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I use a walking foot on my sewing machine all the time. It is a handy accessory that makes sewing so much easier!
If you’ve never used a walking foot before, I want to show you what it is, how to use it, and why you would ever need one.
What is a Walking Foot?
All sewing machines have feed dogs under the needle plate that pull or feed your fabric as you sew. A ‘walking foot’ is an optional presser foot that adds a set of feed dogs on top of your fabric. This allows your machine to feed your fabric from the top and the bottom at the same time.
Some modern sewing machines comp equipped with a built-in dual feed foot that does the same thing as a walking foot (check out the Bernette b79). However, most of the time you have to buy it separately.
Why Would You Use a Walking Foot?
When you are working with just one or two layers of fabric, the feed dogs under your needle plate work just fine. The main reason why you would use a walking foot is to help you better manage fabric that is hard to work with, such as silk, chiffon, and minky. It is also helpful when you are sewing through multiple layers of fabric. Without a walking foot, sometimes the top layer of your fabric can slip or misalign when you sew.
FAQ: Can you zigzag with a walking foot?: Yes! A walking foot does not get in the way if you want to zigzag or sew decorative stitches. It actually helps your stitches come out better!
When Would You Use a Walking Foot?
I use a walking foot for most of the projects I sew. It is great when working with thick fabric, sticky fabric, slippery fabric, or projects with many layers.
Here are a few scenarios when you should use a walking foot:
- Sewing Knits: Knit fabric is known for its stretch, and when you put knits under a presser foot, they do just that. Without a walking foot to feed your fabric through, the top layer tends to stretch while the bottom layer glides through with the feed dogs. A walking foot helps glide both the top and bottom layers through your machine evenly. It can even prevent wavy hems.
- Sewing Slippery Fabric: Some fabrics are known to slip when sewn, such as leather, satin, vinyl, and velvet. A walking foot can help feed both sides of your fabric so you don’t have to use tons of pins that can damage your fabric.
- Machine Quilting: A walking foot can help with straight-line quilting, adding binding, or when working with thicker fabrics. You wouldn’t use it for free-motion quilting or decorative stitches, though.
- Matching Patterns, Stripes, or Plaids: A walking foot is also great for matching up plaids, stripes, and other patterned fabrics where you don’t want either of your layers to misalign even in the slightest.
- Topstitching Hems and Binding: A walking foot prevents folded layers or hems from shifting and therefore will always leave hems with a beautiful flat edge.
If you haven’t tried a walking foot yet, get one for your sewing machine. It’s a small investment that makes a huge difference in how your sewing projects turn out.
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