Does your winter wardrobe include a cozy robe? This robe created by Janome Maker Vivien Lee from Fresh Fripperyis the must sew project of the season to keep you toasty warm during the cold winter months! It is a fabric hug! What could be better than a fabric hug? 

Tutorial for Cozy Halloween Robe Made with Cuddle Minky Fabric As someone who loves both fall and Halloween it is the perfect time of year for me to make a cozy robe made of super soft Cuddle minky fabric using my Janome Skyline S9. The print I chose is called "Eye of Newt" by Shannon Fabrics. A lot of robes are only a single layer but I wanted to have mine lined with plush fabric for extra warmth and luxury. I used "Luxe Cuddle Glacier" (a textured black minky fabric) for my lining.

Note: I am a member of the Janome Maker program and this skirt is sewn on a Janome Skyline S9. (This post is sponsored by Janome but all content and opinions are mine). All the fabric was gifted by Shannon Fabrics.

Please read through all instructions before starting projects. Please note that there are numbers without instruction, it is a technical issue and not misssing steps. 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED (exact amounts depend on your measurements and the width of your fabric):

• 4 or more yards of 58-60 inch wide fashion fabric (minky or fleece fabric)
• 2 or more yards of 58-60 inch wide lining (more minky for extra softness, or a non-minky fabric if you want a lighter robe)
• thread, elastic, pins, scissors, chalk, etc.

PATTERN: Any wrap robe pattern with a shawl collar can be used as a base. I adapted Butterick 6837 view A with modifications in order to turn it into a lined robe. I used this pattern because I already had it on hand from making PJ bottoms for my family, but if you use this pattern you may want to make these same changes:

• Keep in mind this pattern runs large and you should size down unless you have broad shoulders or a large torso.
• I added a lining, which the pattern does not include instructions for, so my construction methods are adapted for that.
• I shortened the robe to make it knee-length instead of calf-length.
• The belt loops and pockets are very large and the recommended placement on the pattern is too low.
• Since this robe is lined, it is not necessary to cut separate collar pattern pieces because the robe fronts already have the under collar attached, and you will cut out collar facings.

CUT OUT THESE PIECES OF FABRIC: Robe (out of your fashion fabric): 2 fronts, 1 back, 2 collar facings, 2 sleeves, 2 sleeve cuffs, 2 sleeve facings, 2 pockets, 2 belt loops, and 1 belt Lining (out of your solid fabric): 2 fronts, 1 back, 2 sleeves FABRIC PREP: Wash and dry your fabric before cutting and sewing. (Cuddle minky can be machine-washed on gentle in cold water, and then dried on low heat). Serge all sides of the pockets. The rest of the pieces do not need to be serged because raw seams will be hidden by the lining or turned inside (like the belt). CONSTRUCTION OF THE ROBE FASHION LAYER:

1. Make the belt loops by cutting out two rectangles that are 5 inches by 3 inches. You will make a tube by folding the right sides together lengthwise, stitching it down, and then turning right side out. (Alternatively, you could make one long 10-inch tube and then cut it in half). Set aside.
2. Sew the 2 fronts to the back at the shoulder seams. Do not sew the side seams yet.
3. Sew one sleeve cuff to the bottom of each sleeve
4. Sew the top of each sleeve to the shoulder where the front/back meets.
5. 
6. Pin the side front to the side back (right sides together). Pin belt loops at waist level, sandwiching them between the front and back, with the unfinished ends inside the robe.
7. Sew the sleeve seam and side seam shut as one long continuous seam, catching the belt loops as well. (The reason why you don't assemble the sleeves and top separately and then try to sew them together is so you don't need to carefully set the assembled sleeve into the armhole opening and try to make it fit).
9. To make the pockets fold all the edges of your pocket piece inwards, with the top part having a deeper fold. Pin the pocket to your robe fronts at the desired location (checking that they are at a comfortable level for your hands). Top-stitch the sides and bottom to sew the pocket into place.
10.                          
11. Stitch the two shawl collar facings at the center back seam. Then put the curved facing edge along the curved front edge and stitch together.
12. To make the belt you will need to cut out a very long rectangle (78 inches x 5 inches) with diamond pointed ends. Fold the right sides together lengthwise and stitch all along the edges, leaving a 4-inch area unstitched towards the center of the belt. You will use this opening to pull the right sides out.
13. After the belt is right side out, fold the raw edges in and pin the opening shut. Topstitch the opening closed, and continue to topstitch the entire perimeter of the belt. This will make the belt lie flat since the fabric is puffy. (See below for a comparison).

