'So, Zo...' Investigates: Janome Sewing Machine Feet

I am NOT an early adopter when it comes to any kind of technology or gadgets. It's not that I fear change, but I can be reluctant to spend time learning how to use something new properly and/or get used to it enough so that it improves on my previous method of doing something. When it comes to sewing, the time I can spend on it is limited so I want to get cracking as soon as a window opens up. I don't want to get slowed down for even a second whilst I get to grips with something new. But I have to admit that this attitude is to my own detriment, and I never regret the time spent figuring out the new thing once it has been adopted into my arsenal of tech! Like my rotary cutter. I bought it in 2007 (from Britex in San Francisco, fact), but only got it out of the packet a month ago! Now I love it and wonder what the hell I was waiting for. And I promise I'm starting to change...

So when I received some different sewing machine feet from Janome for my new DSK30, the old me would have thought 'there's a box of hassle right there'. But the new-attitude me was actually pretty excited to crack them out and find points in my forthcoming sewing projects to try using them. For clarity I want to state that I received these sewing machine feet for free from Janome, in exchange for an honest review. Apparently, not all feet and machine accessories can be used on every sewing machine made by that brand. My machine requires Category B accessories, and a full list of things to pimp your sewing experience in that category can be found here. On to my findings...

Applique Foot:

What's it meant to be for?

The appliqué foot seems to have two main benefits: 1) it is smaller so theoretically more manoeuvrable round angles and shapes than a standard machine foot, and 2) the back of it is raised to accommodate the bulk from a row of close satin stitch. 

Is it any good?

I used the appliqué foot when applying a patch to cover a hole that 'appeared' in Dolores's blouse when she momentarily got hold of some scissors (on her dad's watch, I may add). The patch was a bird-shape, so suitably awkward for testing this foot. I used a faux-blanket stitch rather than a satin stitch, but I definitely had no problems stitching round the shape, which must be in-part thanks to using this little appliqué foot. 

Even Feed Foot (AKA Walking Foot):

What's it meant to be for?

The point of an even feed/walking foot is that it has a row of teeth that feed the top layer of fabric through at the same rate that the feed dogs feed the bottom layer through underneath. Therefore, there isn't the resistance that a regular machine foot can create to the top layer that can make for shifting and slipping when sewing certain types of fabric. There's a bunch of uses for this foot depending on what type of sewing you're into, but it can be good for super-fine and slippery fabrics, knits, vinyl/leather and for quilting. If you were paying close attention during the last series of The Great British Sewing Bee, you would have seen these being used during the leather jacket challenge. 

Is it any good?

Of all the feet I was sent, this was the one that I was most interesting in. When I worked at TRAID, I did a lot of leather and vinyl appliqués (like this, this and these), and often struggled with the machine foot sticking to the leather/vinyl. I found that a squirt of machine lubrication spray helped a little, but I feared staining the fabric of the garment so was excited to try a new foot. 

I tried this walking foot when applying the leather fawn shape on this pinafore dress. It's a chunky old foot this one, not as light and nimble as the appliqué foot (see above), and therefore a bit trickier to manoeuvre round an awkward shape. But it was SO MUCH FUN to use and there was no sticking at all. If you have encountered any sticking, slipping or shifting in your sewing projects, I'd recommend putting this foot on your Christmas (or alternative special occasion that is celebrated with presents) list.   

Zigzag Foot:

What's it meant to be for?

Another foot related to appliqué (can you tell I've got the appliqué bug back these days?!). The zigzag foot is made of clear plastic and has a massive gap in the area where the needle goes down, so visibility for fancy stitches or following the edge of something is made really easy. 

Is it any good?

I cracked open the zigzag foot when appliquéing a lightning flash shape onto a little sweatshirt, and I must admit, the huge gap makes it feel really weird to use initially. However, all that extra visibility is excellent. I think back to the masses of appliquéing I used to do in my twenties (cool appliquéing, mind) and think about how much easier it would have been if I could have seen what I was doing a bit more! If you are into appliqué or fancy stitches, I do recommend getting hold of one of these. I will now stop using the word appliqué for the duration of the rest of this blog post. 

Zipper Foot:

What's it meant to be for?

Now what the Janome website won't tell you, is that the zip/zipper foot that comes with a Janome machine as standard is pretty rubbish. So they have this far superior one available. You can see what the standard zip foot looks like here, and basically when it is positioned so the needle goes down the left side of the foot, the needle can't get very close to the teeth of the zip (or whatever other use you are using it for, like making/inserting piping etc.). 

This superior zip/zipper foot (sorry, I find writing 'zipper' uncomfortable!) is adjustable and can be positioned so you can get really close to the zip teeth or piping, whichever side you need to use. Like the walking foot, it is a screw-on type foot. 

Is it any good?

Hell yes. Check out how close to the piping I got in the picture above. I want to write that buying this adjustable zip foot would be worth every penny, but I am annoyed that the standard zip foot is so rubbish that you have to buy this one. 

