Just wondering if others have this problem? I have 2 machines. An old Viking 6570 and a new Janome AQS. Both have nice and even stitches when piecing but everything goes haywire when I use a walking foot. Both walking feet I bought specific to the machines so they are not generics. I have attempted adjusting the upper thread tension but that doesn't help. Not sure if I want to mess with the bobbin tension...The Viking was serviced about 1 1/2 years ago and the Janome is less than a year old.

I always sew at the same speed to try and keep the stitches more even. In the past I always did SITD so the stitches were not so visible but now I am doing more freehand designs on the quilt tops so everything shows!

Anyway, if you have any suggestions or solutions I would be most appreciative.

Thanks!
Kim

What do you mean by "in the past I always did SITD so the stitches were not so visible but now I am doing more freehand designs onm the quilt tops so everything shows!"

In the beginning you talk about the walking foot. Are you doing "freehand" designs with the walking foot.

need some clarification.

If you're trying to do freehand designs (Free Motion Quilting?) you don't use a walking foot. You need a FMQ or darning/hopping foot. Sounds like FMQ is what you're trying to do.

can you show us a photo or two of the project? that will help us understand more accurately so we can help. :-)

As somone already mentioned if you are trying to quilt free motion curves, cricles and what not, you need a darning foot, the walking foot won't do it.

The walking foot can do straight lines and easy small curves...but you have to stop and turn the quilt and not move it while the needle is going to get consistent stitches. Hoep this makes sense.

If you are just doing straight lines and you are getting uneven stitches, check to make sure that you walking foot is installed properly...there is an arm that needs to fit on a screw.

Hope this helps.

Sorry for the major confusion. I am not doing any FMQ. If you SITD you can hide the stitching within the ditch of the blocks. But I am using a walking foot to stitch on the quilt top, out of the ditch, so the lines are very visible.

This is all straight line stitching, no curving, etc.

The walking feet on both of my machines are installed correctly.

If I set my stitch length for 3 I don't get consistent stitches of 3. The Viking walking foot is older so maybe it does not work as well as it once did. The Janome, being newer, is a bit better, but still has the inconsistencies.

Since this doesn't happen with a regular foot I am wondering if it could be tension issues.

make sure the pressure bar is down, and stays down. I was doing something thick with mine and the fabric was bunching up in back and pushing the bar up.

i do curves with mine and it works well. i quilt slowly and move my quilt to the right and then left as i go along.
do you have a shop you can go to and show them how your feet do?

Are you yanking your fabric through, maybe unaware of it? You shouldn't have to be pulling on it as that will distort stitches. Also, you may want to try lowering the foot pressure on your machine if you've got the capability to do so.

It may just be the weight of the quilt pulling on the needle area. I did a quilt on my embroidery machine some time ago and every once in awhile the design wouldn't match exact when the end was joining the beginning. I found out that the quilt was fighting against the machine by getting caught in the front or back.

Just make sure there is enough 'give' when feeding the quilt through and see if that helps.

I'm a pusher. I tend to shove quilts through the machine and it gives me uneven stitches every time. I have to remind myself to let the feed dogs work and support the quilt weight so they can work.

The weight of the quilt can mess up the stitches. Is your surface flat?

Before I got my sewing table, my quilts would get caught on my acrylic table. Now with a nice flat surface things go smoother. I just have pay attention sometime when most of the quilt is toward me, I put it over my shoulder and not in my lap.

Good luck

Rethread both top thread and bobbin and make sure bobbin is wound correctly. Are you using same thread on top and bottom? Practice on sample to make sure stitching is good. Also there is a "top Stitching" needle that is longer than regular needle. It is good to use if your quilt sandwich is thick. I even use it on fleece to make sure needle is going down far enough to pick up thread from the bobbin. Only adjust the bobbin tension as a very last resort!

I agree with the others that typically when using a walking foot and you are getting uneven stitches its because of the weight of the quilt is creating a drag , and the quilt will not feed at even intervals/stitch. Make sure you have some slack in the quilt sandwich and support the weight so it can feed evenly.

Maybe this link might help you.Good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox8qRhWF3CI

or search for 'Sewing Machine Pressure Settings for Machine Quilting' by crazy shortcut quilts

I would make sure I had the correct needle size, for the thread size you are using. I learned a major lesson from this.

