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6 Sewing Feet to Make Your Quilting Neat

Summary

Today's sewing machine feet pretty much cover every sewing task, but which ones can you use to make your quilting more accurate and look more professional?

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6 Sewing Feet to Make Your Quilting Neat

Quilting is not just a hobby, it's also an art-form. As with any artistic outlet, using the right gadgets can make the difference between a doodle and a masterpiece.

It's easy to think that you need an expensive, full-on bells and whistles machine to create quality quilts that will win prizes. You don't! Any sewing machine is capable of producing highly professional, accurate quilts that will last a lifetime.

All you need, is imagination, creativity and the right feet.

6 Sewing Feet to Make Your Quilting Neat

 

The Darning Foot

Also known as the Embroidery Foot or the Free Motion Quilting Foot (FMQ), the darning foot has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a foot for darning your socks. It is the go-to foot for any avid Free Motion quilter. Lower those feed dogs and put the movement of your fabric in your own hands. Literally. You are in control. Whether its forwards, backwards, sideways or in a circle, the stitching will follow wherever you guide the fabric.

Darning Foot

 

The Standard Foot & The Applique Foot

Both of these feet do the same job, pretty much. They can both be used for straight stitch or zig-zag and are interchangeable. It doesn't really matter which one you use as the main difference is the size. The standard is the larger of the two. A little black button on the back keeps the foot flat when going over bumpy seams. Being shorter, the applique foot, can go round circles or shapes easier making it an ideal choice for stitching on appliques.

Standard Foot & The Applique Foot

 

The Binding Foot

Adding a binding to a quilt can put you in a bind. Whether you stitch the front on first or the back, there is always a chance that one side will be missed, leaving gaping holes to go back to. The binding foot can help eliminate those issues. By feeding the binding through the foot, it sews both sides down – at the same time. Saving time and frustration, this foot is a little gem!

Binding Foot

 

The Walking Foot

Sewing machines pull the fabric under the needle using feed dogs, those strange little bumpy things that live under your presser foot. Unfortunately, they only move the bottom layer. Sometimes, particularly with slippery, stretchy or bulky items, this can lead to the top layer getting left behind. Not pretty. Especially when quilting. It causes uneven seams and puckering.

The walking foot has its own feed dogs that move the top layer of fabric so both layers go under the needle at the same time. A must have tool for every quilter's sewing space, this simple little foot has revolutionized quilting!

Walking Foot

 

The 1/4 inch Foot

Although sewing machines have guides to help you keep to seam allowances, it's easy to go off course. The fabric can move a little, covering the guide. This makes it tricky to keep stitching in a straight line. The handy 1/4 inch foot eliminates those wonky seams and keeps your points sharp. The foot is ¼ inch wide. So now, with your guide on top of your fabric, straight lines are effortless.

1/4 inch foot

 

The Zipper Foot

Mainly used for the addition of zippers and piping, the zipper foot can also help with top stitching and stitching in the ditch. The ditch is the seam line between the edge of a quilt block and the borders or the binding. The zipper foot can help you position the needle right where it needs to be and to stay on course. Although there are other feet that can help with this, the zipper foot is the one I use.

zipper foot

 

The Quilter's Foot

Without a doubt, this is the most important foot of all – the quilter's foot! Although this one doesn't have to be an actual foot, it could be a push button or even a knee lift. The point is, without the imagination, creativity and skill of the quilter guiding the machine and its feet, quilts would not exist.

So with just a few simple feet, a standard sewing machine and you – you're just a stitch length away from the quilt of your dreams.

 

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Glossary

Applique
Attaching individual pieces of fabric to a background to form a design.

Same As: Appliqué


See Also: Freezer Paper Applique, Needleturn Applique, Machine Applique, Reverse Applique, Shadow Applique
Binding
Binding is used as both a noun and a verb. As a noun it is the fabric that's used to cover the raw edges of the quilt sandwich after it's quilted. This edging fabric is referred to as the Binding (noun). As a verb it is the process of putting on this fabric, and it referred to as Binding a Quilt.
Block
The basic unit of a quilt top, usually square but can be rectangular or other shapes. Blocks can be pieced, appliqued or plain.
Feed Dogs
The mechanical teeth under the area of a sewing machine which move to pull the fabric through the machine. For free motion quilting or embroidery or needle darning these feed dogs are lowered or covered.
Foot
Accessories that are available for sewing machines and are especially made for quilting.
Free Motion Quilting
Method of quilting where the feed dogs of a sewing machine are lowered or covered and the quilter controls the movement of the fabric under the needle.
In The Ditch
The process of quilting just next to the seams of a quilt, block or to the very edge of an applique area.

Same As: Stitch In The Ditch
Presser Foot
The removable sewing machine accessory surrounding the needle that holds the fabric in place.
Walking Foot
A special foot which can be attached to a sewing machine which helps to feed the top layer of a quilt fabric sandwich evenly with the feed dogs feeding the bottom fabric.
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Quilting Contessa

Quilting Contessa is a collection of various authors around the world that have submitted articles for the QuiltingHub 'How To' quilt wiki.  These are authors that do not write enough to have their own authorship, yet provide valuable content for the site.  If you wish to submit an article, contact us on QuiltingHub.

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