I am doing my first machine quilt. I am using a walking foot. I have done a few rows. My problem is the stitches are so small. Should I change pressure? What can I do to correct this :?: I have the stitch length on long :roll:

Hey Ruth,...Can't help you fix that, just wanted to commiserate..the same thing happens to me..I'm just about ready to throw my walking foot away :evil:

I'm sure someone here can help..at least I really hope so!! Good luck!

Is your walking foot installed correctly with the little arm up over the screw that holds the needle?

I had the same thing happen to me so I just adjusted the stich length. Seemed to solve the problem

Its installed right and have the stitch on longest setting.......help

I have pressure on 2, it can go up to 4

I tried free motion .. stitches are....to big
:roll:

You said you tried free motion...did you raise your feed dogs up again?

I put on as much pressure as possible, and pushed the machine back farther on the table, so i could keep the whole quilt on the table. I then got out a stool that is about three ft high so I could reach...........looks quite a bit better

Ruth, I wondered that too when I read this, if it is not on correctly it will not work, that arm on the side has to be over the screw. Also is it a free motion foot or a walking foot as they are very different. If it's a walking properly putting it on and feed dogs up. If free motion foot dogs down, properly putting it on and the stitch length is up to you or I should say your hands and how fast you are sewing.

As far as I know, you can't do free motion quilting with a walking foot. Here is what I have been taught:

The purpose of a walking foot is to have all 3 layers of the quilt sandwich feed thru evenly without puckers, etc. The walking foot is used with the feed dogs up as that & the foot are what controls the even feed of the 3 layers. You can quilt with the walking foot - stitch in the ditch or cross hatching would be easiest. You can also follow a template but would involve lots of stopping & turning of the quilt sandwich. You would not, however, put the feed dogs down.

An open toe foot (most often a darning foot) is used for free motion quilting. The feed dogs are down and it is the speed of the needle & the agility of the quilters hands moving the 3 layers that give nice size, even stitches. The fabric can be moved in any direction without turning the whole quilt sandwich.

There are several threads here about both free motion quilting & walking foots (feet??? LOL) that would probably help you Ruth.

I believe the stitch length can get messed up when using a walking foot if you don't allow the feed dogs (both the machine dogs and the foot dogs) to do all the work. In other words, if there is drag on the quilt sandwitch pulling it away from the needle or if you are pushing the sandwich into the needle, the stitches will become distorted.

The machine setting should be the standard 2.5-3 for stitch length and normal pressure on the presser foot (according to both Harriet Hargrave and Diane Gaudynski). According to Diane Gaudynski's book, Guide to Maching Quilting, tiny stitches are the result of drag on the quilt top so you probably fixed it by better support of the sandwich going towards the needle. Glad it's looking better!