Walking foot for Featherweight 221..Is it worth getting?
 

I saw a walkng foot on April 1930's website that is for a featherweight 221. Does anyone use one on their Featherweight machines? Is it worth buying? The price seems reasonable and I've bought bobbins from them and they were great and had great service. Would this be useful?

Grammie,

I have a thread on the penguin I started yesterday. I did NOT pay as much as April's has their's listed for. I'm having a skipping stitch issue, but the fabric feeds like butter. Much better than my also expensive bernina foot on my QE machine. I do love the penguin but I have to figure out why I'm having the stitching issue. I switched from a size 14 needle to a size 16 and that seems to have helped a lot. I think the last issue to resolve may be the way the thread feeds through the machine. I buy cones and use a stand but noticed yesterday that it may not be spooling freely, so that's what I'm tackling today. I looked for mine for 2 years. The going prices are usually 300 to 600 dollars no matter if they have the box with directions or not. I got mine for 200.

Good morning, I bought a new 1/4 foot for my Featherweight. I bought it at my LQS and it cost about $25.00.

I have the walking foot (not the penguin foot) from April's for my FW. I use it often and it works great. I tried a different walking foot on my FW and as it sewed, it somehow tightened the screw so tight we could barely get the foot off! The one from April's fits and works perfectly. The price is very reasonable - I had to pay $98 for a walking foot for my Viking!!!

thank you all for your input. I have a 1/4 in foot for my FW which I use alot. I don't know if I would quilt with it but thought the waling foot from april's would be helpful for a small project. The price seemed reasonable. It wasn't the penguin foot though. wow that is alot.

Lovelyl we just visited my daughter in Troy Ohio and I the way back stopped at a quilt shop in Blufton. It was really nice. Also had lunch at a little restaurant called Jeannies. Great lunch. Are you near there?

The Featherweight is a low shank machine, so why do you have to have a special walking foot for it? Can't you just use the generic walking foot that fits any low shank???

I am about an hour south of Troy. Glad you enjoyed your visit!

The foot has to fit the feed dogs correctly. Most machines can use the generic walking foot, but the FW needs one to fit the narrower feed dogs. The one from Aprils is only about $28.

I bought my 1/4 inch foot from sew classic for 10 doll ars or so...great price.
I would love to have a penquin but I know they cost as much as my FW did~~~

I have a regular walking foot for my FW--just a cheap one off ebay and it works fine.

I don't have a walking foot for my FWs. I have one for my 15-91, my 66, my 27 treadle, and of course for my Janomes. I just don't see using one with the FW, due to it's size. I use them to piece and use the 1/4" foot a lot. I don't plan of getting one to use with my smaller machines.

Sew-Classic.com has a walking foot that fits the narrow feed dogs on straight stitch machines (including FW). I think it is $20.

I have a couple of different types of walking feet on my website specifically for Featherweights. Run fro $22.95 down to $18.95. website www.thequiltgal.com.
I have used them all and know that they work well on any of the featherweights. Would not be without one for sewing on binding or doing quilting.

quiltgal you have a very nice web site and reasonable too! I have a walking foot/feet that looks the same as one on your page and I believe I have had it at least 12 years maybe more. I use it on my Featherweight 221 as well as the rest of my low shank machines both SS and ones with ZZ (wider feet space), yet when I did buy it I got it for the Featherweight. I just have kept it clean and oiled, was sort of afraid when oiling about getting some on the plastic.

I will say the walking foot makes a big difference when using it to piece triangles and really all piecing to keep a no stretching and helps keeps the seams to line up.

do you have the address for the sew classic site if so i would like to have thanks say my name is evelyn too

I have a friend who owns 3 Featherweights and no other machines. The oldest one was her mother's, another came from an aunt, and the newest one was hers from the start. Anyway, she makes a lot of quilts. One machine is always set up with a generic walking foot. She wore out several with plastic shanks and finally, several years ago, found a short shank walking foot with a metal shank. It is still serving her well.

I personally ran into (and purchased) 2 penguins at the same garage/estate sale. One was dysfunctional, and my friend reattached the spring inside to make it work fine for her. The other one I sold, because this all happened before I had any Featherweights myself.

The world of vintage attachments is a fun one!

I have the walking foot from April 1930s. It has served me well ever since I got it a couple years ago. I keep it on my machine all the time.

I'm ordering one today. Glad to hear the positive reviews.

I have a walking foot for my FW and use it when I quilt. Many people have said that quilting on the FW is not good because it strains the motor but I haven't had an issue. I don't quilt a huge top on it and I only work in short sessions. I quilted a baby quilt but the FW is pretty small space for a large quilt.

I also have the 1/4 inch foot and use that as well. I have a 50s FW that has the 1/4 inch marking on the throat plate so the foot isn't really an issue. My older FWs don't have the markings on the throat plate so I have to have the 1/4 inch foot or wouldn't know where I was sewing.

I got a darning foot with one of my FWs and I am able to FMQ with that one. You know, there really isn't a need for any other machine when you have a zig-zag attachment and the other feet...... I love my FWs.