It took me some time to learn to use the knee lift on my Bernina. I kept trying to use it for sewing. I think I once had a sewing machine that had a lever on the side and you used your knee against it to make the machine sew. Once I finally got over that, I loved the knee lift. It is great for doing machine appliqué and I use the knee lift when I am stitching in the ditch. I use my right leg and right foot. That works for me.