Just wondering if others have this problem? I have 2 machines. An old Viking 6570 and a new Janome AQS. Both have nice and even stitches when piecing but everything goes haywire when I use a walking foot. Both walking feet I bought specific to the machines so they are not generics. I have attempted adjusting the upper thread tension but that doesn't help. Not sure if I want to mess with the bobbin tension...The Viking was serviced about 1 1/2 years ago and the Janome is less than a year old.

I always sew at the same speed to try and keep the stitches more even. In the past I always did SITD so the stitches were not so visible but now I am doing more freehand designs on the quilt tops so everything shows!

Anyway, if you have any suggestions or solutions I would be most appreciative.

Thanks!
Kim

What do you mean by "in the past I always did SITD so the stitches were not so visible but now I am doing more freehand designs onm the quilt tops so everything shows!"

In the beginning you talk about the walking foot. Are you doing "freehand" designs with the walking foot.

need some clarification.

If you're trying to do freehand designs (Free Motion Quilting?) you don't use a walking foot. You need a FMQ or darning/hopping foot. Sounds like FMQ is what you're trying to do.

can you show us a photo or two of the project? that will help us understand more accurately so we can help. :-)

As somone already mentioned if you are trying to quilt free motion curves, cricles and what not, you need a darning foot, the walking foot won't do it.

The walking foot can do straight lines and easy small curves...but you have to stop and turn the quilt and not move it while the needle is going to get consistent stitches. Hoep this makes sense.

If you are just doing straight lines and you are getting uneven stitches, check to make sure that you walking foot is installed properly...there is an arm that needs to fit on a screw.

Hope this helps.

Sorry for the major confusion. I am not doing any FMQ. If you SITD you can hide the stitching within the ditch of the blocks. But I am using a walking foot to stitch on the quilt top, out of the ditch, so the lines are very visible.

This is all straight line stitching, no curving, etc.

The walking feet on both of my machines are installed correctly.

If I set my stitch length for 3 I don't get consistent stitches of 3. The Viking walking foot is older so maybe it does not work as well as it once did. The Janome, being newer, is a bit better, but still has the inconsistencies.

Since this doesn't happen with a regular foot I am wondering if it could be tension issues.

make sure the pressure bar is down, and stays down. I was doing something thick with mine and the fabric was bunching up in back and pushing the bar up.

i do curves with mine and it works well. i quilt slowly and move my quilt to the right and then left as i go along.
do you have a shop you can go to and show them how your feet do?

Are you yanking your fabric through, maybe unaware of it? You shouldn't have to be pulling on it as that will distort stitches. Also, you may want to try lowering the foot pressure on your machine if you've got the capability to do so.

It may just be the weight of the quilt pulling on the needle area. I did a quilt on my embroidery machine some time ago and every once in awhile the design wouldn't match exact when the end was joining the beginning. I found out that the quilt was fighting against the machine by getting caught in the front or back.

Just make sure there is enough 'give' when feeding the quilt through and see if that helps.