Walking foot?
 

I don't have one yet. Its on my list to buy next. I'm kind of a newbie to quilting. I was told to get one for when I sew the binding or edges. Do I need it when I am sewing layers in general? I am making pin wheels right now and I am experiencing the fabric shifting as I sew. Thanks for your responses.

Definitely use a walking foot when you are putting your sandwich together. You may have to pin more to keep pin wheels from shifting. Pointy ends are hard. Do get the walking foot. You will learn how thick you can sew w/o it, and when you DO need it. I use mine a lot!

I use mine a lot too, I even got a 1/4 inch one for my Janome and now pretty much use it for all my piecing, it especially help going over bulky seams as it doesn't veer off.
They are big and clucky and noisier than a regular foot but I got used to that. :)

I stalled for years in getting a walking foot...now I wouldn't be without one! In addition to using for quilting and binding, they can be used to help ease in when one piece is longer than another (longer piece on bottom), they are great when sewing thick things, like padded purse straps, heavy tote bags, etc.

I , also, am thinking about a walking foot. I want something that I can use for sewing the layers together and also for free motion sewing. Does a walking foot do both? If not, what kind of foot should I get? My machine is a Viking 6030 (ancient like me) but sews like a dream. When I look for this model, I am unable to find the machine number--even on the Viking website. Suggestions would be most helpful.

I didn't get the 1/4" walking foot, but I do use it almost all the time for piecing and binding. I never use it for free motion though.

The Walking Foot is not for FMQ.....as the feed dogs must be engaged to make it work.
I also recommend that when you buy one that you get the brand specific for your machine. I know many have used the generic feet successfully, but it has been my experience and reading posts that the generic feet don't always work successfully. The extra money you will pay for the brand specific foot is worth it in possivle less frustration

I couldn't find the # of your machine either and Vikings search button isn't working. Do you have a store around you that you could call. Most machines go by a 1 diget # when you are looking at parts. Like I have two machines and one is a 1 and the other is in group 7. On the outside of the package it'll show a numbers each one in a circle and if your # is there it fits. You might have to get one special ordered but the only way to find out is to either email Viking, at the bottom of Vikings website there are email links for hardware and software. I do recommend not getting a generic for any machine; most find out they end up replacing them constantly and end up spending more but a walking foot is great. No it's not for free motion quilting in general. Unless you can use the new interchangeable walking foot that Viking came out with most walking feet are made to go straight and not in different directions. If you want to see what the different feet look like go to Vikings website and click on accessories and then you can look at their book and it shows all of the accessories and you'll see the difference of a walking foot and a FMQ foot. The walking foot does make a difference when quilting or even sewing any seams especially long ones like hemming, etc.

I highly recommend getting a walking foot. They are good for sewing several layers together, sewing thick seams, and for fabrics that are slippery and hard to feed through your machine. I wouldn't be without mine.

A bit of Walking Foot Trivia........The Walking Foot was not invented for quilting. The technique has been around for a long time. It was originally developed to be able to sew plaids, stripes, velvet and other difficult fabrics in garment making. The system enables both layers of fabric to move at an equal way under the pressure foot of the machine since the feed dogs tend to pull the bottom lay away from you and the regular pressure foot to push the fabric toward you thus getting the layers uneven. That is why it is so useful to quiltmakers as multiple layers of the quilt being sewed (quilted).

Holice gave a very good description of the walking foot. Mine is built in my older Pfaff, it snaps up if you don't need it and snaps down if you do, and I use it all the time. I used it when I did general sewing and making purses and thick layers. My Brother has the attachment walking foot and it just does not do as good a job as the Pfaff.

I too suggest you buy a walking foot that is FOR your model of sewing machine. It is alittle clunky, but you'll quickly learn to like it when sewing on bindings. I just wished Bernina had designed one built in for their machines before I bought my 730E.....I've learned to deal with clunky..lol

Thanks for the info. I wil try your suggestions!!

