Just curious - foot with a guide?
 

After being away from my sewing room for 2 years, I spent every minute possible in in this weekend. I cleaned organized decorated and even got in some piecing and quilting. Awhile sewing I realized that I had to re-learn some things and can’t decide if I like them or not. For instance my quarter inch foot with a guide. Do I prefer it to the one without? My knee lift, do I like it or do I prefer the old school way of lifting my foot from the back of the machine.

Just curious, do you prefer a foot with a guide? Do you use your knee lift option if you have one or do you still go old school?

I do have to say it did feel heavenly to be back at the sewing machine!

I hate my foot with the guide, it sits in my bin of “ wasted money”, and I love the knee lift on my Juki and I don’t use my foot controller either, I prefer the start stop button.

Welcome back to quilting, don’t forget to share your projects with us!

I’m still on the fence about both. I’m having a hard time uploading pictures but once I figure it out I will definitely share! Thanks for your kind welcome back!

I’m in the same boat as lyric girl with the same machine...I have come to love the knee lift and use a 1/4” guide that screws into the needle plate when piecing blocks. However, I don’t like the knee lift on my Janome machines.

i have a brother combo emb./sewing it has a setting for 1/4 in. 5.5 using the j foot i can guide the fabric along the edge of the foot the machine came with a single stitch foot and a bobbin cover with a line to follow for 1/4 i don't like and don't use it i don't use the knee lift either and i also have the 1/4 foot with the guide and i don't use that either the guide dosen't set flat on the machine and the fabric wants to travel under the guide making makine me a wider seam maybe its me but i can't seem to control that,and it's for single stitch i cannot adjust the needle if i need a scant 1/4, the setting above works great for me if i need to adjust for a scant i can do that with out changeing the foot.good for you getting back into sewing after 2 yrs i bet it felt good.

welcome home! I was away for nearly 3 years, how wonderful it was to have everything at hand again.
I use my open toe applique foot for piecing.

I seldom use the foot with the guide and always use my foot pedal. Never had the right control with the knee control.

I have two Bernina machines and one Singer 401A in a cabinet. The Singer foot control slips into a bracket and becomes a knee control which I got used to lots of years ago. Therefore, I have never gotten comfortable with the knee lifter control with the other machines. I am happy to use the foot control on the floor. I have a #37 patchwork foot without a guide and I like that very much. We are creatures of habit. I'm glad you are back to sewing and quilting.

I am not a fan of the 1/4 foot with guide, or any 1/4 foot for that matter. I much prefer just moving my needle into the right position and using my standard foot. I also really prefer a knee lift - don't think I would buy a new sewing machine that did not have it.

Welcome back to quilting!

I'm strictly old fashioned. (I'm a really little old lady.) I use a foot control thing that sits on the floor and any foot is fine. Since I have a cheap Singer I don't have anything fancy.

I really miss the knee lift if i sew on another machine. And I can't live without my guide.

My Bernina came with a knee lift but I never use it. Just never got used to it and don't miss it. It's taking up dust in my room. I use a quarter inch foot and that one works great.

I would like a knee lift or just a plain old lever or button on the front of the machine for lifting the presser foot!

Welcome back!

The knee lift on my Bernina is definitely in my "can't live without it" category now. I love it. My 1/4" foot does not have a guide on it.

Guides reduce visibility to me more accurate without imho

I have a friend who has always been challenged by maintaining a consistent seam width, she loves her guided foot and her foot up/down button, and cannot live without her clip thread option.

I use a vintage machine as my standard machine (and have been using it for about 25 years now) and am pretty accurate with my piecing - I have zero machine options really, but I do have a good strong straight stitch. When I use my cheap modern Brother at classes or whatnot, I'm always taking multiple tries to do things that I don't even think about on my regular machine. Mostly it's what you are used to doing.

A friend of mine has offered me a nice modern machine she has but I have to go visit her to get it... I'm looking forward to the visit (tentatively November) whether or not she actually gives me the machine, that's not the purpose of the visit. It does have automatic threading and with my vision issues that would be lovely to have. Forget what brand my friend likes, but she likes nice things...

