Adjusting Free Motion Foot
 

I have just started to get back into free motion quilting - practicing at this point. I am having a problem with my quilt sandwich dragging - it's warm and natural between 2 prices of muslin. And, when I place a supreme slider underneath its even worse. I have adjusted my pressure dial the highest it will go so the only alternative that I can come up with is to adjust the spring on the foot but I have not been able to figure how to do it and I have googled without success. Any help would be most appreciated.

What kind of sewing machine do you have? I have a Viking and when I use my hopping foot with the spring, there's a machine setting I have to choose to make the foot work right. Check your manual, you may have to do this too.
Also, make sure the foot is installed correctly. There's a thingy that should go over the screw on your needle shaft. Rotate the wheel manually and make sure the foot is going up and down with the needle.

Your pressure dial should be LOWERED not as high as it can go.

The free motion foot for Juki can be adjusted by a screw at the top of the foot,

I have a Brother PQ1500s machine. I do have the little bar over the screw. If I lower the pressure foot it makes it more difficult for the fabric to move.

Is the foot one for your specific machine or a generic one? If it isn't for Your machine it might not be right for your machine.

It is a Juki that I have used before with no problems. It was recommended at the time I bought it because Brother did not make an open toe foot at the time. I have used it in the past with no problems at all and now that I have resumed free motion quilting it is giving me this problem.

On the FMQ for my Janome 1600p when you adjust pressure of the foot with the screw on the foot itself you turn the screw opposite of the righty-tighty, lefty- Lucy rule. Screw to the left to tighten & the right for more pressure.

I keep the pressure as low as it will go for piecing and using the walking foot. I raise it slightly for fmq.

Hi KittyD
I have a babylock jane. Assuming it is similar to your brother, there is no adjustment on the fmq foot. It is the large oval foot type with a
clear plastic insert in the center. The spring motion on it is very easy to compress and release and the manual suggests an occasional drop of oil
in the spring area. Does yours operate freely? If you haven't sewn in a while, try to clean and oil all the recommended spots - there is an oil hole on the bed - near the feed dogs. Also, I would take off the feed dog plate and make sure there is no lint or thread that is jamming it into a higher position than it should be.
Can you see the dogs move up and down when you operate the feed dog control on the right? Can you feel the presser foot move when you operate the presser foot pressure knob? Does it operate normally in any mode - ie as if you were piecing? Without power, needle up, presser foot down - can you slide quilt sandwich?
Hope this is a minor problem.
Lefty - in Philly

Here is the page where Leah Day shows how to adjust a foot. Maybe that will help?
http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.c...tion-foot.html

I am wondering if there is something different you are doing now than before or if the foot has somehow become damaged.

The Pfaff I used to have had a full down setting for the presser foot as well as a part way down setting for the free-motion/darning foot. What brand do you have? Maybe yours has a special position for free-motion work. Did you check your owners manual. I know. It's the last thing I do!!! :o

On the Juki 98Q, 2000 and 2010 hopping feet, when they sit unused for a while, the oil on the spring gums-up. What we do is spray the spring area of the foot with WD-40, then work the spring until it moves freely. DO NOT push on the bottom circle of the foot, it will break off. Squeeze the spring by placing one finger below the spring, and the other fingernail above the spring in the crack. When it's moving freely, remove the WD-40 with a flannel rag and a can of air. The presser foot tension should be set at near zero, when doing free-motion.