What I learned yesterday about FMQ
 

I was FMQ along, making millions and millions of pebbles.
I have an old Viking and in the beginning of the year purchased what they call the 'darning foot' It worked just fine, it's always been there during my path of knowledge. I knew NOTHING about FMQ before it came.

Yesterday, the metal wire thing that the needle bounces off of, broke off. I was right in the middle of these millions, and thought of just giving it a try with a different foot, I think they call it the 'open toe' foot.

Result? The stitching was not worse than it had been WITH the darning foot!
It was not perfect then, and isn't now but it seems the darning foot is not a requirement for FMQ. None of the 'mistakes' had to do with the darning foot not being there

I use an open toe foot for most FMQ. I do this because I learned reading Leah Day's blog, and that is what she recommended. I used to have a plastic one for my kenmore, but now I have a metal one on my Bernina. I don't like it as much, because the skinny metal prongs will sometimes catch a long thread (oops) and I have to pick out and redo that area. However, I have accidentally folded my quilt over the closed darning foot, and sewing the quilt to the foot is a mistake that is tough to pick out- it took me forever to ensure I wouldn't tear the quilt.

Glad you found what will work for you!

I thought feet can be open or closed, whether they are darning feet. The darning foot has a spring in it which bounces along, or two springs. I think Leah Day uses one which she cut off the closed part of. But I have not heard of FMQing with a traditional foot, the kind that looks like a pair of skis, either open in the front for zigzagging or closed.
Did you just change the foot part of the darning foot so you still have it bouncing along?

No, the wire used for the bouncing is what broke off.
Everything else was as it is when I used the darning foot. Except the foot
Stitch 0
feed dogs in the down position
And on this old Viking there's a symbol on the wheel that adjusts the pressure for 'darning' I kept that there too

Apples to apples - the end result was I did not need the 'bounce.'

I was so happy to read this is what you do. For some reason, it just feels better knowing another person does this successfully

i have used the open toe (looks like a horseshoe) for years. The only requirement, in my mind, is that the foot does not press tightly on the quilt surface. You need that small space in order to move the quilt freely under the foot
I don't particularily like the foot that jumps up and down. Guess it is the way I learned to FMQ.

I have a FMQ foot for my Janome and when I took a FMQ class the instructor brought in his dremel and cut the front section out so it is now an open toed FMQ foot.

my two fmg feet for my janome sits too high off the fabric to do any good. I don't know if I am putting them on wrong or what, there is nothing in my manual for a fmg or darning foot. Years ago they used a spring type set-up and it worked really well. All you need the foot for is keeping the fabric pushed back down anyway. Some people don't even use a foot.