I loved the 1/4" foot/guide with my Janome.
I had perfect seams.

The Bernina 1/4" I have a love-hate relationship with it as I find I cannot get the perfect seams.
A hair too wide, which then means blocks do not make to the right size ..... easily.

Knee lift ... the 1st machine I got it with, I avoided it.
Hated it when I tried it, but I could see the advantages.
Plus discovered, because I had first learned to sew with a knee pedal,
I reverted to thinking it was for that purpose. Talk about messy sewing!

Finally I "forced" myself to use it consistently while working on a project.
Yup, I soon fell in love with it.
To tackle the knee pedal issues, I now run the foot pedal with my left foot.
Knee lift with my right knee.

Can't live without it and will never buy a machine now, without it!!!



As for the 1/4" foot issue ......... I wish I could get that back to being a total love!

For the Pq1500s I use and like the quarter inch foot (no guide) that came with it. This machine is straight stitch only and the needle cannot be moved left or right, but the combination of really good needleplate markings and the quarter inch foot means I can easily get a very consistent scant quarter inch seam. I do Not like using the knee lifter on this machine because I’ve never gotten good at controlling my speed with my left foot so I use my right foot on the pedal which makes it awkward to use the knee lifter.

For the PC420PRW I use my regular zigzag presser foot (the j foot) and move the needle over to the right so that I can use the edge of my presser foot to get a consistent seam allowance. I adjust it however far it needs to be to get the correct seam allowance for my project. Early on I purchased both kinds of 1/4 inch feet for it, but found that using the j foot and moving the needle to the right gave me a much more consistent seam. This machine has a speed controller so I sometimes will use the knee lifter. It comes in handy for times when I don’t want to take my hands off the work, but I have to admit that I often forget it’s there and reach for the hand lever.

My other machines don’t have knee lifters or 1/4 inch feet.

Rob

I have no knee lift option, or I probably would use it. I use the 1/4' foot that doesn't have a guide because i can see where I am actually sewing better without a guide.

Welcome back!

I'm not a big fan of the foot with a guide. I have a seam guide that I just stick on my machine bed that works really well and that is what I use on my straight stitch machines. I *love* knee lifts. Ever since I got my first Bernina, I've been hooked. One of the pleasant surprises about my Juki 2200 mini was that it had a knee lift. I use my left foot on the foot control and right for the knee lift. I've been using my left foot on the foot control so long that I do it even on machines without a knee lift. I have to say that the thread cutter on the Juki is really handy but I don't consider it something I couldn't live without.

Love it! It's my go-foot for most stitching.

I haven't mastered the knee lift and would probably just bruise my leg on it. LOL!

Maybe I'll try my knee lift after all the positive comments on it. My quarter inch foot that I mentioned above does not have a guide. I like it a lot.

I have a quarter inch foot that came with my machine (Elna 740) that I consistently use for my piecing. I also use the knee lift lever and wouldn't be without it. I use my right leg for the lifter and my left foot for the foot pedal. If I go somewhere where I can't use the knee lift, I spend a lot of time trying to use it!

I have a Pfaff and prefer my foot with the guide.

I don’t use the knee lift, although I have never given it a try. I can “tap” the pedal on my Pfaff to get the foot up/down and needle up/down.

No way could I sew with my left foot. That's probably why I hated my knee lift. I keep a plastic table set up on my left side and the knee lift just gets in the way. I decided to use my 1/4" foot with guide to sew binding on my quilts. For piecing I use either my compensating foot or 1/4" foot that came with my Babylock Jane. It actually sews a scant 1/4". Practice makes perfect and much easier than when I started using it.

Welcome back.

I love the knee lift on both the Juki and the Janome....and I use either of my feet to operate the foot pedal...just depends where the pedal has "wandered" under my desk as to which foot I use!

