I have a brother basic sewing machine. I am sewing a small quilt for the first time. It calls for a free arm quilting foot, but I am unable to find one for my machine. Is this a generic foot that can be used for all machines?

I have a basic Brother sewing machine as well (NS30) and have never heard of a free arm quilting foot. For Free motion quilting I use what they call the quilting foot or darning foot. It has a spring in it and some people call it a hopping foot. For straight line quilting I use a walking foot, which helps feed the quilt evenly from both the top and the bottom.

Contact the Brother machine dealer in your area & give them the model # of your machine. You can also look on their website - Brother has several walking feet & Darning/quilting feet - http://www.brother-usa.com/Homesewin...ID=39&CatID=23

I think what you want is the darning foot. I have a brother as well and use the darning foot for all free motion quilting, but you also need a machine that will let you drop the feed dogs and a basic one may not do that. Here's hoping that you have everything you need!

I don't drop the feed dogs on my Brother and I find I have less tension issues that way.

Thank you for your replies! A darning foot is different than a darning plate? A darning plate came with my machine. Can I pick up a darning foot at my local sewing shop?

the foot is called different things in different locals-- it is a darning foot
sometimes called a hopping foot-
you should be able to pick up a darning foot anywhere where that type of thing is sold- Clotildes and Nancy's notions -oh and keepsake quilting all have them in their catalogs-available on line

You will install the darning plate to cover your feed dogs so you can FMQ. You still need the darning foot.

I was able to find one at a local quilt shop yesterday. Thank you for your help! Wish me luck getting it installed properly!