Janome machines
 

For those of you who sew with a Janome (mine is 4120) - wondering what needle position setting you use for the 1/4'" seam. I seem to struggle getting it right - if I put my needle position to 4.5 it seems to be a correct quarter inch, but when I press the seems - everthing is a little short. If I go to the 5 setting I'm concerned it is too narrow - but when I do the pressing it strips come out right. When I bought the machine and took the training class the instructor told me the 4.5 was the perfect 1/4" setting. Drives me nuts. Thanks for any advice.

If the seam comes out right at the 5 setting, then that's what you should use. What matters is how the seam comes out.

Was your instructor a quilter? Non-quilters do not understand that sewing a perfect 1/4" seam does not work for quilters; we need a scant 1/4" seam to allow for turn-of-the-cloth. Our patterns are based on size after seaming *and* pressing, not just the theoretical size after seaming.

i couldn't have said it better myself. :thumbup:

I have a 6600 and with my quarter-inch foot, I set my needle to 4.2 and get a really good quarter-inch seam. It depends on the foot, too - I have a second quarter-inch foot that is from another machine and I can't mix the two up or I won't get a good seam.

And then if I switch to my Accu-feed 1/4-inch foot it's a whole 'nother setting that I can't remember off the top of my head!

Whatever works...works. :)

oh my I need to look at my machine! I bought a Janome 6600 this spring and I have never touched a "needle setting" and I was never told of such a thing during my lessons..... something to investigate

I have a 6600 and use the accufeed 1/4" foot with the needle setting at 5.4.

What is the accu feed? Don't think my machine offers that. Re. my settings - I only have the choice of 4.5 or 5 - wish I could have afforded the 6600.

Oh yes indeed ... learn about that needle left/right ability.
Just look it up in your manual and you're away to the races!
It is a great asset, and I use it for more than the 1/4" seam foot.

Just be careful to not put it too far to the left/right that it comes down on top of the foot, or else you can break a needle and might throw off the timing.



Marsh ... just move the setting til you get the precise 1/4" results. You might even find that you set it slightly different with different threads (coarse/fine) as they can take up room in the seams. Not sure about your 4120 model, but some of the Janome machines you can override the auto-preset with your desired setting, so that when your machine comes on, it is at your settings already. If you can, do that .... my old machine, I could not do that, and I don't know how many times I turned on the machine, started stitching and of course, did not have a 1/4" seam! From then on, I made sure any new machine has that ability.

Love this board! The Janome 1/4 inch foot with guide makes a really wide 1/4 on my machine. I have a DC3050 and found out that I can adjust the needle setting by putting it on stitch width. The needle will move then left or right. Thanks! :)

There is no fixed setting on any machine. It varies every time you change fabric and thread.
Different fabrics and threads have different thicknesses. Make a test with three piece
of fabric every time you start a project and it will save you a lot of grief. Here's how.
http://quilting.about.com/od/machine...llowance_2.htm