And with this glasses case tut, I’ve learned how to make my own bias tape, and how to use the bias binding foot on my machine to sew on bias tape as a binding.
It went relatively easily. Minor snags I ran into included the case getting hung up on something around the curve near the opening of the case where I had to sew over the start of the binding. Maybe it was too thick or something else was getting caught. Took some maneuvering but I finally got around it. That curve near the opening is a little rough too. I had to go back and top stitch because the first round of stitches missed the backside.
I also added a button and tab to the back. Because things are just better when you can attach them to other things.
In other news…
I figured out the problem with my needle position and my presser feet. My presser foot set came with a satin stitch foot, and so did my new sewing machine. So I compared the two. They are identical except for one seemingly tiny thing: the bar to snap it onto the presser foot holder is slightly offset to the left on the Janome foot. I looked at the other Janome feet, and they are all like that.
LEFT: Janome satin stitch foot with offset bar. RIGHT: standard satin stitch foot with centered bar.
LEFT: Janome zig-zag foot with offset bar. RIGHT: standard zig-zag foot with centered bar.
LEFT: Janome satin stitch foot on Janome JW8100. RIGHT: standard satin stitch foot on Janome JW8100. Note the blue arrows and the opening in the throat plate for the needle not lining up in the right photo.
For some feet, it’s not a huge deal. I think a lot of them will still be usable. I did use the adjustable binding foot today and it worked well. But for others, like the overcast foot that has that center piece beneath the needle, and the edge stitch foot which is one of my favorites, they’re not going to be usable because the alignment is off. Trying to get a zig zag stitch to work right with those feet when they’re in the wrong position just isn’t doable. However, a straight stitch with the edge foot still works well. I used it on my glasses case.
So…Big, Fat. Bummer.
I have to go through all my feet and figure out which ones I need to purchase a “Janome” version for. Subtitle: I have to figure out how much Janome is going to rip me off for because they made this little design decision to make their stuff less universal. /eyeroll
Gonna need a new button foot, new overcast foot, edge foot, probably a new applique foot… I think pretty much any foot that uses a zig zag stitch.
These are the kind of things you just don’t know until after you get something and start using it. It’s fun to drop hundreds of dollars on crap like this. Just sayin’, but this machine better freakin’ make up for this in awesomeness and durability.
Have a parting shot of the glasses case to end on a happy I-can-sew-again! note.
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