When do you use your walking foot? I thought it was to be used for everything that had batting inside. Now, I was told by my local sewing shop that "NO, only for the initial putting together, not for the finishing."

I am lost!!

Pat

I have never used a walking foot for piecing.. just for quilting.. straight line quilting. Barb C

When I bought ME a new Singer for MY birthday it had a walking foot. When I get something new I like to check it out to see what all it can do. That's the best thing ever, it's perfect for everything that does not require an exact 1/4 seam allowance and free motion quilting. I absolutely use mine for bindings and such as it really helps keep all those layer moving together.

A walking foot helps move the top layer of fabric at the same pace as the bottom layer. Therefore you don't get wrinkles or streaching in your sewing. If you are piecing two similar fabrics together a walking foot is generally not needed and a 1/4 inch foot goes much faster, but if your fabrics are dissimmilar or slippery than a walking foot will help them move together. Sometimes, when you are sewing long thin strips together it is recommended to use your walking foot to help them stay together and have your strips end up straighter and the same length. A walking foot is of course always recommended when quilting straight lines, as it will help move your layers, top, batting and back together.

sz

Pat, I can see why you are confused. You were given misinformation. The purpose of a walking foot, is to allow the top and bottom layers to move at the same time. It is also refered to as an even feed foot. When sewing, the feed dogs move the fabric along at whatever pace you have set for a stitch length. In garment construction, the walking foot allows plaids and other precise fabric matching to feed thru the machine evenly.

To this same end, quilters use the walking foot for all straight line quilting, such as quilt in the ditch or putting on binding. It is necessary to use the walking foot to feed or push the top layer at the same rate the feed dogs are feeding the bottom layer. Without this tool, the fabric and batting would be dragged a bit by the pressure of a stationary foot. This it not a problem in sewing two layers of cotton fabric in piecing, so I use a quarter inch foot.

For free motion quilting, there is another foot, called the darning foot also refered to as a free motion foot. It has a spring in it to allow it to hop at the same rate the needle moves. It's only purpose is to apply even pressure as the needle exits the fabric. Your hands control the movement of the quilt. Once you understand the mechanics, you will see each purpose as an aid in successful quilting. Sure hope this helps. :D

Hi Pat, I have a Pfaff 2056 with a built in dual feed (walking foot). I use my dual feed on almost everything I sew. Pfaff was the company that invented the "walking foot". On the Pfaff machines the foot works in forward, backward and sideways when using decorative stitches. It also works with any stitch length. If you have a different kind of machine you have to use a walking foot that is not built in. The limitations of these feet are that they are large and bulky and you have a hard time seeing what you are doing. They also generally work only going forwards and with a 2.5 stitch length. I wouldn't give up my Pfaff for anything!

I absolutely agree about the Pfaff. I use the dual feed all of the time. It makes my piecing so much easier. When I switch machines I'll notice that my corners aren't matching just as I'd like. Then it dawns on me that I'm using the other machine and no dual feed.

The other advantage of the Pfaff, I can put the 1/4 inch foot on and still have dual feed. Man, do I sound like an advertisment or what? I do like the Pfaff! I admit it.
:P

I, too, use the walking foot all of the time. I was having difficulty sewing two bias edges together and tried my walking foot. Worked great. And later I was just too busy (or lazy) to take the walking foot off the machine and used it for other piecing. Works wonderfully for me. Give it a try. Suzanne

I use my walking foot for piecing if it happens to be on my machine and I don't feel like changing it, but primarily I use it for straight line quilting. The walking foot for my Bernina machine has a 1/4" mark.

I use my walking foot quite often. Mostly for straightline quilting, but also on fabrics such as flannel or satin. Definately for putting binding on a quilt.