Originally Posted by Poodles
I hear you all speak of raising or dropping the feed dogs. Now I think I know what the feed dogs are but how do you drop or raise them? I have been looking on my machine and mine doesn't do anything except move when I turn the wheel. I told wall I didn't understand nothing. I can sew pretty good if it is not too complecated but I don't know a lot about all the things you all talk about. I guess I am just a sew forward leave needle in and turn material if need be person. I am so glad too have yall teaching each of us different things/
The best case would be if you have the sewing manual for your machine, and the fastest way to see if you have a lever or knob (usually in the bottom back of a machine) for that purpose is to look at the early pictures in the manual where they name the parts. There are some machines on which the feed dogs do not drop, but most of them do.
Sometimes they even put the page number in the manual where a particular part is further discussed.
Absenting that, there are places online where you can get a manual for your machine in most cases, but give a try here first by letting us know what kind (and model?) machine you have.
In the meantime, check around the back of your machine and if you see a lever type knob that goes back and forth, move it. Then (because you usually won't see anything happen simply by moving the lever), turn the wheel slightly - you should see the feed dogs drop ever so slightly below the plane of the foot. Reverse the action to re-engage them.
Let us know how you do.