Amazing....I just discovered a walking foot in my little baggie of assorted doodads for my DSM. Now....the question is....what does everyone use it for? I know binding is easier.....but what else? I just feel so stupid for not knowing it was in there....LOL.

I use it for adding borders, straight line or gentle curves machine quilting. If you make a raggedy edge quilt (it's a type of quilt as you go) you need a walking foot.

I'm gonna follow this to because I was going through the little box with all the different feet my mom has that my aunt gave her when she gave her her old Bernina 830 and I found a walking foot too. Never used it, think my mom might have, but after 20 minutes of trying to figure out how to get the darn guides on, I finally picked up one of the little papers with the instructions. But it doesn't tell me what I can do with it :( sorry for rambling! Sarah

It just helps make sure the top and bottom fabric is sent under your needle EQUALLY so you don't have discrepancies. I have used it for machine quilting and anything that has a thicker feel to it, like sewing little purses etc.

That's a good point - using it almost anytime there's added thickness and mostly straight lines. Purses, etc. I've got one that I can use with my Janome. But then I've got another Singer one that came with the piece of junk Singer plastic machine I bought 20 years ago. (it NEVER worked right, I deep sixed it). I saved the walking foot and have tried it on the 15. It works. But it's kinda cheesy. Still it works. I've heard of the OEM Singer walking feet (the penguins) but have never seen one for real.

I was told it was a must when sandwiching the quilt top, batting, and backing together. It was one of the first "extras" I got for my old sewing machine, and my new one has a walking foot "built in." I think it makes the bottom and top fabrics go through at the same time, reducing puckers.

Ok, I get the idea that it helps to make the fabrics go thru at the same rate. But why if this is a good thing, don't they have them built in? Wouldn't it make sense for fabrics to ALWAYS go thru the same? Why is it just a doodad in your accessories bag?

It does more than you think..just try sewing some layers together without it once and you will learn to LOVE your walking foot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYlkyUZvUqM

http://elizabethruffing.com/2010/10/...g-machine.html

There are industrials that do that - have walking feet built in. But the industrials are built to do one thing only. And cannot be changed out to do anything else. You would need a different industrial machine to sew every little part of a sewing project. One machine to hem, another to top stitch, another for the buttonholes, another machine for setting in elastic, etc.

Now our home sewing machines have to be simple enough on the pressure bar/needle bar...in order for us to do many, many different things on ONE machine. In other words, so that there's a way to reconfigure that one machine to handle zig zags, satin stitches, buttonholes, seaming, darning, piping, quilting, FMQ, embroidery, light chiffons, heavy fabrics, etc. etc. The way to make a machine so versitile is to use attachments that can be traded on and off, and different feet that can be traded on and off. If the walking foot were perminant...we'd never be able to do zig zagging, embroidery, overcasting, darning, buttonholes, blind hemming, etc., etc.

THis shows it on a newer Bernina, but it is the same on my vintage 830!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijR-P...eature=related