Best FMQ foot for a 301?
 

I want to buy a darning/embroidery foot for my 301. There are a few options I have seen online. Does anyone care to recommend one? I don't have lots of sewing money to spend, so I want to make sure I make the best choice that I can.

Here are some options:

One from sew classic
http://shop.sew-classic.com/Singer-S...F60417-FMD.htm

Amazon, Big foot by Lynn Graves
http://www.amazon.com/Graves-Free-mo...145068&sr=8-18

Singer slant shank from Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Singer-Slant-s...145001&sr=8-14

I don't know about the others, but the Big Foot has been my FMQ foot for quite some time, and I love it. Would really prefer an all metal one (since the Big Foot was to replace a cheap FMQ off brand foot that snapped--literally!), but the Big Foot is great. Have you done FMQ before? The BF can be a little intimidating because it makes a lot of noise, but it really helps to time your movement with the quilt top.

Two of the three you have posted do not have an opening for the thread. That would drive me crazy. Here is my favorite. It's gone up since I bought mine, but the shipping is still free. When I took a FMQ class at a Janome dealer, the instructor liked my foot better than any they sold or her personal Bernina one.
http://www.april1930s.com/html/slant...y___darni.html

Thanks for asking. I am interested too to see what others recommend.

I have not! Why does it make so much noise? Is that typical of this type of foot? I ask because my house is tiny, so if I am sewing everyone can hear. I don't want to add to the noise if I can help it.

Is that the same as the one Sew Classic sells? They look very similar to my untrained eye.

It's mostly to do with the fact that it's got such a large circle, and that it's all plastic, so there's a lot of friction and clacking when it comes up and goes down. You know what, I'll record mine this afternoon for you so you can hear what I'm talking about. But I think you will find that any FMQ foot is going to be a little noisier than just regular sewing. There's no incentive to the designers of these feet to have the foot 'ease back' into the highest position while sewing; it's far easier to let it snap back with the help of the spring.

Hope that made sense!

I have the one you linked from Amazon(actually, I have two of them). And it's very noisy too. I've tried removing the first thread guide and cutter to see if it helps with the noise and it doesn't. It works fine. I DON'T like openings in the FMQ feet as they tend to catch on things. I much prefer a closed foot.

It looks the same to me and I've had a year's worth of up close and personal activity with that foot. When I was looking, I don't think sew-classic had this one. It is not quiet, but I live alone and the dogs don't mind.

I have the one from sew classic and I like it fine. I like the grid on it.