Concealed Zipper Foot:

What's it meant to be for?

The concealed/invisible zipper foot makes inserting this type of zip much easier and raises your chances of putting one in successfully first time. It has channels that the teeth run through, and a little central nodule-thing that pushes the teeth to one side so the machine needle can stitch really close to them. 

Is it any good?

At various points in my 'career' (I use that term loosely) I have made money from making garments, many of which had concealed zips. I have always used a regular zip foot for putting them in, using my fingers to push the teeth to the side. Having felt that I'd more or less developed the knack, I wasn't sure that a specific concealed zip foot was necessary. I thought it might be a useful tool for teaching others how to insert a concealed zip, but I didn't think I'd want one myself, particularly if you have a decent regular zip foot (see above). But hear me when I say, I was wrong. The concealed zip foot is great. It would be a stretch to claim that it assists a perfect zip insertion every time; a few times I've seen people stitch too close or even over the teeth when using one of these feet. But it definitely makes your concealed-zip-insertion life considerably easier, and if you usually fear or even avoid concealed zips, you should grab one of these if you can. I would recommend that you use a regular zip foot first for basting the zip tape in position (see the yellow row of stitching in the photo above) before using the concealed zip foot to stitch close to the teeth.

My New Sewing Machine: Janome DKS30

Despite the obviously main topic of this blog, I never though to write about my new sewing machine. I don't tend to talk about sewing equipment here, partly because I'm not a tech-head of any kind, and partly because I try not to perpetuate the idea that being into sewing requires buying loads of 'stuff'. However, I was talking to a bunch of lovely students whilst teaching a class recently, and most of them commented that they found reading reviews of sewing machines on sewing blogs had been really useful to them when they started getting into sewing and were looking for advice. So I'm going to briefly talk about mine. 

Secondhand Vs. New

Now, as you probably know, I am ALL about buying and using secondhand stuff where possible. I'm not going to pretend that by living in a developed nation like the UK I don't have a large carbon footprint, but by consuming stuff that already exists rather than generating more 'need' for new products, that footprint can undoubtedly be reduced. And trying to reduce our carbon footprint is something that we all should be in the business of where we can. So why the hell have I bought a brand spanking new sewing machine then? Well, lemme tell you. 

I've been sewing in some form or another since my A-levels (about 18 years ago, wha?!). I've always had secondhand sewing machines that whole time but in about the last five years I've gone through them at a pretty alarming rate. Despite getting them serviced regularly, recently they've been lasting me only about 18 months on average, probably because I tend to sew more often than domestic sewing machines are really designed for (like, daily). When my most recent machine died and couldn't be resurrected by the local sewing machine guy, I thought about contacting my usual secondhand sewing machine purveyor who I totally trust and would recommend in a heart beat. But then I thought about it some more and decided this time I would move to level 4 of how I consume: buy the best new version I can afford, and take bloody good care of it! I've spent the same amount of money on secondhand sewing machines in recent years as I did on this Janome DKS30, and I'm hoping that with regular servicing I can make it last a longgggg time. 

I'm kind of in the in-between position where I don't sew quite enough (or have the space or money) for an industrial sewing machine, but probably sew a bit too regularly for most domestics. And I like the different stitch settings and buttonhole functions on a domestic, as well as being able to move it about with ease. Fingers crossed stretching my budget for a decent domestic sewing machine will prove the right choice, but I would (and usually do) recommend that people think about getting a serviced secondhand sewing machine, especially if they are just starting out and sewing hasn't taken over their lives (yet) like it has mine! 

Why the Janome DKS30?

I've used the Janome DKS100 at Tilly's HQ whilst teaching the Coco and Zips and Buttonholes classes, and was really impressed. I've tried a number of different Janome models as all the sewing schools I've worked for use them, but the DKS100 felt a bit more solid and reliable, and was generally more of a joy to use. The DKS30 (the one I bought) is pretty much the same but with fewer pre-set pattern stitches and is orange rather than blue. Oh, and fifty quid cheaper. It was still pretty expensive though, £450 to be precise. It was a stretch, financially, but everyone I spoke to about my dilemma  seemed to think that buying a decent machine was a no-brainer considering it is such a big part of how I make money and use my spare time. I could easily have opted for a more pared down model, but  enjoyable features like an auto thread cutter felt like justifiable extras if I was shelling out for a new machine anyhow. Plus, my sewing area is in the corner of our downstairs (which is just one big room) so my machine is always on view, therefore I wanted one that is nice to look at. Plus the orange matches the cushions on our sofa!  

So far I've been super pleased with it. It is light-weight enough to take it on and off my sewing table with ease when I want to change to using my overlocker, but doesn't feel flimsy or plastic-y. The auto thread cutter is awesome, and I use the needle up/down button all the time as well. My previous sewing machine didn't have an automatic one-step buttonhole function, so it's great to have one of those back in my life again, and I've had my most successful twin-needle attempts so far on it as well! Here's hoping that all these functions continue to work for many many years to come....