CONSTRUCTION OF THE LINING: The construction of the lining is very similar to that of the fashion fabric but you do not have pockets, belt loops, or the belt. You also need to note the directionality of the sleeve facing.

1. Sew the 2 fronts to the back at the shoulder seams. Do not sew the side seams yet.
2. Sew the sleeve facing to the bottom of the sleeve lining. If you have a print, sew the sleeve facing with the print upside down since it will be flipped up when the cuff is rolled.
3. Sew the top of each sleeve to the shoulder where the front/back meets.
4. Sew the sleeve seam and side seam shut as one long continuous seam (as seen in step 6 of the robe construction).

ASSEMBLY:

1. Put the lining inside the robe fashion layer, wrong sides together. (Put the lining sleeve into the robe sleeve).
2. Pin the curved edge of the lining front to the robe front, then sew them together. (Remember that the robe front is already attached to the collar facing, forming a sandwich consisting of collar facing, robe front, and lining. The right sides of the printed collar facing and fronts are together, while the wrong sides of the front and lining are together).
4. Flip the collar facing inside the robe, covering part of the lining. To finish the collar facing: Topstitch the outer edge of the collar facing about a half-inch from the edge. Fold the raw edge of the other side under and slip stitch closed to the lining (indicated by the pins).
5. 
6. To finish the sleeve cuffs: Line up the bottom edges of the sleeve cuffs and sleeve facings and fold the raw edges of both inward. Top stitch the edge closed, then flip the finished cuff up to show off the sleeve facing.
7. Hem the bottom of the robe: Fold the bottom of the robe inside, covering the raw edge of the lining, then fold the robe fabric inward again to hide the raw edge. You may want to cut some excess lining before hemming to reduce bulk. Sew down the edges to finish the robe.
8. Put the belt through the belt loops and you have a finished robe!

Thank you again Janome and Shanon Fabrics for making this project possible! I hope everyone has a beautiful fall season!

Trying new things on your Janome machine is a great way to feed your creative spirit! Whether it is a new technique, tool, or even if it is just going outside of what you usually do, it can be exhilarating! Janome Maker Meredith from Olivia Jane Handcrafted is trying out the embroidery feature on her Janome Skyline S9 + Janome Artistic Digitizer Software! 

I've been sewing on my Skyline S9 for a few years now. At first, I was rather intimidated by the embroidery features of the machine, but once I decided to dive in, I realized how much versatility that the machine has when paired with Janome's Artistic Digitizer software. The Janome Artistic Digitizer software is extremely powerful, and my favorite part is that I can take artwork I love and digitize it for embroidery. One of the first projects I did when learning the software was a collection of framed embroidery made from images of some of my favorite fabrics. Today I'm going to show you how you too can create a beautifully textured embroidery based on a favorite fabric. I have framed mine, but you can feature it on a shirt, a pillow, bag, or whatever you like! 

important note: Because this is a project-based off on the artwork (fabric) of someone else, please keep in mind that without express written permission, it would be entirely unethical and illegal to sell or distribute work you make that is created using the art of another person. So do this only for your own personal enjoyment and do give credit when posting. This tutorial is for private use only. I am using a digital image of a very favorite fabric, Fable by Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. Prior to uploading the image to Janome Artistic Digitizer, I cleaned up the surrounding motifs in PixlrX, which is just a free online editing program that makes it easy to remove other parts of an image. Once I had gotten the image down to only the rabbit I wanted to stitch, I opened the Janome Artistic Digitizer Software and opened a new project for the RE20 hoop, which is the largest hoop available for the Skyline S9.

