1) Deciphering the Needle Plate Seam Guides

2) Creating a perfect 5/8” corner
with the Cornering Guides

The Horizon features special markings on the needle plate that help you with your sewing. When using the cornering angle in conjunction with the needle up/down button, you can create perfect 5/8” seams easily!

1. 

   Press the Needle up/down button, so that the needle will end in the down position.

2. Begin sewing your seam.

3. As you come to the end of your fabric, slow down, and stop sewing (with the needle down) when your fabric reaches the cornering guide on the needle plate (indicated as #3 in the image above).

4. Raise the presser foot and turn the fabric 90 degrees.

5. Lower the presser foot, and begin sewing the next seam.

3) Using the Favorite Stitch Adjustment

The Horizon offers the ability to save your personalized settings for any stitch. To do this, simply turn on the Favorite Stitch option – when this option is activated, alterations you make to any stitch length or width will be saved for future use.

In order to memorize a stitch adjustment for “Favorite Stitch” do the following:

1. Select the SET button. [Image 1]

2. Turn the jog dial until you reach the FS setting, or select this icon with your stylus. [Image 2]

3. Turn on the FS (Favorite Stitch) function by turning the jog dial and pressing the confirm key, or by pressing ‘on’ with your stylus. [Image 3]

4. Press the ‘x’ in the upper right hand of the screen to go back to the stitch display screen.

5. Press “Mode” to go to the stitch selection menu.

6. Select the stitch you would like to adjust and maintain as FS.

7. Adjust the stitch (for example – minimize the length of the zigzag #9 to be a satin stitch).

8. At the bottom of the screen the stitch length and the needle position will have a box around it.

9. Touch inside the box.

10. Then the screen containing the “Memory” icon will appear reflecting your chosen stitch settings, and the “Memory” and “Set” icons.

11. Select the “Memory” icon and the adjusted stitch will be saved as “Favorite Stitch”.
    
    

4) Pattern Length Display Function

Now it’s easy to fill a specific amount of space with decorative stitches! The Horizon’s exclusive pattern stitch length calculator allows you to determine the size of decorative stitch combinations to perfectly fit in a given space.

You can find the exact length of any decorative stitch, simply by touching it on the display screen.

1. Select the stitch you would like to use, either with the jog dial or the stylus.

2. Touch the stitch with your stylus. [Image 1]

3. The stitch information display screen will appear, indicating the size of the stitch in inches and centimeters. [Image 2]

4. Based on this, you can calculate how many of a specific stitch you need to cover an area of fabric.

Create Stitch Combinations

1. Select the first stitches that you would like to combine or repeat.

2. Press the Memory button to access the stitch combination screen.

3. Select the subsequent stitches for the combination, hitting the Memory button after each stitch.

4. After combining stitches, touch the stitches at the top of the screen.

5. A screen will appear indicating the length of the combination.

6. To leave this screen, touch the ‘x’ in the upper right corner of the screen. This will take you back to the stitch combination screen.

7. Add or subtract stitches to allow the combination to fit in the designated space.

8. When satisfied with your combination, hit the locking stitch key to program a locking stitch at the end of your stitch combination.

5) Programming Auto Thread Cutting

You can program your machine to automatically snip your thread tails at the end of a line of stitching.

1. Program the thread combination as usual.

2. Touch the Automatic Thread Cutter key at the end of the stitch combination.

3. You will notice that the thread cutter button on the machine front lights up – this indicates that the thread cutter has been programmed.

4. The machine will sew the pattern combination and cut the threads, then stop automatically.

6) Achieving a Perfect ¼” Seam with the Horizon

The Horizon features so many great accessories for quilting, it is hard to know which one to choose. There are also some specific considerations when using some of the different accessories for making a perfect ¼” seam. This tutorial will review the accessories available, and the machine settings appropriate for each.

¼ Inch Seam Foot O
The first and most obvious accessory for perfect seams is the ¼” Seam Foot O. This is a standard quilting accessory, and the snap on foot will fit all Janome machines. Follow these instructions to use this foot:

1. Snap the ¼” seam foot O on to the machine.
2. Select stitch D1S.
3. Set your thread tension to Auto and the foot pressure to 7.
4. Place the patchwork pieces right sides together.
5. Sew, guiding the edge of the fabric along the guide (or flange) on the foot to keep a precise ¼” seam allowance.

