All About Sewing Feet

Feet for sewing machines - not just an accessory, and a mandatory structural element that holds and advances the material strictly within predetermined boundaries. Their description and purpose, types and application often raise many questions. Therefore, those who seriously decided to do sewing should know everything about the legs for sewing machines.

Novice seamstresses usually need minimum set to create a straight stitch or zigzag seam. More experienced craftswomen may need a walking and undercut foot for a typewriter, overcasting or with triple advancement. In any case, the wider the range of operations performed by the equipment, the more diverse will be the need to purchase additional components for it.

Feet for sewing machines are clamping elements with a removable structure, necessary for fixing the material in one or more layers on the surface of the bed. Their application allows you to perform various operations: to make edging, to sew an oblique edging and buttons, to sew in a zipper, to hem the edges. Feet for decorative work facilitate decorating the material with beads, cords, braid, allow embroidery, appliqués. There are special clamping elements for leather, and fur, jeans, quilting and patchwork.

Depending on the purpose, the legs are made of metal, plastic, Teflon, and have soft rubber pads. In the design of the sewing machine, they are fixed on a special rod - the pad holder, which moves up and down, are fixed with a screw or a special quick-release clamp.

Depending on the operations performed by the sewing machine, there are highly specialized and widespread options. For example, a single-track (or one-sided) foot is used when adjusting the zipper, and in combination with triple advancement, it is used when sewing in edging or keder. But these operations are needed mainly when creating bags, wallets, accessories, where it is necessary to form a rigid frame that can hold the shape of the product. In other cases, the presser foot is needed for sewing in a straight line, for sewing on gum.

There are such varieties.

This is a universal option, made of metal. The foot is used when sewing in a straight or jagged line, while maintaining the specified pitch.

It is also called the upper conveyor, sometimes included in the machine in addition to the main foot. The main objective of this accessory is to prevent the displacement of layers of fabric when sewing leather, suede, drape and other thick materials.

A special foot in which the prepared oblique tie or material for its creation is refueled. Passing through the device, the fabric is edged along the edge of the strip with a hem. During attachment, the tie does not move, lies flat, simultaneously on both sides. The seamstress can only stretch the fabric under the foot.

There are options for surface and secret stitching, left and right one-sided. Which one to choose, each master decides independently. As a rule, a zipper foot is standard on the machine.

Used for fast and accurate sewing on buttons with parallel holes. For work, a zigzag stitch of the desired width is used. If there is a darning plate, it is laid down.

The foot for bending the bottom has a different width of the working element. Double folding of the fabric is performed automatically.

Special paws for stretch, strongly stretching fabrics do not allow threads of material to pass into the hole of the needle plate, preserving the order of stitches. The sole of such a conveyor is equipped with additional rubber pad to prevent sagging fabrics.

Paws of this type are used in the formation of decorative tucks arranged in parallel, as well as for sewing cords. There are special teeth on the conveyor that exclude line displacement.

Used in needlework - from embroidery and applique to patchwork. Creates seams with different spacing between threads and pitch.

With such a conveyor, you do not have to manually pick up the product. Adjusting the assembly frequency is done by changing the stitch width and tension of the upper thread.

Such a foot allows you to create a neat seam along the edge of thin and delicate fabrics, while bending them inward.

This type of foot can be equipped with special guides. Provides for the possibility of uniform formation of two adjacent seams.

It is used when working with leather and suede. Prevents creasing and deformation of the material. The seams are smooth, without puffs or omissions.

Such paws are available in the design for decorative work, and standard sewing. They provide the creation of stitches without tightening even on elastic material, they allow you to maintain a specified indent from the edge when sewing in a straight line. Most often, paws with a limiter are used in the industrial production of textile products, when stitching sections, creating secret stitches or undoing. Such accessories are divided into models:

• designed for cars with triple advancement;
• with movable (shifting) limiter;
• finishing (right and left);
• for technology with double promotion;
• for patchwork;
• overlock;
• for secret sewing.

Can replace teflon when working with skin. In this case, the advancement of the material will occur due to the force of the torque. It is often used for sewing raincoats, jackets, coats.

As part of such a foot there is a cutting element that trim the edge before subsequent sewing. When sewing, you need to follow so that the edge of the fabric fits snugly against the guide.