I was a little apprehensive to get one for $30 for my new machine last December, especially seeing how much money I just spent on the machine. The saleswoman couldn't have been nicer though. She suggested I get one (I machine sew on one side of the bindings and hand sew the other). She even stated that if I didn't like it, then I could return it. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it and couldn't imagine how or why I didn't use one before. Good luck with your decision!

I use my walking foot for quilting, whether it is straight line stitching or SID. I've never used it for putting on my binding though. . . interesting! I made an IPad cover this weekend and because it was 4 layers of cotton fabric and 4 layers of fusible batting, I used it. The cover came together beautifully!

All of my newer machines has come with a walking foot. I bought generic ones for the two older machines. I use mine to baste around quilt sandwich and when sewing on the binding. I really need it for that. I don't do much straight line quilting but, it would be used for that with the best results. I think they are a must have.

Mine is built in on my machine and I use it for everything

I use it to sew the quilt layers together, to stitch in the ditch, and to bind the quilt. Prefer not to sew without it. Takes a lot of the work out of quilting.

I would definitely purchase one specifically designed for your machine - the manufacturer of your machine or your local sewing machine repair shop should be able to help. My walking foot was pricey, but I can tell you it's worth twice that for all of the headaches it has saved me if I had tried to use my regular/standard foot. The walking foot moves the quilt sandwich through evenly and helps prevent puckering of the fabric. Once, I started to sew quilting lines and forgot to switch to my walking foot and the stitching turned out to be a hot mess...but nothing a seam ripper couldn't handle. LOL

I bought a generic walking foot for my Janome from Nancy's Notions. My trouble began the first time I used it. I was just doing straight line quilting on a throw size quilt and I was about 1/4 way into it and the darn thing completely fell apart!!! I got my money back from Nancy's Notions and ordered the Janome one from http://kenssewingcenter.com/ Priced right and ALWAYS free shipping! I got it within 3 days of ordering. I've ordered several things from them since. Their customer service is out of this world!

I bought my walking foot when I was having a difficult time trying to sew velvet. The walking foot made sewing velvet a breeze, I also use it when I am matching plaids and stripes. Now that I am quilting, I wouldn't want to be without it, I love it for stitching in the ditch and for sewing on binding. I have a Bernina and I thought the walking foot was very expensive; but now I think it was worth every cent.

It's true that you don't free-motion quilt those little bumpy circles that are so popular right now with your walking foot, but you can (with my Janome, anyway) do a lot of outlining and even make patterns when quilting. I do a lot of corners and circles with my walking foot.

An open faced "darning" foot is what you want for total small movement freedom. And, if you find that you are having a problem with the free motion quilting, put your feed dogs back UP. I saw this suggestion, probably here on QB some years back, and it works for me and my machine. Having them up gives me more control when free motion quilting with small foot.

I have a Viking D-1 and recently purchased a walking foot for it. It was pricy but there are 3 feet that attach to it. I have really had success with it. In fact I used it just last night to quilt a lap quilt.
I do suggest finding a Viking dealer for the information.
My other machine is a Pfaff that has a walking foot built in which is nice.

I found a walking foot for your 6030. http://www.mysewingmachineparts.com/...eatured&page=2
I have a Viking also and I mistakenly tried a generic foot that was supposed to work. I had nothing but trouble with it. When I bought the Viking version I couldn't believe how much better it worked.
Good Luck!
Colleen

Wow! Thank you so much for ALL THAT GREAT INFO. I learned a lot and have a lot more to learn about my machine. Funny thing is, I've been sewing for 23 years and only ever changed the foot to a zipper foot. Just the other day I was looking at the various presser foots I have and wonder just what they were for. Thinking I needed to do a google search on each one. Now I feel so naive. My machine is a Brother XR-37. Its old maybe 15 -20 years old but works just fine. I would love to get a newer machine but cant find any reason to replace that which is not broken and serves its purpose just fine.
Thank yall so much for your help! I'll be back for help soon.=)