my favorite sewing machine died today, and so i tried to put the binding on by using a 'spare' sewing machine. which does not have a built in walking foot. big mistake. i should have done a little, instead of getting it all done, and not being happy with it. i ripped the whole thing back off. aren't walking foots just the best thing ever?

i sewed binding on a quilt recently using the 1/4" foot. It worked fine. Just had to go slower and guide the quilt thru.

I can never get a walking foot to work for me. I sew my binding to the front of my quilt then hand stitch it to the back. Any hints??

my janome has a built in walking foot. that means, you just flip a preattached back foot down over and lock it into your regular foot. it guides the 3 layers of the sandwich thru real smooth.
i have never had to (at least i don't remember) having to rip out a binding, because it was puckered. yes, in the past, i did have a walking foot that i had bought separately and then attached to whichever machine i was using. but my janome spoiled me. i kept having to smooth, and easy my border to lay smooth, that should have given me a clue that the back was gathering a little. you ladies that use your l/4 foot and make it work, must be more gifted than me. i just bluff my way thru it all.

and that's what i do. it looks better like that, and if you ever 'took it to the fair', that is what they would like to see. i believe. i have never entered a quilt in a show or fair. i am not that patient of a quilter. but i do want them to look real nice.

What model Janome has the built in walking foot sewNso? I love my Janome, but would really like to have a built in walking foot...mine does not have one.

My Pfaff has one built in and yes, it is a wonderful thing to have.

Same here, love,love.love it!!!

I use the IDT on my Pfaff for everything I sew. It just seems to work so much better.

i was using my ''phaff grand quilter'. and i bought it used. it is just a straight sewing machine, no walking foot. boo hoo

i'm upstairs. i think my janome is a 6600. and i knew i was pushing my luck. it just was sounding funny. i almost took it to the shop last week, and didn't. but it has made i bet 50 queen quilts. plus numeroues baby, and twin quilts.

what's and IDT?

and what kind of pfaff's do you ladies have . i just love that pfaff grand quilter. got a frame to go with it, but really don't like using it, cause i have to turn the queens part way thru. etc. so i just quilt them 'free motion', in the ditch, straight stitch with the walking, apposing loops, stippling or whatever. know what i mean? i know when i ended up doing the last row of 12 inch blocks on this quilt, with the pfaff, i was thinking---'this thing sounds so strong, good' i just luv it.

Ditto for me also!

Better get your baby to the repairman quickly! I hope it isn't anything too major. Maybe something that a good cleaning will cure.

I love my 6600 & would expect the world to stop if anything every happened to it!

Good luck.

I did not realize that sewing machines had that feature with the walking foot, mine is an 'add on', alpha, I think, it cost me around 100.00, but so much heavier than the one that came with the machine. Which incidentally fell apart. My machine is a baby lock, I really like it. Some features on other machines have caught my eye lately. Another one, is the Janome, it has the button you push on top and do not need to use the foot pedal when free motion quilting. Now I read this, oh well, will stick with my Baby Lock, for now.

I have the Janome 6600P and it has the features you mentioned plus a boatload more - like auto thread cutter, knee lifter. I call the feature of auto sew "cruise control." It also works for just plain ole sewing too. It cost me $1999.

The new Horizon is similar with other features, but I believe they removed a few, that are on the 6600P, on the Horizon, like 2 motors so you can wind a bobbin while continuing to sew. I haven't found that to be a great big deal. It doesn't really take all that long to wind a bobbin. I don't always have 2 spools/cones of the same thread, so I need to stop and re-thread to wind a bobbin anyway.

Both machines are "mid-arm" in that they have a larger harp area (area between needle & head) and wider throat. The Horizon is a free arm, while the 6600P isn't. I haven't found that to be an issue. Right noe Janome is havng a deal where you get the Horizon & a cart on wheels to take the Horizon to workshops, etc. and a thread package.

The "walking foot" is built in. It's called "dual-feed" feature. There are 2 little arms attached behind the presser foot. When you take off the regular foot and put on one of the special feet, you raise the foot all the way up and engage the 2 arms. They function just like the walking foot upper grabbers. Some have complained that work gets caught in the 2 arms, but I find that my quilt gets caught between the post that holds the feet and the presser foot lifter handle in back. Oh, yeah, they moved that lifter from the right side to the back on the 6600P & I think it's in back on the Horizon too.

Good luck.

yes, mine is a 6600 P also. hope it hasn't died forever. yes, they cost a boat load. but like i told my husband, well, i don't buy motorcycles.

Yikes! Every time I read about a 6600 dying it scares me. I got mine Mother's Day of this year and probably don't put as many miles on it as most of you but I'm glad I kept my old machine!

I have a Pfaff 7570. After I purchased my first Pfaff in 1991, I fell in love with their built in "walking foot" or IDT. Most of the feet I use regularly can be used with the IDT system. There is nothing I have seen that compares.

That is what my Pfaff is. A friend of mine gave it to me last year. Isn't she a great friend?

That is a really great friend. My husband saw me struggle with another brand sewing machine. When we moved to an area where Pfaff's were sold he went down and bought me a 1475. I wish I had kept it (I did keep my husband and of the two, I think that was the smarter choice).

Who'd have thought there would be a day that I thought I'd need more than one sewing machine and serger would be nice?

I have a Pfaff 1222E,it has the IDT and the machine is about 35 years old; weighs a ton & wonderful for binding quilts and quilting. I like not having to have a separate walking foot.

They don't make the new ones like they did those...

got my 6600 P in the shop this morning. and wouldn't you know it, when we plugged it in, it worked. so...... i left it for a good maintaince check up, and cleaning. isn't that strange, that the electronics didn't reset when i turned it off and on a couple times, but then it did at the shop. MAYBE I NEED AN BRAND NEW 7700????? THINK?????? but i had the hubby with me. maybe...... i'll leave him home when i go pick it up????????? :lol: :lol: