What Does This Error Mean?

A Janome machine that won't complete a buttonhole is usually missing the correct buttonhole foot or has the button measurement guide not set correctly. Attach the Janome buttonhole foot, set the button size on the foot's sliding guide, select the buttonhole stitch, and press Start — the machine completes all four stages automatically.

Affected Models

Janome 3160QDC
Janome HD3000
Janome Skyline S5
Janome Skyline S9
Janome Memory Craft 9450
All Janome models with one-step buttonhole function

Common Causes

Standard presser foot attached instead of the dedicated buttonhole foot
Button size measurement not set in the foot's sliding guide
Wrong stitch selected — buttonhole program not active
Fabric not stabilised — lightweight fabric stretches during dense satin stitching
Tension imbalance causing one column to be denser than the other

How to Fix It

Attach the Janome buttonhole foot.

Remove the current presser foot and attach the buttonhole foot included with your Janome. This foot has a rectangular opening for the two satin stitch columns and a sliding guide on the back for measuring button size. No other foot can produce a correct automatic buttonhole.
Set the button size on the foot.

Place your button into the button guide slot on the back of the buttonhole foot. Slide the guide to snugly fit the button — this sets the buttonhole length. For a 4-step manual buttonhole, you control each step separately and the guide size is not used.
Select the buttonhole stitch on the machine.

On the Janome stitch selection, choose the one-step automatic buttonhole or the 4-step manual buttonhole. Confirm the selected stitch on the display. If the stitch selector is not on the buttonhole program, the machine will not complete the sequence.
Add stabiliser to prevent fabric distortion.

Iron a piece of non-woven interfacing onto the wrong side of the buttonhole area before sewing. The dense satin stitch pulls lightweight fabric into a tube shape without stabiliser. For stretch fabrics, use a tear-away stabiliser behind the fabric as well.
Balance thread tension.

A well-sewn buttonhole has two columns of equal density. If one column is loose and the other is dense, the upper tension or bobbin tension needs adjustment. Sew a test buttonhole on a double layer of stabilised scrap fabric and compare both columns before adjusting by 0.5 increments.

When to Call a Professional

If the Janome starts a buttonhole but the stitch counter does not advance and the machine stays on the first bar, the buttonhole sensor or foot contacts may be dirty or damaged.