The knee lift was hard to get used to, but I can't sew without it now. It's great that I don't have to move my hands off the fabric to raise the presser foot. I can sew with or without the guide fence.

My (Viking) machine has a needle setting for a 'scant' 1/4". It's perfect. I did purchase a foot w/guide for it and ended up hating it. Fortunately the dealer returned and refunded that purchase! Don't have a knee lift but don't think I could get used to that feature and/or sewing 'left footed'.

I have 3 Janome Machines, but one is strictly used for quilting tops only. I use my MC6500P Janome for regular sewing, both machines came with multiple feet for different processes....not a good 1/4" attachment in the bunch. I've tried the generic with the side bar for 1/4" seams and to me they are so tiny that I find them totally inaccurate. I'd rather cut my fabric a tiny bit bigger and use a regular foot for seams to make up the difference. Or cut the regular given size and sew with the normal foot and have my project be a bit smaller. At least all my seams would be cohesive. Clear as mud right?? Foot Petal for me.

I like my foot with the guide, I have used the knee lift maybe a couple of times in the last 10 years, it's just easier for me to use my hand.

I haven't found a 1/4" yet that is accurate without some fiddling so I have come to rely on a seam guide that attaches to the bed of the machine. The one for my Juki is just about the best. My seams wander a bit because my hands shake a little, but with a guide they only wander in one direction. I couldn't live without my knee lift, and I also use my foot pedal with my left foot. Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature. The only drawback for me is that most foot pedals have a short cord because they're meant to be used on the right side.

I have one (seam guide) for my Pfaff Exp 3.0. Unfortunately, I found that the guide is wider that 1/4" ! So, back to using the line I've drawn on the extension table.

I use my knee lift with my right knee and stitch with my left. Had to learn to use the left when I was wearing a "fancy" boot on my right foot. Yes, it took some getting used to, but the advantage of using the lift, is that you do not have to remove either hand from your project. At first I tried to use the lift and stitch with my right foot but this caused a lot of unwanted stitches. -- Rather than a seam guide, I move the needle and the edge of my foot. I also have a built in walking foot which I find helpful.

I am one who totally loves both my knee lift and the quarter inch foot with the guide. Before I had the quarter inch foot, my piecing was not that good, I use that foot now for all piecing!

My Singer 301 had a foot pedal mounted on the custom built cabinet so that it was controlled by my knee and I used that for 40 years. Then I got the Bernina with a knee lift for the presser foot. I did try to use that, but have not been able to use it consistently, even though I have not used the Singer much for about 30 years.
I can certainly see how important that knee control for the presser foot is for difficult seams but I don't have the time to try something new. I'm too busy doing it the old way.

foot with a guide? I've never tried using one so can't say.

My knee lift? Love it and considered it "required" for future machine purchases. It did mean I had to buy the top of the line serger to get it. I'm not so in love with the electronic one on my Babylock as it lifts full height, so if I only need a bit I still use the hand one (hmm, wonder if I can change a setting so it won't lift it full height . . .)

With my serger and Juki straight stitch, it is mechanical so I can use my knee to lift it only as high as I need. I rarely use the hand lift.

Sew with left foot? never even thought to try it.

I love my 1/4" with a guide … my blocks are more accurate I don't know what I would do without it!

I have slight vertical strabismus (eyes aren't aligned) so I have a hard time judging 1/4". Thus, I find my 1/4" foot with guide to be a lifesaver. I really don't know what I'd do without it.

What I'd really like is a screw-in seam guide so I could use my nicer zig-zag foot, but I haven't found one for my Pfaff (7550). If anyone knows of one, please let me know.

After a mystery weekend of sewing with the guide and finding that all my 1/4" seams were off because the guide was flexible, I removed the guide and now only use painter's tape or the 1/4" foot from my Viking 6440 that never had a guide and finally have consistent 1/4" seams. The 1/4" foot is actually 1/4" without the guide. That guide is just a gimmick to get us to think we need to purchase yet another foot.