The modern market offers a huge amount of goods for sewing. Which manufacturers can be trusted with sewing machine foots? Among the industry leaders, there are some companies.

• Janome. The Japanese company, one of the leaders in the global market, has existed since 1921, it has its modern name since 1954. It has its own factories in Thailand, Taiwan and Japan. The company also owns the American division and the Swiss brand Elna. The company offers a very wide range of legs, is a pioneer in the production of machines for quilting fabrics, embroidery and other operations related to the implementation of decorative seams and stitches.

• AstraLux. The company from Singapore, one of the youngest in the world, production is conducted in Taiwan, based on Zeng Hsing Industrial Co. From 2003 to 2013, AstraLux managed to make a tremendous breakthrough and from an obvious outsider turned into practically the industry leader, confidently entering the top three of the world's top brands. The company has a Russian representative office, which allows guaranteeing access to all necessary components, among the first.

• Brother. A Japanese corporation with its own factories in the USA, Asian countries, and the EU. It has been operating since 1908, since 1947 it has been represented on the international market. Today it produces not only sewing machines, but also a wide range of other electronic equipment. The model range of the paws is quite diverse, in Russia you can buy both original components and universal ones compatible with equipment from other manufacturers.

• Merrylock G. The company specializes in the manufacture of sewing equipment and its accessories. Based in Taiwan, it is considered one of the main suppliers of innovation to the global market. On sale you can find Merrylock G legs for carrying out the most complex technological operations, working with leather and fabrics, overlock and for sewing machines.

• Profi Set. A brand from the budget segment of the market, specializing in the production of paws in sets. Belongs to the Taiwanese company Donwei. The brand gained the main fame among lovers of patchwork and quilting.

Separately, it is worth considering manufacturers "Podolsk" and "The Seagull", which manufacture components primarily for their machines, they cannot be adapted for use in equipment from other manufacturers.

When choosing paws for sewing machines, it is worth remembering the main thing: accessories for household models and professional equipment have significant differences. You should not choose the first set or individual components without specifying this moment. In addition, the paws should be compatible with the equipment of a particular manufacturer. Many brands prefer to produce components for their machines themselves and do not recommend the use of non-standard parts.

If you want to get sewing equipment with a wide range of default options, you should immediately pay attention to the equipment. The wider it is, the less accessories you will have to buy. Teflon and plastic conveyors most often have highly specialized applications. They should not be purchased for everyday sewing. It should be noted that accessories for working with decor most often have to be bought separately, finding a device for working with beads or embroidery as standard is quite difficult.

Many questions arise regarding the use of presser feet for sewing machines. What recommendations should be followed? Especially important points should be noted.

1. When working with a slanting inlay, you can avoid manually sweeping a strip of fabric. It is enough to take a foot with the “snail” device and to fill this material into it. All other operations will be performed automatically. In order for the seam to be even and beautiful, the width of the inlay must correspond to the indicators indicated in the instructions for the foot, otherwise the matter will simply harden inside. There are holes for a developed and finished edging - they do not match, you need to first figure out what and where to refuel.
2. Button sewing feet are for flat products only. This is worth considering. Sewing with their help a button on the leg will not work.
3. When stitching a secret zipper, you need to start the line from the top. To correctly fix the teeth of the fastener, it is enough to change the position of the needle.
4. It is not only the foot that will help to achieve the perfect knitted seam. The best result is its combination with special needles.
5. When sewing thick and thick fabrics, jeans are recommended to set the middle position of the needle, the stitch length close to the maximum (5 mm for household machines). In combination with a special foot, use a No. 100 needle.
6. If, when working with particularly multi-layer sections, you need the maximum lift of the foot, but it does not sew, it is worth using underlay plates to eliminate the difference in the height range. It is worth remembering that the conveyor works normally exclusively in a horizontal position.

In old mechanical and electromechanical models of sewing machines, to replace the paws, the fastening screw had to be loosened. A screwdriver was included, and the whole operation took a couple of minutes. Modern manufacturers have further simplified this process. You can remove the foot from the stem with one click on the lever on its back from the user. To install a new fixture, you just need to lower the holder into its slot until it clicks. If everything is done correctly, when the lever is lifted, the whole structure will begin to move up.

You can find out further what kind of sewing machine feet are really needed.