Top 5 Favourite Features of the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP

There are so many helpful features on the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP, that it is hard to just pick a few of them, but I'm going to try.

Here are my 5 Favourite Features of the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP:

1.    High Light - I'm sure you know that as you get older you need more light to see. Did you know that "people in their 60s need three times more ambient light for comfortable reading than those in their 20s"?* I know, it's shocking and I'm noticing this need for more light already. Thankfully, the Janome 9400 has the High Light which you can pull out and adjust to focus that light exactly where you need it. This bright LED light has helped me immensely with my quilting (especially since I've become a one-eyed quilter). I especially love that I can angle the light so I can place it just where I need it. A huge help for aging - or any - eyes!

Can you find the High Light?

It's behind the Janome name! Just pull out and angle it for the best light on your project.

2.    HP Needle Plate and Foot – I’m a quilter and I can’t overemphasize how helpful this new needle plate and foot is for obtaining an accurate ¼” seam. It makes piecing effortless and accurate. I use this combination exclusively for my piecing now.

3.    One Step Needle Plate Conversion – If you have ever struggled with a screwdriver to remove the needle plate on your sewing machine, you are going to love this feature! No worried about stripping screws or gouging your needle plate – just push down on the lever at the front of the machine bed and your needle plate pops off. You can then replace it with the one you need to use (you have a choice of three of them!). This is such a time saver and it’s actually fun to pop off and push on the needle plates on this machine.

Press down on the lever and...

up pops the needle plate.

4.    Automatic Thread Cutter – I use this feature all of the time, especially when I’m piecing a quilt. It snips the thread so I don’t have to stop to grab scissors to do this. I can just start sewing afterwards and don’t have to worry about tangled threads on the back of my project. Such a timesaver!

Click on the scissors icon and the thread cutter automatically snips your top and bottom threads.

5.     Superior Needle Threader – This is another feature that I really appreciate so I don’t have to struggle to thread my machine needle. With the new Superior Needle Threader, I just “lock” the machine, press down the needle threader lever on the side of the Janome 9400 and my needle is automatically threaded for me – every time.

Press down on the lever at the left hand side of the machine

and your needle is automatically threaded for you every time!

I know that I was only going to tell you about my top 5 favourite features on the Janome 9400, but I just couldn’t help but add one more:

6.     Adjustable Speed Control – This feature is one of the big reasons I wanted this machine: I can adjust the top stitching speed. By sliding the Speed Control Lever, I can set the fastest speed at which the machine will stitch. This is extremely helpful when I’m free motion quilting: I can set the top stitching speed and press the pedal to the metal, knowing that the machine will only stitch as quickly as want it to. It takes this one element out of free motion quilting allowing me to focus on the design I am creating. 

Adjust your machine's stitching speed from very slow

to very, very fast!

Don't think that just because I've only mentioned 5 favourite features of the Janome 9400 that there aren't many more helpful features on it for simplifying and accuratizing (is that a real word?) your stitching. Whether you are a garment sewist or a quilter like me you'll appreciate the carefully chosen features that are included on the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP.

Creatively,

Download the free Get Out of the Ditch! guide to learn how to start free motion quilting by clicking here.

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*http://www.allaboutvision.com/over60/vision-changes.htm

Which Bobbin Case is Which?

Let's talk about an often neglected, but very critical component of the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP sewing machine: the bobbin case. There always seems to be lots of confusion when it comes to the choices in Janome bobbin cases. Red, blue or yellow* – which is the right one to use for this project? Don’t worry, it’s actually very simple and I’ll explain the differences and uses for each in today’s blogpost.

First, let’s talk about the red dot bobbin case, which is the one that came pre-loaded in your Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP. This is the bobbin case that you will use whether you are sewing the hem on a garment or piecing together strips for a quilt. That was pretty easy, wasn’t it?

Now there are two other bobbin cases to discuss: the blue dot one and the yellow dot one. Both of these are optional bobbin cases that you would have to purchase for an additional fee.

The blue dot bobbin case is one that you will definitely want to buy if you are a quilter. It’s the one that you will want to have in the machine when you are free motion quilting as it has a looser tension than the standard red dot bobbin case. Okay, so you free motion quilters out there, be sure to have the blue dot bobbin case in your machine when you are free motion quilting. It makes a huge difference.

Last, let’s take a look at the yellow dot bobbin case. This bobbin case has twice the tension of the standard red dot bobbin case. This one isn’t included with the Janome 9400 and you probably won’t need to buy it because it is used for machine embroidery. This bobbin case is standard with the Janome Memory Craft 500E, as it is an embroidery machine, but since the Janome 9400 doesn’t have an embroidery module, you won’t be needing or using the yellow bobbin case. So you can just forget about the yellow bobbin case when discussing the bobbin cases that you might want to consider when using the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP.

It really comes down to two bobbin cases for consideration when creating on the Janome 9400: the standard red dot bobbin case for most of your stitching and the blue dot bobbin case when you are free motion quilting.