Note: You may also find the angle scales on the needle plate to help create accurate seams. These angles are marked at 120, 90, 60, and 45 degrees.

¼” Seam Foot for AcuFeed
The ¼” Seam Foot for AcuFeed is another great option for quilt piecing on the Horizon. When using this foot, it is necessary to set the needle position to 5.5 to ensure even feeding with the left and right feed dogs and is especially effective for light fabrics. Because the needle position is altered for this setting, the APC function cannot be activated for stitching with this foot. To piece using this foot:

1. Attach the ¼” Seam Foot for AcuFeed
2. Select stitch 93.
3. Press the ‘+’ side of the stitch width adjusting key until the needle position changes to 5.5.
4. Set thread tension to Auto and foot pressure to 7.
5. Stitch, guiding the edge of the fabric along the guide (or flange) on the foot.

Note: You can easily store this stitch setting for easy recall on the Horizon. To save this setting, follow these instructions:

1. Active the Favorite Stitch (FS) on the Set screen. (see accompanying lesson for Setting the Favorite Stitch Adjustment).
2. Adjust the stitch length and needle drop position to your preferences.
3. Press with the box that surrounds the needle drop and stitch length display on the screen – this is the custom setting key.
4. The LCD screen will display the custom settings in a new window.
5. Press the Memory Key or the Memory In icon on the LCD screen to save the custom settings.
6. After you have saved the settings, the LCD screen will return to the previous window. You will know that the preset values have been changed, because a ‘c’ will appear to the upper left of the stitch length display.
7. If you would like to restore the default settings, press the clear key or the trash icon on the LCD screen.

¼” Seams Using AcuFeed and the APC function
If you would like to do your quilt piecing on the Horizon with the AcuFeed and APC function activated, use the standard AcuFeed Dual Feed Foot AD with the Cloth Guide aligned at ¼”. When piecing light fabrics, we recommend using the 1/4” seam foot for AcuFeed so the fabric is fed with both feed dogs.

1. Attach Dual Feed Foot AD to the machine.
2. Engage the AcuFeed function: Raise the presser foot lifter to the extra lifted position. Swing the dual feed device to a position under the foot and lock it in place.
3. Select stitch D1S.
4. Remove the accessory tray, if you are not using the extension table. The Cloth guide will work with the extension table in place.
5. Attach the Cloth Guide to the machine.
6. Position the cloth guide so that it rests ¼” from the needle drop. You can use the markings on the needle plate to identify the ¼” line.
7. Sew, aligning the edge of your patchwork pieces with the edge of the cloth guide.

7) Automatic Plate Converter

The Horizon has many features that set it apart, but one major reason is its Automatic Plate Converter (APC). The APC unit is a mechanism that is activated on three straight stitch options. The plate is able to convert from a regular needle plate to a straight stitch needle plate, making a single, round hole for precise stitching.

This advanced feature means that you can go back and forth between stitches and applications without changing out your needle plate for a straight stitch.

Because the plate slides up to close the needle hole, you have to make sure that thread is not in the way of this process, or it will get caught in the mechanism. The Horizon has a built-in guide to help you make sure closing the plate is safe. Follow these steps to use this guide and close the plate correctly.

1. Choose one of the APC activating straight stitches: D1S, D2S, or D3S. They are conveniently located in the bottom right of your touch screen for easy reference. [Image 1]
2. The setting window will open for APC activation.
3. Check your bobbin thread – can you see it? If not, it has been cut with the automatic thread cutter, and you are ready to go. Just press OK, on the “Ready” option (the option on the left). [Image 2]
4. If you bobbin thread is pulled through the needle plate, you need to trim it. Press OK on the “Set” option (the option on the right). [Image 3]
5. Hold the bobbin thread and press the OK key. [Image 4]
6. The bobbin thread will trim automatically.
7. Remove the tail of the bobbin thread and press the OK key. [Image 5]
8. The Automatic Plate Converter will now close.

