A skosh, a wee bit, just a hair… sometimes, the distances we want to work with when sewing aren’t quite as precise as the engraved inch and millimeter markings on our machines. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a foot you could manually adjust to perfectly align with the exact distance you wanted? There is! The Janome Sliding Guide Foot has a perfectly balanced outboard guide you can smoothly slide to the right then lock into place, from ⅜” to 1⅛” from the center needle drop (10mm – 30mm). I love it when someone answers my “wouldn’t-it-be-great” requests!

Easy to attach and adjust

The Sliding Guide Foot comes in two versions, one to fit Janome 5mm and 7mm models and another to fit Janome 9mm models. Check with your local Janome dealer; the foot may work on other brands and/or there may be a similar foot available for your particular machine.

To attach the foot, remove the existing presser foot and snap the Sliding Guide Foot into place.

Release the gray locking lever at the back of the foot by pushing it toward you.

Slide the guide to the right to your desired distance. The measurement is figured from the center needle drop to the inside edge of the flange.

There are inch markings along the bottom of the guide and millimeter markings along the top.

An oval viewing window at the outer edge of guide has similar red markings top and bottom. Align the appropriate mark along the guide with the mark on the viewing window (bottom of the window for inches, top of the window for millimeters).

When the two red marks are flush, push the locking lever down to secure the guide.

Of course, this is how you align for the specific measurements on the guide. The beauty is working outside of those lines. If you want to customize your distance, simply slide the guide until you reach the specific point you want, then lock it in place.

You can use a standard seam gauge to measure from the center needle drop to the edge of the flange if you are curious about the custom stitching distance you just created.

Set and go or adjust along the way

There’s no annoying screw that has to be tightened to fix the guide in place – just pull the lever toward you to release and push down to lock.

Set your distance to stitch equidistance lines over and over. This is a great feature for straight line quilting. Run the guide’s flange right on top of the previous line of stitching, similar to a Ditch Quilting Guide.

It’s super fast to adjust individual rows of stitching. This is a fun feature for multiple lines of decorative stitching: stitch two close together, change settings, and stitch the next one farther apart, then quickly change back for another set of two close together. Depending on your preference, it’s easy to set the distance down the center of the previous line of stitching or along the inner or outer edge of the stitch pattern.

Ideal for hemming

This foot makes fast work of even the longest of hems. Set the appropriate width, place the folded edge of the hem up against the flange, and go. When you’re using a contrasting color or even a decorative stitch as a hem accent, it has to be accurate or the effect is lost. The Sliding Guide Foot keeps things straight and true.

Ask your Dealer for a demo

This is a wonderful specialty foot for a myriad of tasks. Take it on a test run at your local dealer to see how easy and functional it is.

Remember, there is one Sliding Guide Foot to fit all

Janome 7mm and 5mm stitch width models with a top loading bobbin and one to fit all Janome 9mm stitch width models. Check with your local Janome America Dealer for more information about how it can work with your machine.

If you are lovin’ finding out how to use this specialty foot, you might be interested in the Janome Presser Foot Workbook series. Take a look at our full review for more information on this very handy, lesson-based reference set.

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