Walking Foot Adventures

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12-13-2010, 12:46 PM

#11

misseva

Super Member

Join Date: Jul 2010

Location: East Arkansas

Posts: 2,534

i paid $25 for my walking foot over 12 years ago and i LOVE it. i had tried quilting a small quilt without a walking foot and it was miserable. i even use walking foot when sewing just two blocks together if it's already on the machine. love it!!!

12-13-2010, 12:54 PM

#12

jfowles

Junior Member

Join Date: Jun 2010

Location: Utah

Posts: 227

Can someone provide a website as to where to get, prices and how to use a walking foot. I just use my regular foot for stitch in the ditch and it seems to do fine, however if there is something better out there I would like to try it. From what I have seen they look big and complicated. I have a Bernina Activa 135 sewing machine that I love, it seems to me that their walking feet are over $100.00 and I am just not willing to invest that much without knowing if it will help.

12-13-2010, 02:41 PM

#13

amma

Power Poster

Join Date: Jul 2007

Location: Out searching for some sunshine :-)

Posts: 58,856

Walking feet are also great for sashing and borders too. It can stop the rippling/wave effects :D:D:D

12-13-2010, 03:02 PM

#14

sewTinker

Super Member

Join Date: Sep 2010

Location: currently living outside of nashville, tn

Posts: 1,134

I use my walking foot whenever I am piecing flannel, attaching binding, straight-line quilting, and decorative stitch quilting. and, God bless the person who invented the walking foot. :-)

12-13-2010, 03:30 PM

#15

BettyGee

Super Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Oct 2010

Location: Colorado

Posts: 2,254

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndiR

Quote:

Originally Posted by BettyGee

I just need more practice with it to get to a point where I can do more than straight seams and stiitching in the ditch.

Betty, that's usually the only time I use my walking foot - straight lines or very gentle curves. For curvier patterns like meandering or spirals or leaves or whatever, it's SO slow using a walking foot as you would have to pivot every time you want to change direction. Then it would be much easier to free-motion quilt using a darning foot. (Although it does take more practice to FM quilt.)

The other great time to use a walking foot is when attaching binding - everything feeds in much nicer and no more puckered edges on your quilt!

Thank you so much for the tips. I want to try free motion, but I don't have enough confidence to try that yet. The use of the walking foot for binding is fantastic! That always gives me a fit and it makes sense that if it feeds evenly then the binding won't be puckered. Thank you, thank you.

12-13-2010, 03:34 PM

#16

BettyGee

Super Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Oct 2010

Location: Colorado

Posts: 2,254

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatquilts

Hi BettyGee, Please show us your Vintage apron. using a walking foot is certainly helpful.

Will do. Will scan the pattern and instructions and post. It is really a cute apron, very basic and my husband has me making nine of them for all the women in our family. Oh, ten if I make one for myself. I love him more than life, but he cracks me up when he makes plans like that for me.

The walking foot is a perfect tool for this project.

12-13-2010, 03:41 PM

#17

BettyGee

Super Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Oct 2010

Location: Colorado

Posts: 2,254

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfowles

www.sewingpartsonline.com has just about anything you could ever think of for sewing machines. I just ordered a new set screw for my Pfaff and ten extra bobbins, very good prices and shipping is very reasonable. Also sewingmachinesplus.com is another very good site. Both of these sites are secure. I would not pay over $50 for a walking foot and that is on the high side. A walking foot for my Pfaff was $24.99 on sewingpartsonline.com. Hope this helps.

I am very happy I bought the walking foot. It is great for quilting. I also just repaired our American flag and as it is polyester and slippery, the walking foot grabbed it top and bottom and pulled it through just great. Another member just recommended using it for putting on the binding and I can't wait to try that. I have learned more on this Board in two months than I've learned in the last ten years.

12-13-2010, 04:00 PM

#18

Momma_K

Super Member

Join Date: Nov 2010

Location: Dayton, TN. but hometown is Rockford IL.

Posts: 1,407

Quote:

Originally Posted by BettyGee

Quote:

Originally Posted by BettyGee

Quote:

Originally Posted by Momma_K

Ok, I'm not all that new to quilting but...what is the difference between a regular foot and a walking foot? I know the darning foot and button hole but not so much a Walking foot? Can anyone help??

A walking foot has feed dogs on the top of the foot so it works with the feed dogs underneath and pulls the quilt sandwich through evenly. At least that is what it is suppose to do and so far it is working for me as advertised. I tried without the walking foot and had to rip out the seams because it was puckered all over the reverse side and the sandwich shifted. I though I had spent money for something I didn't really need, but I'm glad I did as it is working as advertised. I just need more practice with it to get to a point where I can do more than straight seams and stiitching in the ditch.

Okay dummy me. The feed dogs on the walking foot are under the foot, not on top; but whereas feet are smooth and the feed dogs in the machine pull the fabric through, in a walking foot you have two sets of feed dogs pulling the fabric through. Does that make sense?

Betty, YES that makes sense! Thank you for the explanation. I sort thought it was something like that but wasn't sure. Now I have something else to put on my wish list! :thumbup:

12-13-2010, 05:09 PM

#19

gramquilter2

Super Member

Join Date: Jan 2010

Location: Somewhere North

Posts: 6,180

I use my walking foot when doing anything that has a heavier fabric and when quilting tabletoppers etc..
I think it was worth what I paid for it.

12-13-2010, 05:51 PM

#20

BettyGee

Super Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Oct 2010

Location: Colorado

Posts: 2,254

I had said I would post the pattern for the "vintage" apron that I am making; however, thanks to a fellow member who reminded me that it is a copyright protected item I can not do that. You can find the pattern and instructions in the December/January 2011 edition of Quilt magazine on page 44. Hope this helps any of you who would like to make the apron, it really is very cute. Enjoy!