The Janome Jem Gold 660 is a wonderful sewing machine. However, it features stitches that come with preset stitch length and width. I could not find stitch length and width measurements anywhere for the straight and plain zigag stitches. I even called Janome. Their USA customer service didn’t have the info either.
Some experts recommend disregarding any sewing machine without adjustable stitch length and width. For most sewists, preset stitches are really not that big of a deal unless you are taking a class that requires decorative stitches and uses heirloom sewing techniques. The Jem Gold 660 is perfectly fine for quilting classes, raw edge & Lori Holt appliqué projects, plus most garment sewing applications. It also makes a great travel machine.
Following is my best approximation of the actual stitch length and width for the preset straight and zigzag stitches only:
Straight stitch length
Small 1.7 mm – 15 stitches per inch (anything where foundation paper is torn away after stitching)
Medium 2.5 mm – 10 stitches per inch (95% of your sewing will be done with this stitch)
Large 4.0 mm – 6 stitches per inch (basting and gathering)
Zigzag stitch width x length
Small 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm (appliqué – most of your appliqué will probably use this stitch)
Medium 3.0 x 3.5 mm (appliqué, decorative, seam finish)
Large 5.0 x 2.5 mm (seam finish, decorative)
(I measured actual zigzag stitch samples with a metric ruler.)
* In a pinch, you could probably use the narrow and wide stitches in the 4 step buttonhole for a satin stitch!
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