Check out my You Tube video to see how I created this stitch!

Hand-look stitches on your sewing machine - here is how to do it!

Have you ever wondered if your machine could stitch ‘hand-look’ stitches? Well the answer is probably yes it can - and here is how to do it!

what you will need:

2 different bobbin cases side by side. Only distinguished by the colour dot on the case.

What is a blue dot bobbin case?

I had the exact same question not long ago. I was clueless that you could change the bobbin case - but it turns out you can and it helps with a whole range of stitches.

The Janome blue bobbin case is a ‘low tension’ case, ideal for free quilting and hand-look quilt stitch use. It helps the bobbin thread for trickier stitches and to the eye does not look any different from the generic bobbin case apart from the small blue dot (see pic above).

You insert and use the blue bobbin case in the exact same way as the yellow dot case.

What is Aurifil Monofilament?

It is a transparent fine thread made from 100% Nylon. Reminds me of fishing wire - completely transparent and so fine, that when it is used, the stitches are really hard to notice - which is key for producing these Hand-Look stitches!

What are Janome purple tip needles?

Since I switched to using these needles - I have never looked back! They are perfect for all elements of quilting.

Designed to prevent skipped stitches. They feature a ball point tip to prevent fabric thread breakage and a special cobra shaped head to form a proper needle thread loop so that it prevents skipped stitches caused by the fluctuation of the fabric.

You can of course use other types of needles - but if you fine your stitches are not quite perfect - try these!

Coloured Aurifil thread used for the hand-looked stitches.

How to stitch hand-looked stitches on a Janome Sewing Machine

Place the blue dot bobbin case in your machine.
Wind a thread colour of your choice on a new bobbin - this can be any weight of thread too!
Inset the bobbin into machine.
Thread the Aurifil Microfilament as your top thread (as normal).
Select the Hand-Quilt stitch on your machine (see pictures below)
Extend your stitch length to 5 (the longest it will go)
Sew away!

Choosing the right stitch on your Janome Machine

I use a Janome Continental M7, which has a host of stitches - but don’t be disheartened, most Janome machines can make these beautiful hand-look stitches.

The first picture below shows the screen of my Janome M7 and the stitch settings I used. I used stitch No.73 and extended the length to as far as it would go to 5.

The second picture is taken from my Janome Atelier 3 machine. The hand-look stitches are highlighted in the red box. Stitch No.6, extended to stitch length 5 would produce the same effect.

Make your self a mini quilt sandwich and have a play until you are happy.