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whats a walking foot?

dancenyshopp | Posted in Equipment and Supplies on

i just read another post, and do not know what a walking foot is. it sounds like everyone wants one though. what the heck is it? i sew on a very basic machine, but it is 7 years old and i’m looking to upgrade within the next year or so. thanks.

Replies

  1. BYDEZINE | | #1

    a walking foot prevents the top layer and the bottom layer when sewing from shifting.

    quilters use it alot to prevent batting lining and top from ending up in different places. some brands of machine come with integrated feed dogs that do this for you, surely someone who owns a machine like that will pipe in.

    I don't do any  quilting, all my sewing is clothing (wearble art) and home stuff so I sold my walking foot on ebay.

    1. ElonaM | | #2

      My Bernina has a clip-on walking foot that I use when I really, really want to prevent the upper layer from "creeping" when I sew. What it does is this: You know how the lower feed dogs have those ridges that move under the foot? They propel the fabric along as you sew. But the feed dogs mostly contact the lower layer of fabric, so the upper layer is capable of moving more independently. A walking foot adds a little grabber on the upper surface, and it's designed to move the upper fabric at about the same rate as the lower layer travels.

      The thing is invaluable when you're sewing plaids (no hand-basting to keep the pattern lined up). Same with other designs, and with tricky things like velvet or velveteen.

      1. dancenyshopp | | #4

        thanks for the info. i'll have to get one of these!!

        1. sarahkayla | | #5

          I know that some people swear by walking feet - i used one briefly for quilting and found it worse than useless. What i did love was a roller foot - which has a little ridged wheel that semmed to have done the same task much better for me. i don't know if my hands just work better these days.. but I rarely need either. It is worth trying a variety of sewing toys until you find what works for your hands and the way that you work. not every tool works for each person. luckily most of these tools are fairly inexpensive...

          sarah

  2. SewingSue | | #3

    A walking foot is also referred to as a differential foot. The purest with built in differential feed will let you know they are not the same. But, the walking foot works real good. I use it a lot. Whenever I have a fabric that is difficult, I pull out the even-feed foot. It never fails me. It is good to sew on bulky fabrics that are otherwise difficult to feed. When I am sewing on knits and doing something that isn't particularly suited to using a serger, use the even-feed foot. If you are sewing trims or such on the edge of a garment and the zipper foot doesn't give enough fabric contact use the even-feed foot it doesn't mind if it partially off the fabric and it still works great. Guess you can tell I am an advicate of the even-feed foot. Happy sewing.

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