I selected the image, which I had saved as a PNG, and then made the following selections:

If you do not want to stitch the background, you must be sure to select the background button and then click the background with the dropper that will appear so that it disappears as seen above. I limited the number of colors to four initially, then brought it down to two once opened the image.

I rotated and centered the image in the hoop, and when I opened the color manager, and easily changed the color selection from four to two. It just removed the variation in the darker colors. I knew I was just going to be stitching in black and white, so there was no need to deal with thread changes on the machine when I had no intention of changing the colors so many times. By the way, you can totally change the colors to exactly what you will be using to stitch with, but I find that just changing the number of colors is fine, because I can just use whatever colors I want once I go to stitch it out on the machine. Now the important thing to do is to go to the toolbar, click Auto and then Optimize. I did a simple optimization that rearranges the sequence for the most efficient color order. Anytime you are doing your own thing for embroidery, you need to optimize, otherwise, you could easily have a hundred color changes which would take forever.

If your embroidery mockup looks good, then you are ready to save it as a .JEF file then export it. I exported to a USB drive, but the Skyline S9 has wifi capability and can be exported that way, or by plugging in directly to your device. Make sure that your machine is set up for embroidery per the manual instructions, and prepare your fabric and hoop for embroidery. I am using a cotton muslin backed with interfacing and then hooped up with embroidery stabilization paper. Again, I'm using the RE20a hoop. Open your embroidery file on your machine, and start stitching. I love to just sit back and watch the embroidery come to life!

First, my Skyline S9 outlined my rabbit, then began to fill it in. Finally, the texture was added.

Once the stitching was complete, about half an hour later, I removed the hoop and trimmed my fabric down to the needed size.

I picked up this fantastic custom gold leaf frame from my local AmVets (a thrift store benefitting veterans) for only $1.98. I took it apart, removed the angel picture that it was holding and after painting the current cream color matte black with some acrylic paint, I remounted the frame.

I now have the beginning of a new gallery wall above our couch. The quilt you see here was made with Rifle Paper Co's Wildwood collection, which features the Fable print that I used for this embroidery art. We love small animals like rabbits and squirrels, so this was the perfect piece to add to our wall!

The sky is totally the limit when you can create your own embroidery! I hope this will inspire you to create pieces that you love with your embroidery machine and Janome's Artistic software! I'll be adding some more pieces to my gallery wall with this method.

Check out some of my other Skyline S9 projects HERE, and see the rest of my tutorials HERE. -Meredith

Janome Maker Carolyn Norman from Diary of a Sewing Fanatic is taking inspiration from the runways and The Met Gala and created a wonderful tutorial for you to make your own look to walk the runway or where ever you want to feel stylish! 

I sew on a Janome 9450QCP which is a Quilter's sewing machine.  However, as a garment sewist, the machine has so many quilting features I adore.  This month I decided to explore the 9450QCP's quilting abilities by making a patchwork dress. For Fall 2022, several designers have shared patchwork and quilted garments in their collections which inspired this dress.

First materials ~

Most quilters use quilting cotton for their quilts. While the designers I was inspired by used silk in their garments, I decided to go with denim which is a more practical solution for my lifestyle. Also, there's such an interest in sustainable sewing in the sewing community right now, I took this opportunity to make my dress primarily from scrap pieces and remnants leftover from other makes.

Pattern ~

I used the Style Arc Jema Panel Dress as my starting point. However, any simple tunic or shift dress pattern would work to recreate this look. I also chose to highlight one patchwork section of the fabrics used in this dress, as well as the piecing the pattern suggests.