8) Understanding Applique Stitches

The Horizon includes a variety of different appliqué stitches, so that you can choose the one that is right for your job. Stitches 41 – 51, in particular, have unique aspects, and understand them will help you plan for your project, and manipulate the stitches in the best way for what you want to do.

To begin, use the Edit arrows on the touch pad, or the jog dial to get to Applique Mode, beginning with stitch 41. Attach Satin Stitch Foot F or the Open Toe Satin Stitch Foot F2 to the machine.

There are three types of appliqué stitches, and the needle drop of each type can be altered in different ways. Stitches 41, 42, and 43 have a fixed center drop position. This means that when the stitch width is altered, the stitch width changes symmetrically.

Stitches 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48 have a fixed right needle drop position. When you change the width of the stitch, the left needle drop position will be altered.

Stitches 49 and 50 have a fixed left needle drop position. When you change the witdth of the stitch, the right needle drop position will be altered.

You may notice that Applique Stitch 51 has a much different look than traditional appliqué stitches. This is called the Mock Hand Applique Stitch. This unique stitch functions almost like a blind hem stitch for Applique, it takes a small, barely visible ‘bite’ to secure the appliqué, so that you can barely see the stitching. You can use it to make your appliqué look like hand-sewn needle turn appliqué.

9) Using the Border Guide Foot

One fantastic new standard accessory for the Horizon is the Border Guide foot. The unique design of this foot allows you to easily match up border designs – no need to mark every row beforehand!

The red lines of the Border Guide Foot are calibrated to allow perfect spacing of rows. The horizontal red line on the front of the foot matches the needle drop position so you can line up the start of each row.

1. Attach the Border Guide Foot to the machine. [Image 1]
2. Mark your first row on your fabric.
3. Sew the first row.
4. Skip one row and sew the third row of your design. Match the first row between the two red lines on one side of the foot. [Image 2]
5. Sew the second (middle) row, matching up the outside rows with the two inner red lines on each side of the foot. [Image 3]
6. Add additional rows to your design by jumping ahead one row, then returning to the middle row.

10) Basting and Tying with the Clasp Stitch

The Quilt Stitches section of the Horizon contains a wide variety of stitches for various quilting applications. One specialized stitch is called the Clasp Stitch, #103. You can set up your machine so that this stitch will sew once and then tie off. It can be easily removed if you use it for basting your layers together, but is secure enough to function as a tie if you prefer to finish your quilts with this simple technique.

1. Attach Satin Stitch Foot F

2. Use the jog dial or Edit arrows to select stitch #103 in the Quilt section.

3. 

   Press the Memory Key to put the stitch into memory.

4. Press the Memory Lock Key – this key will automatically lock the stitch at the end of each memorized line of stitches.

5. Because you programmed one stitch and then a lock, the machine will stitch once, then tie off.

6. Lower the presser foot and start sewing. After the machine stops stitching the one stitch, raise the presser foot and move the fabric to the next position.

10) Free Motion Quilting Foot Set

The Horizon is a serious quilting machine – and as such it comes standard with some serious quilting accessories! The Convertible Free Motion Quilting Foot Set contains a three interchangeable feet so you have the precise foot you need for your q uilting style. The set contains an attachment unit, which can be adjusted to accommodate layers, as well as a closed toe foot, open toe foot, and clear view foot.

Janome engineers designed this foot with special considerations in mind. First, they allowed for more clearance at the back of the foot, giving better visibility and the smoothest free motion quilting possible.

You can also adjust the height of the foot by turning the round nut. Turn this until the height of the foot just skims your quilting layers.

To change the foot, raise the foot and turn the round nut at the top of the foot to bring the foot to its lowest position. Remove the setscrew, and remove the foot. Attach the desired foot and secure it with the setscrew.

The Clear View Foot has a greater surface area to hold the fabric down with high loft batting. This helps to ensure more accurate quilting. It is also a dream tool for echo quilting, and other spaced quilting effects. The 1/8” marks on the foot provide guides for even spacing, so you don’t have to mark your fabric before sewing. Line up the red guide lines with your previous stitching lines to create accurate echo quilting. The convenient slot opening at the needle drop even allows zigzag stitching for free motion appliqué.