I am going to try machine quilting for the first time ever on a Chinese Coin lap quilt. When using my walking foot, do I have to bring up the bobbin thread? Also, having read on the board here that keeping the sewing line straight when stitching in the ditch is difficult, I may want to try using decorative stitches instead. Can you use the walking foot when doing decorative stitches? TIA

Most walking feet are just for straight forward sewing only... Some allow zig zag stitches.. you would have to read up on yours .

What kind of machine do you have ?

they don't have to be perfectly straight just follow the line of your blocks and go slow

:thumbup:

I don't bring up the bobbin thread when I use my walking foot. And I don't think you can use that foot when using decorative stitches.

Hi Sharon,

I always bring up the bobbin thread (ensures it doesn't create a nice bird's nest on the back or pucker anything), and my walking foot does all the decorative stitches too.

Linda

Play around on a scrap

I do decorative stitches with my walking foot, just make sure the stitch isn't to wide for the needle area of the foot. I use the serpentine stitch a lot to quilt with :D:D:D
The exception could be, if the stitch you select has to reverse and go forward, you may want to check to see if your walking foot is ok to reverse stitch with.

Look at the space on your walking foot where the needle goes through - if it's wide enough fo zigzag stitches, you can do fancy stitches. Most WFeet have narrow spaces, and you can only do straight stitches. That's why I bought my first Pfaff - built-in even feed. I can use ALL the fancy stitches.

Hi, I'm from the old school of sewing and I ALWAYS bring up the bobbin thread. There will always be thread matter underneath if you don't. Try it for yourself on scrap fabric.

I always bring up the bobbin thread.
If you go slower than usual quilting in the ditch isn't hard.
Walking foot unsuitable, I think, for anything other than straight ot zigzag.

I was speaking with a pfaff dealer tonight. he tells me that you can mess up your IDT in a pfaff if you engage it to do decorative stitches.

The purpose of the walking foot and the IDT is to evenly feed the layers of fabric forward. Any decorative stitch that goes backward, should not be used with a walking foot or the IDT in a pfaff.

My pfaff will tell me which foot to use when I select the stitch. There are very few that use an IDT capable foot.

You risk ruining the IDT if you are using it to make decorative stitches.