Well, this site has inspired me to want to give FMQ a try. I went on-line to order a presser foot for my Singer Futura CE-150 (low shank/snap on) and found too many choices! There were plastic ones with 1/4 and 1/2" markings, metal circles, metal open circles, big foot, some have the springy-thingy on top, some don't...I'm confused! What serves you the best? Have you had any problems with the plastic breaking? Thanks in advance for your help!

I have the Singer Futura CE-100 and use the embroidery foot
that came with the machine:) However, I'm not very good using it.....maybe one day with LOTS of practice:)

My machine came with the plastic foot with the "spingy thing" as you call it. It works great and i haven't had any trouble. FMQ is fun once you get the hang of it....LOL

It all comes down to preference. The one thing that I really like is an open toe. I like to clearly see where the needle goes into the fabric. I don't like the Big Foot ones or anything with the clear plastic encircling the entire stitching area. I bought an $80 free motion conversion kit for my Janome where there are three different feet to try. And you know what? I found that my favorite FM foot is the basic darning foot one that came standard with the machine :) Figures.

Check out Leah Day's site on FMQ. She even gives tips to customizing a foot if you wind up with one you don't like. Good luck!

For FMQ, you definitely need a foot with a spring. This type of foot is called a "jumping" foot. This foot needs to press down to hold the quilt sandwich in place when the needle is down and a stitch is being made, then move back up with the needle so you can move the quilt sandwich.

I like a small, round, clear, open-toe foot. Gives me the best visibility.

I have a Singer also. It came with darning/embroidery foot that I use. It has an arm that goes above the presser foot control so that it presses down when the needle goes down.

I love the open metal circle foot, with spring. I have tried the plastic ones, the closed metal circles, and others that came with machines. I was so frustrated trying to fmq (after taking fmq classes from three different teachers). At last class another student noticed my quilting foot and said here borrow mine and try. It felt like a total different experience with the open-circle metal/spring quilting foot (sometimes called darning foot). It also has the arm that hooks over the screw so the foot goes up and down nicely. It still takes lots of practise to fmq, but I am now improving since I got this type of foot.
Good luck and I hope you find a foot that works well for you and your machine.

Kat

I have a problem with the open toe one...I sometimes get caught in a stitch that I already did / did that make sense?

I have an open toe darning foot that is spring loaded for my Bernina 1530. Works great.

Everybody's right! I just signed up for a FMQ class and at the top of the paper it states that you have to have a darning or FMQ foot, it is a MUST!

My sapphire has two modes so I use two feet; a hopping foot & a gliding foot.

I use the foot with the spring. It had the clear plastic enclosed part and I couldn't see where I was going. The guy I got it from said to cut on the lines it had on it to make it an open one. Check with the repairman at your LQS and he may sell them. Mine was between $10-15 and my walking foot was only $18 from him. glenda

Thank you all for your replies! I was thinking the spring would be important and that is what I originally set out to find but then all these others popped up... I also saw similar feet to my embroidery foot but of course, I want something else that is going to cost money! LOL It's got to be the foot that at fault, not me...right??

i have a darning foot for my Janome. i have two, one is open in the front a bit. i use that one mostly. it has a spring on the shaft, most important!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APD6s...eature=related

check out this video. I ordered a new open toed darning foot from a store where they could tell me if the foot was appropriate for my specific machine...

http://www.sewingpartsonline.com/

This company had salespeople that helped me over the phone. The salespeople actually knew how to sew. They were knowledgeable and very nice.

The darning foot on my Janome is what I use for FMQ and it works fine (when I use it) but I am not a fan of FMQ.