This n That
I’ve finally found a decent foot for my Baby Lock Jane Straight Stitch Only machine-a Janome plastic open-toe darning foot-who knew? I’m not totally in love with it but I do think it’s the best possible solution currently available. It makes a huge difference in the ease of quilting on the Jane.
At least I can see where my needle lands, I can see better for backtracking, and it’s open in the front-all those are huge improvements. BUT, the plastic foot wobbles even though it is securely attached to my machine and I wish it could be attached in a more svelte manner-there’s a big ole honkin screw to secure it which blocks my view, grrr.
Do manufacturers hear us? Why doesn’t Bernina make a Straight Stitch Only machine, why do Janome and Baby Lock have such a bulky and cumbersome way to attach their feet, why do they require a screwdriver to change a needle plate, why do most machines create the occasional bird’s nest on the bottom of your work?? I’ll stop now, but seriously, these are issues for all of us and manufacturers do not seem to notice. If Bernina made a SSO machine, I’d drop my keyboard and run off to buy one!
On to better topics… I’ve been working diligently on a piece I can’t show you! I am a Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) member and our region is involved in a Whisper Challenge. Remember that game when you were a kid-one kid whispered something into another kid’s ear, that person passed it on to the next and so on. By the time it got to the last kid, it was a completely different story.
For the challenge, we are broken up into groups. The first artist begins with a photograph and she makes her quilt based on that photo as inspiration. After a month, she e-mails a picture of her completed quilt to the next in line and so on. The challenge might start out with a photo of say, lipstick tubes and the last quilt could be a still life of fruit-it’s really that bizarre.
The photo I received was a challenge for me to work from-it was a beautiful and interesting piece, but I was befuddled. I ended up making a piece that seemingly bore little resemblance to what I had worked from, but it actually incorporates a lot of the original piece. I will show my piece to you after the “reveal” in November.
#2 Son has been home for the last week. What nerve the boy has-he slept in the “teaching supplies/creative space/sketching” room, aka his former room! While he was visiting, he researched and purchased a car to support his lifestyle as a Productive Member of Society. The 2001 Jetta with over 100K miles on it that stalled out on the 405 in LA rush hour? Gone! Now I get to reclaim that room-after all, it’s all about….me!
Jenny, since I’m a long time Viking machine user I find your comments about the short comings of some brands interesting. I love the ease of changing feet and needle plates on the Designer 1 & SE. I’m guessing it is just as easy on the new Diamond. Now that Viking is being made in China, I’m wondering about the quality that I’ve loved in the past. Anyone else have strong feelings about their machines?
Good point Marcia-I’ve always liked the way the Vikings had that auto presser foot lift when you stop. I really think machine brand preference is greatly affected by the way you use your machine: embroider, clothing, quilt, etc. And also by price-it doesn’t matter how wonderful some brand is if it’s more than you are willing to pay. A friend/former Viking educator does not think too much of the new Vikings but I don’t know myself.
Hi Jenny! Glad to see you’ve made progress with the quilting foot challenge! I used a plastic foot exactly like the plastic one you have, exclusively, for the first few years of machine quilting on my Juki [except mine didn’t come with the opening in the front, so I created the opening myself with an X-Acto knife :-)]. My Juki also uses a screw to attach the foot & requires a screwdriver – I have been spoiled by the ease of changing feet (and everything else) on my Bernina. But I did lots of very nice machine quilting with that plastic foot (until it broke) and then I got another one … and I still use it for machine quilting on my Juki today, depending on the type of quilting I am doing. Since your machine works with this Janome foot …. have you checked out the other Janome darning foot ‘combo’ that Ann Fahl describes? -here: http://annfahl.blogspot.com/2010/11/darning-feet-part-3.html
Thanks for the discussion! I subscribe to Ann too so I pulled up that post again that shows the “combo” foot. That view in the picture shows how wide that foot is. Compared to the other Janome feet, including the one I’m using, it’s “double wide”-she shows the other ones in Parts 1&2 of her “Darning Foot” posts and you can see the “combo” is wider.
All this is individual taste, but I think the foot I’m using is plenty wide and based on the picture, I think the combo is too wide for my preference. It’s weird because some of the Janomes work on the Jane, and others, like the closed toe plastic darning foot, do not-my needle hits the foot. Go figure…
i think you should contact your preferred manufacturers and ask them to read your blog and hire you as a foot consultant!!!
i know when i get frustrated with the feet, but i don’t have the vision/experience to suggest how to fix them!
Hmmm, “Foot Consultant”-I like the sound of that. Besides, I thought everyone already was reading my blog, giggle!
Hi Jenny, just found your post. I have a Jane as well, and I hate threading the thread through the tiny hole of the free motion foot it comes with. Do you still like this Janome foot or have you found something better? I’m thinking of popping the plastic out of mine.
Have questions as to purchasing a Jane Babylock, I’ve had both of my Elna’s quilters dream machines in for problems with the stepper motors due to free motion quilting, and have been suggested to buy a Jane by my sewing machine dealer, do you think that might be a better solution than repairs(not successful) of my older model Elna’s? thank you in advance,
Louise
Hi Laura-I don’t know how I missed your comment-so sorry. You have probably resolved it by now! I don’t like the Janome foot either and I haven’t found anything better. I tried popping the plastic out but then it flagged resulting in skipped stitches. Not sure what to do now.