Tag: handmade

Hack: Making Baby Lock snap on presser feet work with a Janome top loading machine

June 30, 2024

Janome, Singer and Brother manufacture sewing machines for other companies. It’s a common practice in the sewing machine industry. I can always spot a machine made by Janome due to the slightly offset presser feet and the distinctive gray plastic needle plate in less expensive top loading machines. Singer and Brother tend to make machines designed for true center-needle presser feet (not offset like Janome).

My Elnita EC30 and Baby Lock’s Joy and Zeal share the same needle plate and presser feet (all made by Janome). Baby Lock markets an accessory set with a “specialty ankle” that allows these Janome made (Anna, Molly, Joy and Zeal) machines to use more of the Baby Lock snap-on feet. Baby Lock makes an awesome Quilt Binding Foot that I’ve been able to make work using a 5mm width Janome shank on my Elnita EC30 and Elna STAR, but this really sparked my curiosity. I just had to see this “specialty ankle”.

It meant I had to buy a 7 piece foot kit, but I’m glad I did. The “specialty ankle” is a standard Baby Lock snap-on shank that’s hollowed out to allow for the offset in the Janome presser bar. If you have a Brother-made Baby Lock machine, you’ll be able to use most of your snap-on feet with your Janome 5 mm width machines with this specialty ankle. I cannot vouch for the 7mm width top loading Janome machines as I do not have one of those models to test.

Pick up one of these 7 piece foot kits for the Baby Lock Anna, Molly, Joy and Zeal:

They are $15-$20 online and $30 at a dealer. This is the only way I’ve found as a sewing machine enthusiast to get the special shank needed to use the Baby Lock Quilt Binding Foot (and others) with my 5mm width Janome machines. Having this shank also opens the doors to potentially more center needle snap-on presser feet (Amazon, MadamSew), which are usually available at a much more reasonable price.

We need someone to come up with a 3D printer file for this screw on presser foot shank. Just sayin’.

Have you discovered hacks to make your sewing machine feet more interchangeable?

DIY Straight Stitch Needleplate

May 27, 2024

What you see above is a modified zigzag plate for a Baby Lock Jubilant sewing machine. Yep, I now have my very own straight stitch plate. And it works marvelously, too! A little JB Weld SteelStik, toothpick, masking tape, gloves and a paper towel were all it took. Oh, and you will need an additional zigzag plate to modify. This video explains the process. Hubs thought the putty would be easier to work with than the usual tubes you have to mix to make the epoxy. He was right. Drying time was an hour. I filed off any extra using emery (metal) sandpaper from Home Depot and my honing stick from The Featherweight Shop.

So far so good. No error messages after installation of the modified needle plate. The machine stitches fine with no residue appearing on the thread or the fabric. Best of all? No more chewing fabric when I start stitching.

I reached out to Tacony and my local dealer a few times about a straight stitch needle plate option for the Jubilant as their existing straight stitch needle plate only works with machines having an 8″ or larger throat plate. Their response was to use a leader or starter strip. That didn’t work so well for me. I showed the video to hubs and he encouraged me to try it. After all, I’d modified needle plates for my Janome 8900 with success!

A straight stitch needle plate really does make a difference in my piecing and patchwork.

Native American Costume (Breech Cloth or Loin Cloth)

December 11, 2014

Recently, a coworker asked me to make a loincloth as part of her son’s Native American costume for a 4th grade class assignment. Mom had already purchased a length of suede-like dressmaker fabric. Her son wanted a “REAL” loin cloth that tied at the sides – not like a skirt.  Some historical pictures of Native American costumes depict breech cloths as rather long, almost mid-calf length. For safety reasons, I opted to keep this one knee length.  I couldn’t find a tutorial online, so I thought I’d share how I made mine.  Construction time took about an hour.

Here are pictures of the finished project:

loincloth2

loincloth3

Fabric required:  3/4 yard  (You may need more or less depending on the size of your warrior.)

My student is nine years old.  Waist = 24″    Waist to mid-knee = 12″

Here’s how I made it:

Measure:

(M1) Measure student around the waist.  Divide this measurement in half.  Add 2″ to this measurement.  Record _________.

(M2)  Measure student from waist to about just above the knee.  Add 2″ to this measurement.  Record ____________.

Cut:

(1)  Cut two pieces of fabric M1 x M2.   (I cut two piece 14″ x 14″).

(2)  Cut two strips of fabric 2-1/2″ x WOF.

Sew:

(1)  Press under 1/2″ double hem on sides. Topstitch, using decorative stitch if desired.  I used stitch 57 on my Janome 6600.  Repeat for other panel.

(2)  Add 24″ to M1 measurement.  Trim 2-1/2″ wide strips to this length.

(3)  Press 2.5″ strips in half lengthwise (for the waistband & ties). Open and press raw edges so they meet at the fold line in the middle.  Fold again, enclosing the raw edges.  Press well.  Here’s a picture if you need a visual.

(4) Slide each loin cloth panel inside a waistband. Adjust so that loincloth is in the middle and ties are even on each side.  Pin in place and sew along edges using decorative stitch.

Fringe:

(1)  Measure up 3″ on each side from the bottom on each panel.  Either draw a line across at the 3″ mark or mark with a piece of painter’s tape.  Cut fringe in desired widths up to the marked line.  Remove tape and fluff.  Repeat for other panel.

Here’s a cute video of how to make a loincloth from a brown paper bag.

Adjustments I would make for the future:

Add 6″ to length and cut fringe strips about 3/8″ to 1/2″ wide.  Make the fringe 10″ long.  The original fringe was 3″ long and about 1/4″ wide.

Add 4-6″ to width to give a little extra room to fit over clothes.