I cut out the plastic part of my foot, but somehow that threw off the tension, and I was never able to get it right. So I swapped that foot for the foot from my Janome 1600. The Janome 1600 and the Brother 1500 are identical, and the feet are interchangeable. I second the recommendation of talking to your dealer, but if you get nowhere, try the Janome foot.
You might consider joining the Yahoo group for the Brother 1500. You will find LOTS of help and info there.
