Janet My

Has anyone ever had a problem with their walking foot? When sewing my Woven Comfort rows together my walking foot was sticking. When I looked at what I had done it was terrible. Most of the seams didn't match up. I even pinned everyone of them. I have to rip most of it apart. I was so disgusted I packed the top up and put it away in a box.

I have a Bernina 1230 machine with a Bernina walking foot. It was my mothers machine and she only used it 2 years before she died. I can't say that I've used it a lot either until recently. I can't find the papers on the foot, (My mother kept them all) so I guess I need to go look again. There is a small screw on the side of the foot. Do I dare take it apart and see if something is in there. Does it need to be oiled? Do these things wear out this quickly??? I hope not!

Your thoughts on this would be appreciated. Thanks

Janet My

Oh, I forgot to mentioned that I tried the walking foot just sewing on a boarder strip to a panel. No seams involved and it still messed it up.

Grrrrrr....

Prism99

I have a 1230 also. The second time I used the walking foot (which was so pricey I waited a long time before finally biting the bullet and getting it!) the back of the foot caught on a safety pin I had missed while machine quilting. The foot was ruined. My dh took it apart and told me a spring inside had been damaged; he could fix it if I could get a replacement spring. Unfortunately, Bernina doesn't sell replacement springs (or so the shop told me). I finally bought another walking foot and have been *very* careful with it ever since. (I now spray baste so don't have to worry about safety pins!)

Anyway, the upshot of all this is that the problem is likely to be with the foot, not the machine.

Are you absolutely sure you have installed the walking foot properly? The little fork is surrounding the screw that holds the needle in place? If the foot is installed properly, then my guess is that the foot is damaged in some way.

lanagan

Might sound silly but are you sure your bar is hooked in. It's the simple things that sometimes are the hardest to figure out or remember.

Holice

i would contact a Bernina Dealer and ask the question.

Janet My

The foot is installed properly and I did not forget any pins. I took out my pins Just before I got to them. I've never sewed over any pins with this machine.

The closest Bernina Dealer to me now is 45 minutes away. They use to be around the corner. Guess I will have to bite the bullet and try and find this place. I've never been there.

dunster

Some people sew with a walking foot all the time, but most of us only use it when we are sewing on a quilt sandwich, and that doesn't usually involve matching seams or sewing on borders. So my question is, are you using the walking foot for piecing, rather than for quilting? If that's the case, you might try using a 1/4 inch foot (or any foot for that matter) and see if you have the same problems. If you do, then it's either the machine or your technique at fault, and not the walking foot.

I did once try sewing with the walking foot and forgot to engage the bar. What a noise! I thought my machine was coming apart.