The pulling down is due to the large hole that accomodates 9mm stitches and the widely spaced feed dogs. If the needle isn't very sharp, that makes it worse. The problem will absolutely be solved with a SS plate. I have a Pfaff 7510 & a Babylock Quest Plus with a mechanism just like IDT, and a Pfaff Select 3.0. I use the IDT for everything I can, almost always while piecing. It doesn't let you fudge, however, so if you are trying to ease in fullness of a slightly too-big piece, disengage it.