evenly spaced rows of stitching, a walking foot makes it easy. It feeds the layers through the machines like the feed dogs normally would. The results are excellent for overall quilting in straight lines, with the tradeoff that you lose free range motion.

[Image showing walking foot quilting straight lines]

Troubleshooting Common Janome Free Motion Quilting Problems

Like any skill, you may encounter some hiccups as you learn free motion quilting on your Janome machine. Here are some common issues and fixes:

Skipping Stitches

This is often fixed by changing the needle since dull points tend to skip stitches. Check that the needle is firmly secured. Ensure your quilting foot is properly attached and the tension is balanced. Slow your pace until stitching is smooth.

Thread Breaks

Breaking threads usually stem from tension problems or defects along the thread’s length. Try rethreading completely and check for snags or spool issues. Adjust your tension and use quality thread to resolve.

Uneven Stitch Formation

Troubleshoot by adjusting tension, trying a fresh needle, slowing your speed, and using supportive throat plate. Check that your quilting foot is floating smoothly above feed dogs. Even out the pressure of your hand movements.

With some targeted adjustments and practice, you can solve most common free motion quilting issues on Janome sewing machines. Don’t hesitate to refer to your machine’s manual for additional troubleshooting tips.

Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot of ground on successfully preparing your Janome sewing machine for free motion quilting. From selecting the right model and accessories to making adjustments and honing key techniques, these tips will help you become a free motion pro.

The benefits of free motion quilting are immense. You gain creative freedom and can add beautiful custom detailing to your quilt. Plus, janome settings for free motion quilting allow you to finish quilts from start to finish entirely by machine.

As with any skill, be patient and give yourself time to learn at the beginning. Experiment with different foot attachments and ruler options to find what works best for you. Practice on test sandwiches first before quilting expensive fabric.

Soon you’ll be stitching intricate spirals, loops, feathers, and more with confidence. Free motion quilting opens up a whole new world of design possibilities. So get those janome settings for free motion quilting dialed in and let your imagination run wild! What will you create?