To see more about the Janome bobbin cases, watch the video tutorial on my YouTube channel. Just click on the image below.

Do you use the blue dot bobbin case for your Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400QCP? Let me know in the Comments below how you like free motion quilting with this bobbin case on your machine.

*You will sometimes hear these bobbin cases referred to as the blue (yellow or red) dot, blue arrow or just blue bobbin case - they are all referring to the same colour bobbin case.

Download the free Get Out of the Ditch! guide to learn how to start free motion quilting by clicking here.

Creatively,

Did you know that you can sign up to receive FREE emails full of quilting goodness? Just click here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. I know you'll be glad you did!

Personalize Your Janome 9400

One of the options on my Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP is the ability to change some of its settings so I can customize the machine to my specifications. I can't change everything on the machine - I'd have to have one custom built to do that - but there are many features that can be adjusted to my liking.

I know that some quilters like to hear everything that their machine is doing and receive these confirmations in the form of "beeps". For other quilters, these beeps can be quite annoying and distracting. The Janome 9400 allows you to adjust the volume of these "reminders" or even turn them off entirely. 

Another option allows you to change the brightness of the machines' LED screen, so you can make it brighter or less bright, depending on your preference. 

You can even turn lights on or off on the machine, if you'd like.

Watch the video below or on my YouTube channel to see all of the customizable options of the Janome 9400.

What options can be customized on your sewing machine? Leave me a Comment below to tell me what options you have changed on your sewing machine and why you did this.

Creatively,

P.S. Did you know that Chatterbox Quilts provides FREE content to those on our mailing list? Yes, we do! Sign up here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. You'll be glad you did :)

P.P.S. Check out our newest FREE mini-class on creating hanging tabs and using the pillowcase method for wall hangings and small projects.

Walking Foot Comparison: Janome vs Bernina

One of the sewing machine feet that I absolutely have to have is the walking foot. Some people call this a dual fee foot or an even feed foot, but I always use the term "walking foot". 

What is a walking foot and why do I believe it is so important? The walking foot works with the feed dogs to move the top fabric along at the same rate as the bottom fabric. This helps to avoid a situation where the top fabric is being moved along at a quicker rate than the fabric you are sewing it to (the bottom fabric). 

When do I use the walking foot? I use it when I'm stitching borders to the sides of my quilt top. I also use it for quilting. I use it to stitch binding on to my quilt. See? The walking foot has lots of uses!

Some walking feet come with the sewing machine when you purchase it while others are an additional cost. I strongly recommend that you purchase a walking foot if one didn't come with your machine. It is a foot that you will use over and over again.

You will find marks on some walking feet that indicate the 1/4" mark or 1/2" mark. This can be very helpful when you want to stitch a 1/4" seam. It's also helpful when you want to stitch a 1/4" or a 1/2" away from a previously stitched line.

As I have both a Bernina sewing machine and a Janome one, I was able to show you the difference between their walking feet.  The video below or on my YouTube channel shows you these differences.

If you have a walking foot for your sewing machine, take a closer look at it. Does it have markings to indicate a 1/4" or other measurements on it? Leave me a Comment below to tell me about your sewing machine's walking foot and how you like to use it.

Creatively,

P.S. Did you know that Chatterbox Quilts provides FREE content to those on our mailing list? Yes, we do! Sign up here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. You'll be glad you did :)

How to Get an Accurate 1/4" Seam Allowance on the Janome 9400

What do quilters strive to achieve in their quilting? Besides perfection, of course! An accurate 1/4" seam allowance. I've heard so many quilters say that they struggle to get that perfect 1/4" seam allowance that makes all the difference in their quilts.

My Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP (Janome 9400) includes a new needle plate and foot that makes getting an accurate 1/4" seam allowance a piece of cake! 

HP Needle Plate that comes with the Janome 9400

The HP needle plate and foot work together to stitch a perfect 1/4" seam. These two can only be used when straight stitching and once you pop in the HP needle plate, the Janome 9400 automatically recognizes the stitch choices that can be used with this needle plate.

HP foot on the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP

I so appreciate this feature of the machine as it prevents me from using a stitch that would cause the needle to strike the needle plate and break and perhaps damage my sewing machine.

Janome 1/4 inch seam foot O

The Janome 9400 still comes with the 1/4 inch seam foot O too: this is the one that has the fabric guide along the side, if you prefer to use it, but I must say, that my go to combination when piecing is now the HP needle plate and foot.

Watch the video below or on my YouTube channel to see the options available when you want to stitch a 1/4" seam.

If you would like more information on the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP, you can find videos on it in this playlist.

Does your sewing machine have a 1/4" foot that allows you to stitch a perfect 1/4" seam? Leave me a Comment below to tell me how you achieve an accurate 1/4" seam when you are piecing.

Creatively,

P.S. Did you know that Chatterbox Quilts provides FREE content to those on our mailing list? Yes, we do! Sign up here to receive FREE content directly in your email inbox every few weeks from Chatterbox Quilts. You'll be glad you did :)