Janome Sewing Tutorial 4- Now we're sewing!

Sew, are we having fun yet? LOL!

Let's begin by trying out the machine. Slip a piece of cardstock under your presser foot and lower the presser foot. You can find the lever on the back of the machine that will lower the foot.

See these two pictures:


This is raised.



This is lowered.

It's time to choose a stitch. This is my favorite stitch because it's the perfect size when you layer card stock in 1/4 inch increments which I do all the time! Just turn your dial to whatever stitch pattern or size you want.



Now, use your hands as a guide and sewing right across your practice piece of cardstock. It should look like this.



It should look evenly spaced and the stitch should look the same on both sides of the cardstock. If it does, congratulations! You are now sewing on your cards!! But if you have uneven stitches or you are using a different type of paper and you stitch seems to change, then you might need to do this.

Setting the tension

Have your looked at this dial and thought, "what the heck is this thing?"



This is the tension wheel and it is a very important part of sewing correctly. It may need to be adjusted. Mine didn't. It came set just like this right out of the box and it works great. So, try setting yours to this number and see how your stitches come out if you are experiencing uneven stitches.

What to do if your stitches don't look right:

If you can see you bobbin (or bottom) stitches on the front of your paper, your tension is set too tight. Try lowering the number a little at a time until you can't see the bottom thread on top.

If the needle thread shows on the bottom of your paper, your tension is set too loose. Raised the number a little at a time on this dial until it evens out.

FAQs
Q. What kind of thread should I use with this machine?
A. Remember, this is a small craft sewing machine and is not made for use with heavy or fancy threads. My favorite thread is Coats & Clark. You can get it at most sewing stores and even Hobby Lobby has it. It comes in a zillion colors and is the perfect thread for card making and preserving the life of your machine.

Q. I have an expensive embroidery machine. Can I just use that instead?
A. You can use any sewing machine to sew on card stock, however, dust and paper fibers will get into the mechanics of the machine so make sure you are obsessive about cleaning it and blowing air through it to remove that build up. To be extra safe, pick up this machine or something comparable. This one is always going on sale and keep your expensive machine for fabric. 

Q. Where can I get one of these.
A. Here is where I got mine:
http://www.hancockfabrics.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=20708&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=sew%20mini 

That link goes right to the machine and it's on sale for $49.99!

Within the next few days, I'll be talking about how to sew on layers, how to do square corners and how to lock your stitches. In the meantime, stop back a little later for a blog candy giveaway that you're going to be so excited about!!

Hugs,
Gina K.
Posted by Gina K at 2/20/2008 1:18 PM
Categories: uncategorized
 

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