Replies

1. 
   Gloriasews | May 15, 2007 07:20pm | #1

   The walking foot is a great invention.  Short answer: it feeds the layers of fabric evenly under the presser foot - great for sewing velvets, knits, quilts - anything where the bottom layer "slips" so, when you get to the end of your seam, one layer is shorter than another, even though they were both cut the identical length.  It walking foot eliminates this happening.  Happy sewing!

1. 
   wynnie | May 20, 2007 05:15pm | #2

   Gloriasew

   thank you so much for the information on the walking foot

   cheers   wynnie

2. 
   LindaSewHappy | May 20, 2007 11:55pm | #3

   Why not use the walking foot for all projects?Sometimes one finds out at the end of the seam that it has been slipping.Just curious.

1. 
   suesew | May 21, 2007 04:40am | #4

   Sometimes it just seams bulky and gets in the way. But I find if I have it on my machine I ususally just leave it on until I have to put another specific foot - like a zipper foot - on.

2. 
   Skye | May 21, 2007 09:27am | #5

   Sometimes you want to use the feed dogs to ease the fabric eg sleeve heads

3. 
   Gloriasews | May 22, 2007 12:30am | #7

   I have to agree with Suesew - it is chunky & gets in the way of some sewing, as mine is an attachment.  As further posters have mentioned, there's is built in (what a treat!), so they would use it more often.  Either way, it works very well to evenly feed the fabric & I like using it.  It all depends upon what you're sewing as to whether you use it or not.  I change feet on my machine often for other applications (buttons, buttonholes, quilting, etc.), so it's always handy when I need it.

2. 
   solosmocker | May 21, 2007 08:52pm | #6

   A walking foot can greatly be used to your advantage. Mine is built into the machine and I use it 90 % of the time. Any time you are sewing long lengths, like pants, formal long skirts, draperies, your feed dog is pushing your bottom fabric thru faster than the top fabric, which isn't really getting pushed at all. It's just along for the ride and hence, uneven lengths happen. If you are looking for accuracy in matching plaids or stripes, or piecing in quilting, it again becomes invaluable for keeping the two layers moving at the same rate. I only use my walking foot NOT engaged when I am easing in such as a sleeve cap to an armscye. You put the longer piece down and let the machine do the work for you. Because my machine has this built in it does not interfere with my sight and is not clunky. On my old machine I used an attached walking foot and it did impede my vision so I understand where you are coming from. Pfaffs have had these feet built in for years but now most higher end machines do.

3. 
   tmorris1 | May 24, 2007 01:43am | #8

   The walking foot is great for sewing difficult fabrics, but there are others as well...The Teflon foot gives more slide for slippery fabrics, and the Roller foot is an earlier version of the walking foot, and works in much the same way but can also be bulky and get in the way of your work. Machine accessories are widely available for most machines now, if you require one of these feet, check with your local dealer and they should be able to help you. If you take the fabric that you are trying to sew with you, they will let you test the feet before you buy one to see which works best for you.T.