Feed Dogs up or down??
 

I've always dropped the feed dogs when FMQ, but today I listened to a well known quilter and she does not drop the feed dogs. She also recommends using the Supreme Slider, so if feed dogs are up wouldn't that chew into the slider? What about feed dogs up and stitch length very low?

I leave my feed dogs up and set the stitch length at 0. I have a Janome and it will not make a good stitch at any length if the dogs are down. With the stitch set at 0 the feed dogs don't move a lot and I get a good solid stitch. I also have a slider and the feed dogs haven't done any damage that I have noticed, but then I don't use it all the time.

Thank you Sewing Senior! I have also stitched with feed dogs down and 0 stitch length. It worked fine. I was listening to Leah Day and just thought it odd she didn't mention the stitch length.

I have a Juki 2010 and I get the best results with my feed dogs up and the stitch length at 0, I don't use any kind of special surface.

I used to FMQ with a Viking Rose and found that having the feed dogs up gave me a little better control overall.

I just push a button on my Janome and it sets the machine to free motion quilting, which is 0 stitch length and feed dogs down. Works fine for me.

I have always put my feed dogs down. Now I will have to rethink this.

The reason to put the feed dogs down is to reduce wear and tear on the mechanics of the machine. You don't need the feed dogs when FMQ so why have them working.

I do recall seeing Leah Day make that recommendation. Her claim was that she thought it made a difference in thread tensions.

I've tried it and found it made no difference on my machine, and that the feed dogs up did damage the slider. I see no reason to leave them up since their purpose is to move the fabric and they have nothing to do with thread tension. They just get in the way when FMQ.

Even with the feed dogs down, I use a slider (actually, a $10 oven liner rather than the pricey Supreme Slider). I tape it down with painters' tape and it definitely helps reduce drag.

The rationale for having the feed dogs up and stitch length set to zero is that when the machine is "making a stitch" the feed dogs grip the sandwich by coming up to compress it. This is supposed to make a better stitch.
Because the stitch length is at zero, the sandwich isn't moved. I don't see that this would wear the feed dogs down or have a negative impact on the Supreme Slider (or substitute) because it's just touching it, not pulling it.
But as always, experiment and do what works for you!

Brilliant idea! Thank you!

On my Janome 6600. I follow Leah Days advice and keep feed dogs up. I don’t use a supreme slider. It’s easier to make my stitches even

I have a sit down longarm, sweet 16 and of course there are no feed dogs. I have a little more trouble keeping the stitches even.

I keep my feed dogs up and the stitch length set to zero. (last 10 years) I learned this setting option for free motion from Leah Day. I have found with my stitch length set to zero, my feed dogs do not move, so my supreme slider is not damaged. Every machine is different, so make a practice quilt sandwich and try your machine both ways...feed dogs up / feed dogs down. Both options work so it's up to you to decide which option gives you the best stitch quality.

I wonder why the option of feed dogs or no feed dogs on the machine if it wasn't for a specific purpose. It is extra expense for the manufacturer and if was unnecessary it would't be on it or it's considered an expected feature that adds to the cost of the machine.

I quilt with a Janome 7700. I tried both, feed dogs dropped and feed dogs up with 0 stitch length. For me, my stitching was demonstrably better with the feed dogs dropped. So that is what I do on that machine. But if I changed machines, I would be sure to test out both methods to see which worked better for me.

I have heard some quilters leave dogs up, but it seems like keeping them up would inhibit all the multiple directions and organic movements you want to do with FMQ.

it would seem that way but for me it doesn’t. I think the result is better on my machine. Brother PQ1500

I have a Juki 2010. I have done it both ways. Sometimes I get better results with feed dogs up and 0 stitch length and sometimes with feed dogs down and set to 0. No right or wrong way if it is working for you. The feed dogs do not move with 0 length. If they did you wouldn't get a 0 stitch length.

Back in the day, people used hoops to do embroidery work on garments, and to darn items, so they needed to be able to drop the feed dogs. I think that the cost of retooling the factories and redesigning the machine far outweighs any benefits to a manufacturer so they just leave well enough alone.

My Brother VQ3000 won't go to a stitch length of 0; the lowest it goes is 0.2. So I always drop the feed dogs for FMQ.

There's no reduction in "wear and tear" as the entire mechanism still moves the parts through the entire range, except the lift is reduced in the FD down position.

The "feed dogs up" allows for the sandwich to be compressed as the needle is on the upstroke to eliminate flagging and dropped stitches. This functions much the same way as a hopping foot one might normally use. The drop position is actually for darning.

Yes, a longarm doesn't have feed dogs but it controls the layers with a "hopping" presser foot, much the same as feed dogs up.