Originally Posted by
Onebyone
Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I remember reading an article that said free motion quilting with the feed dogs up will damage the machine over time. I don't know why I didn't read that far because I wan't interested then. It has stayed with me not to do this. I have asked several techs about it and some say it's okay and some say no don't do it. I thought techs all learn the same thing. Ugh.
I think the misunderstanding here is noting that you have to use a hopping foot with the feed dogs up. It probably would put a lot of wear and tear on a machine if you use a regular foot with the feed dogs up and try to push and pull fabric through...with a hopping foot, the foot raises up between stitches, so it is very easy to move the fabric.