I do not work for John Lewis. Yet somehow, I know more about their sewing machines than the people who do, and I know this because I get a constant stream of emails and comments from people who find my review of the JL Mini basic sewing machine on Google and ask me questions about it.
By far, the Number 1 question is “How do I change the presser foot?” Apparently many John Lewis employees have told people that the feet cannot be changed. This is not true.
To change the presser foot, grab a Philips head screwdriver (the kind that looks like a +). Unscrew the screw to the left and above the presser foot (see photos below).
When the screw is completely loosened, you can remove the screw and the foot. You can now place any generic “low shank” foot on the machine (using that screw you just removed!), including a zipper foot, walking foot, rolled hem foot, you name it.
This is just an example of the feet in my collection that fit it.
Regular readers – I’m sorry if this bores you, but I’m bored by the constant stream of emails from people who’ve been lied to by John Lewis employees, and now I can just point them all to this post instead of being exasperated. Thank you for your time!
You’re an angel – thank you for this.
Brilliant…I love my little machine for patchwork but need a walking foot. Thanks for the ” low shank” advice.
Hi Faith. Beware – my low shank walking foot is the only one of my feet that doesn’t work with the JL Mini – it’s lacking a critical cross bar that the walking foot needs to operate! But you may be able to find a different foot design that is compatible…
Really helped me a lot.As a beginner it really takes time to undesrtand foot pressure.This example with the clear image and illustration helped to understand it easily.
Wow, I had one JL sewing machine but had problem fixing or changing the presser foot.
Does it depend on the type your have? I have since locked it up somewhere when I had issues with the presser foot.
I will revive it now and try your suggestion.
Thanks
I love my little machine for patchwork but need a walking foot.
Thank for sharing!
I love my little machine and it’s enough for what I want to do, but the one thing that’s made me think about changing it was to be able to change the feet. Now I know I can I can hopefully sew 1/4 inch seams accurate and straight. I’ve watched all the you tube videos on my machine and no where did it mention this.
Thank you so much. Off right now to order a 1/4” foot and a walking foot!
Thank you so much! X
Happy to help! Beware – my low shank walking foot is the only one of my feet that doesn’t work with the JL Mini – it’s lacking a critical cross bar that the walking foot needs to operate! But you may be able to find a different foot design that is compatible…
Brilliant…I love my little machine for patchwork but need a walking foot. Thanks for the ” low shank” advice.
thank you for sharing!
Hey, can you use a free machine embroidery foot ?
I’m not familiar with that one as I don’t really do embroidery. Give it a try!
Hi Faye
Did you try your machine with the embroidery foot?
Hi, what brand are your extra feet? I am looking for a zipper foot for my JL mini, but the one I bought doesnt seem to have a mechanism for attaching! Sorry, if this sounds silly, I am a complete beginner! Thanks
They are generic low-shank feet. You do NOT want “snap on” feet. If they do not have the upright part like you can see in the photos, they will not work for this machine. Low-shank feet are incredibly common – you can find them all over eBay as well as haberdashery shops.
Presumably you could fit a snap on adapter then use snap on feet?
I’m struggling to understand why you’d want to buy an adapter when you can literally just use a screwdriver? The only advantage I can see to that is if you’ve already got a bunch of snap on feet from another machine.
Hi Melissa
So pleased to see you can change the foot on this little machine, I emailed Janome and they said the foot couldn’t be changed. I’m having problems finding the feet you show in your picture. Could you point me in the right direction please?
Thank you
Kelly
Hi Kelly. There are millions on eBay if you search for “low shank” feet. Note that you do NOT want snap-on adapters (unless you already own a bunch of snap-on feet and want to be able to re-use them). Happy sewing!
Thank you, manage to find them and worked perfectly. Made my first dress. Want to try the embroidery foot but just found out I need to cover the walking feet which I don’t think is possible on this machine. Going to see how well it works without covering them.
It really helped me a lot as a beginner. thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this. Where can I get a zipper foot for a JL mini I have inherited ?
Yeah, literally just search Google or eBay for “low shank zipper foot” and like hundreds come up. They’re really standard and cost less than a fiver. Pick one that’s located near you and with cheap shipping and you’re good to go.
Hi is there another foot I could buy , my granddaughter not getting on with the plastic one it’s very bulky , hope you can help
Hi Louise. As I said in the post, you can use any generic “low shank” foot on the machine. Literally just google for that and you can buy them very cheaply!