It has alot to do with the weight or drag of the quilt. Believe it or not, if you put the quilt over your shoulder, it reduces the'drag/pull'

Have you adjusted the pressure?

I'm a puller. My quilt tends to not feed properly because I'm pulling on one side or another. I find my stitches are nicer and more even when I let my machine do its job. I'm working on it. lol The machine is designed to do it...I'm just not designed to let it. :lol:

I have a Viking machine that has a pressure foot dial and for normal sewing it is supposed to be set at 4. When using the walking foot for quilting it is supposed to be set at 2.5. It makes a world of difference. I also lengthen my stitches just a tad too so I get nice even stitches.

I am the same way. If I slow down I get better results

That was my thought too...

Because of the way the walking foot is built, when going over a thicker seam, it will catch or drag, causing smaller stitches. Watch and see if that is when your stitching changes, if so, slow down on the seams. Once in awhile, I find it necessary to slightly lift the pressure foot to allow it to advance going over certain seams. Hope this helps.

If you are trying to fmq eith a walking foot, you will never get your stitches even, it is only for straight seams. You need either a free motion foot or a darning foot.

Can you adjust the pressure on your pressure foot?

I just read a hint to use a demin/jean needle 80/20 when machine quilting. It is supposed to be better that the universal needle. I have not tried this yet. Hint came from a site called "www.aliceinstitches.com"

How are you basting? Are you using a spray?

Just a thought...are you keeping your quilt from dragging. If there is too much weighted drap it will cause your stictches to be uneven. Just ask me how I know this.

Just a thought - try replacing your needle. It may have a slight burr on the tip and so it's not catching like it should. Otherwise, try all the previous suggertions.

I have trouble with the walking foot, too. I have a Bernina 440. I was told to remember that it is a "walking" foot, not a "running foot." I have to sew very slowly, or the stitches get very small, no matter what length I set. Given all this, I do like the way the foot keeps the fabric layers moving together.

I have an old Viking, 630, and it's funny you mentioned this. Just today, after having my machine for 20 years, I ordered my first walking foot, got the one from Husqvarna.
I tried it out, and it wasn't even making stitches, just thread lying there. It ended up I needed to loosen the tension on the bobbin. I've never fooled with the bobbin tension before either, but after I turned that little screw, no more problem with stitches.

When this foot came, it was packed with a little plastic pillow type thing, full of air for shipping. We had fun with it, it looked to me like this came all the way from Sweden. My one dog was sure interested in it, maybe it was air from near where a Swedish dog was!

Quilts are works of art, just like paintings. They are not meant to be viewed up close or with a magnifying glass. It is all that noticable when the quilt is on a bed and you are a few steps away? Sounds like maybe we have some of our priorities a bit out of order. By the way, according to Amish legend, only God is perfect. Are we trying to out-do God?

that is what was happening to me...............

What kind of fabric are you using? I recently was working on flannel, front & back. It pulls hard and may be a problem.

I used a scrap, 3 layers, of a cotton fabric, and there was absolutely no pull on the fabric. It was the bobblin tension, canged that, solved the problewm for me

I had just had my Bernina serviced and after a while I had trouble with the stitches again. When my daughter came for a visit, she said the thread on my spool was too tight and she put the spool on a thread holder. I have never had the problem again. It really has helped me a great deal. Hope it helps you.

I had just had my Bernina serviced and after a while I had trouble with the stitches again. When my daughter came for a visit, she said the thread on my spool was too tight and she put the spool on a thread holder. I have never had the problem again. It really has helped me a great deal. Hope it helps you.

Thank you all for your replies. I have a feeling that at times I probably am causing some drag on the quilt and not allowing the feed dogs to do their thing. I do sew very slow when I use the walking foot, but on my Viking I do not have speed control, so I can't always sew as slow as I like. On my Janome I am able to control the speed which is probably why those stitches are a bit more consistent.

That's interesting. I have played around with adjusting but not gone so low. I will give this a try. Thanks!

Interesting about the bobbin tension. I am just so leery about adjusting it though. Your dog is a little cutie!!!!

I don't know why I was leery of it all these years. You just turn a screw and if you don't like it, you turn it back!

I have a 40+ year old Elna. After trying the walking foot and trying everything I could think of to make it work, I gave up and went back to my floating foot. (At the time, I was taking a class....even the instructor couldn't get it to work.) Good luck with yours!!!

Patti