Construction ~

Basically sewed this dress using the quarter-inch foot and the straight stitch plate to insure that my seams were exactly a quarter inch. Cause I'm not a precise sewist so I need all of the help I can get! 

I took one section of the pattern and measured out six blocks...

Then I added 1/4" seam allowances all the way around...

Pieced those sections together first before making the rest of the dress...

A few close-ups of the patchwork on the dress...

As with a quilt, I added a lining to cover the patchwork seams of the dress...

To finish the neckline I inserted piping that was applied using the piping foot and the topstitching was done with the quarter-inch foot.

Otherwise, this was a straight sew.  Okay, okay not really. I tore the dress front apart and recut some of the blocks three times to get a patchwork mix that I liked. I think that's also something quilters experience when trying to get the block to look right!

Anyway here are few pictures of the finished garment...

The 9450QCP made sewing the patchwork so easy! Having the enhanced lighting, the extra space to move my dress around, and all of the sewing feet to make each task simple to do is why I love the machine so much!

The Log Cabin block is timeless and classic! While there are hundreds of variations of the Log Cabin pattern, the simplicity of the basic Log Cabin has always been a favorite for its ease of learning for beginners! 

Janome Maker Annabel Wrigley takes you through the steps of making a Log Cabin Pillow on her Janome Contential M7! 

Welcome Back to the Janome Rainbow Quilt Block of the Month designed by Janome Maker Carolina Oneto!

This month we will make our eighth block. The Ohio Star quilt block was popular in the 1930s Depression-era and post-Depression quilts. It was a popular design among Scottish and Irish immigrants in the Midwest, and Amish quilters regularly employed it.

I sew all the blocks on my Janome 1600P-QC , I recommend you to use a stitch length between 2.0 and 2.2 anyway this amazing sewing machine is capable of stitch length variables up to a maximum of 6mm!

Please read through all of the instructions prior to starting this block. The block will have a finished size of 12” so that means the unfinished size will be 12 1/2."  All seam allowances are 1/4" unless otherwise indicated.

Fabrics:

White background

• One 7 1/4” square
• Two 5 1/2” square
• One 4 1/2” square

 Red 1

•  One 7 1/4” square
• One  5 1/2” square

Red 2

• One  5 1/2” square

Instructions for making HST four at a time:

• Make four half-square triangles.
• Place a white and colored fabric (red 1) square (7 1/4”) right sides together.
• Sew a 1/4″ seam allowance all around the perimeter of the square.
• Make two diagonal cuts and press each piece open to one side.
• Trim away the dog ears using a square quilting ruler, you will obtain four 4 1/2” HST

Instructions for making HST two at a time:

Do this process with the 2 white squares of 5 1/2” and the two squares of the same size in red 1 and red 2. You will assemble 4 half-square triangles.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE QUARTER SQUARE TRIANGLES:

• To make a QST take two HST’s from the previous step (one red 1 and one red 2) and place them right sides together with opposite colors touching.
• Use a pencil or water soluble marker and draw a line from corner to corner, bisecting the HST seam.
• On both sides of the diagonal line, stitch a 1/4” seam.
• Using an acrylic quilter’s ruler and rotary cutter, cut along the pencil line.
• Trim the blocks to a 4 1/2” square

FINAL ASSEMBLY:

• Arrange your blocks in the correct layout
• Using a quarter-inch seam allowance, sew together in rows. Join all rows, using a quarter-inch seam allowance.
• Press your completed block and trim down to 12.5″ square (if necessary).

Your block is now complete! I hope you enjoy this new block! And don’t forget to share it!

You can still start today and catch up with the Janome Rainbow Block of the Month by visiting the links below:

Block One     HERE

Block Two     HERE

Block Three  HERE

Block Four    HERE

Block Five    HERE

Block Six      HERE 

Block Seven  HERE   

After you make your block, we’d love to see them!

Janome Sewing Classroom

Janome America Instagram – Be sure to tag @janomeamerica and use the hashtag #janomemakes and also tag @carolinaoneto!