I took a class years ago on free motion embroidery. As others have said, you keep your hands on the hoop and they are nowhere near the needle. In many ways it's like FMQ as you move the fabric in the hoop around and you are not guiding the fabric near the needle. It is really a neat way to embroider.

Some of our most beautiful embroidery we buy in stores is made in the Youctan by women using the old treadle sewing machines without a presser foot. I just stood and marveled at what they were doing. They lived in a little hut with no electricity. Their machines set by the door so they could get light. Then on Sat they were allowed to take them to the town square and sell for almost nothing. Then we complain because our machines won't do all the work for us. Sorry for sounding off but I was blown away just watching them.

So thankful you talked about this as I have some Mexican clothing and I really wondered how they could do all that because I realized it was not done by hand. Think I saw the "footless" method years ago but now it seems like a dream. I have a treadle sitting here that needs to be used but also an electric embroidery machine.

Idiot here, too? LOL

When I started to embroider with my machine, I didn't use a foot. I used a regular embroidery hoop (like for hand embroidery ) so it did keep my fingers out of the way, but we didn't have "embroidery " feet then and it worked just fine.

Frequently, I've sewn sans presser foot over my close to 60 years of sewing. It's no more dangerous than chopping vegetables with a chef's knife. You just do it. Love to do free motion with that way. Also much easier to hem jeans, you can sew right up to the seam, tack it, up on the lever, over the seam, down with the lever, tack it and on you go.

I've only sewn myself to the machine (literally) once. that was trying to push jeans as far as I could to the seam. Oh, but forgot to tell you, I was using the presser foot. Since the machine was a 1928 Singer (that had been motorized), I had to rock the wheel back and forth reaching across with my left hand as the right index finger was attached, under the needle. I did it without passing out and from then on, no presser foot while doing jeans.

I usually applique with just a needle, so much easier and faster. I'm not too chicken at trying anything with sewing except for the rotary cutter, WE have never bonded!

I did textiles at school (12 years ago) and for part of a wallhanging, I did what I guess would be called thread painting, using a machine with no foot and a hoop. A zig zag stitch. It worked well.

I recently tried to do it on my computerised machine but it wasn't playing ball for some reason.

Someone mentioned octagonal hoops, i've watched vids if her, they look great. I've looked into it but those octohoops are very expensive, especially to get them in the UK! :(

I thought exactly the same thing. In my minds eye, it was clear as day. LOL

Sounds like risky business to me.

Could someone post a linkto this video? i would love to watch it.