Originally Posted by
katesnanna
I know my mechanic leaves the foot down with fabric under it but the needle up. I leave the fooot down but have to admit I don't put the fabric under it.
Thinking about this while reading everyone else's replies I got to thinking:- When the foot is down the tension is on, when it's up the tension is off. Just a thought to ponder.
As I read through this thread, I was wondering about this too. Leaving the foot down is not anything I was ever told to do or have ever really thought about and I've been sewing for more years than I want to admit. But I guess I do usually leave the foot down. But I ALWAYS leave the needle up after a close call I once had. The fabric in the machine caught on my clothing as I stood up and it yanked the needle and bent it. It was lucky I didn't bend something on the machine out of whack. On my electronic machine, the needle position is reset every time it powers up, so I leave the needle up so it won't put undue stress on the needle or the machine.