Rodney

Don't forget your local sewing and quilting stores too. I bought a low shank hopping foot locally and was pleasantly surprised by the price. No shipping charges either.
Rodney

ArchaicArcane

This is a good point. They can also be a good source of vintage parts sometimes.

Whew! I thought maybe I was just weird.

SunlitenSmiles

the free motion feet that I have are the one on the right and the one on the left in Tammi/ArchaicArcane's photo.
The plastic/lucite or whatever, disappears from my sight when using these feet my total view is where the needle will enter the fabric next, fortunately my 301A does not mind 'going slow' . For straight lines and ITD the regular foot works fine for me but my DD likes to use the zipper foot ( the one where you can switch sides ) so bottom line is everyone needs to find what works best for them and has least shoulder strain, IMHO.

The visibility afforded by the slant needle is an awesome plus, I am whispering so my BERNINA does not hear, she is such a Diva.

ppquilter

Love my 301's and need to get some other feet for them! Have fun!

little_mama_D

I've been using my beloved 301, which I've had for about 5 years, for piecing and general sewing only. I guess it never even occurred to me to try FMQ on it because I've tried straight line quilting, but I have trouble regulating pedal speed and quilt movement to get even stitches. Maybe I should give it another try!

Cari-in-Oly

This issue is another reason I love using a knee lever instead of a foot controller. It's much easier to hold my leg still at a steady speed for any length of time than it is my foot. I have a cabinet for my Singers equipped with a knee lever and one for my Brothers or other Japanese machines.

Cari

mike'sgirl

I use that one too. I have my 301a on my original little gracie frame. It does great.

sewbeadit

I just love this thread. I have never tried fmq on my 301 that I can remember, but I did see a comment somewhere this past week that you couldn't use a 301 for fmq, because of the slant needle. So find this and that comment interesting, they are missing out apparently!

Also I just think it depends on what you get used to as to which foot on which machine you want to use. Sometimes it takes a few feet on a certain machine to feel right the way you want it to go. My new Janome free motions with the feed dogs up and a hopping foot and does a great job of it no problems and no friction problems with the quilt and the bed.

ArchaicArcane

You can free motion on a machine with a slant needle. I've done it on a 431G and a 411G. That said, the slant with the vertical bobbin (the 301) is WAY less temperamental and in fact a pleasure to FMQ on. The thing about a lot of stuff in quilting and sewing is that a lot of opinion is taken as fact. Just because one or a few people couldn't do something doesn't mean no one will be able to. We all have different strengths and weaknesses.

Irishrose2

I have the foot that CD featured and have quilted every quilt I've made except one on it. By choice, I wouldn't FMQ on any other machine. I had to use a vintage Necchi with a vertical bobbin when my first 301 was in for a repair. I bought another 301 so I am prepared now. The Necchi did okay, but I prefer AnnieRose (the 301).