Do you have several different feet? Maybe you use just one and that’s it. No, I’m not talking about the feet you walk on but the feet you sew with. Do you want to learn more about different sewing machine feet? Well stay tuned, I’ll walk you through them. Did you like that pun?
I’m going to go over five basic sewing feet. Most of these feet will come with your sewing machine or are readily available.
Zigzag or All-Purpose Foot:
The zigzag foot, also called an all-purpose foot is a versatile foot that can do just about anything. This foot can be used with all different types of fabrics and stitches. It works beautifully with the straight stitch, zigzag, and can also tackle some of the decorative stitches. This is probably one of the most important feet to have. On my zigzag foot, there is a spring you can push, that can help when you go over a thick seam to help level and stabilize the foot making your seam nice and even.
Overcast Foot:
The overcast, which can be called an over-edge or overlocker foot, is a great addition. This foot gives you a similar look to that of an overlock seam. With special stitches and the guiding of the foot, you can “lock” the edges and achieve a strong seam.
Zipper Foot:
A zipper foot is a must when you are adding a regular or invisible zipper. When adding a zipper you have to sew close to the teeth of the zipper. This closeness can only be achieved with a zipper foot. Trying to wrangle any other foot to work with a zipper, is a nightmare waiting to happen. Trust me it will not be pretty.
Blind Hem Stitch:
The blind hem stitch is used when hemming pants or curtains. The blind stitch foot has a blade down the middle that helps guide the fabric.
Buttonhole Foot:
On machines that have an automatic buttonhole, you can use a buttonhole foot. This crazy contraption is used to add a button hole to your garments. It can be adjusted based on the size of your button and helps guide the fabric to create the perfect sized hole big or small.
Bonus Feet!
These are the bonus feet I use and love or would highly recommend for any seamstress to have to help make sewing easier. Who doesn’t love things to be easier?
Walking Foot:
The walking foot is an amazing foot! They can be pricey but they are well worth the investment for the quality they bring to many sewing projects. The foot attaches to your shank and adds a feed dog system to the top of the fabric. It can be used to machine quilt. It can also help with knit projects to help reduce the amount of stretching. When both the top and bottom layer are fed at the same rate, the fabric just glides through the foot.
Rolled Hem Foot:
Rolled hem feet can be tricky to learn at first, but when you master how to place the fabric they are magical. They come in various sizes and they help make a rolled hem for you. So no more ironing and pinning. Magic to my ears! I think they work best on woven fabric.
Quarter Inch Foot:
There are two variations to the quarter inch foot. One is a basic foot. This foot is a quarter inch wide, hence the name, and helps you create a quarter inch seam allowance. The other is a bit fancier. It has a guide that the fabric follows. The fancy one is used often for quilting and piecing fabric together. It can give you very precise seam allowances.
Invisible Zipper Foot:
The invisible zipper foot is an additional zipper foot but great if you find yourself inserting a lot of invisible zippers. The foot has grooves on the bottom that help guide the zippers coils so they don’t slip. The foot will help the zipper come out invisible.
Free Motion Quilting Foot:
The free motion quilting foot, also called a darning foot, or simply a quilting foot is used for just that, quilting and darning. When the feed dogs are lowered most sewing machines can be turned in a free motion quilting machine. This foot can also be used to darn holes in jeans or other fabrics. There is some personal preference to which style you use, open or closed toe. They all do the same things with little variation.
Now that you have a better understanding of the different feet, hopefully, you have been inspired to try the feet you have or experiment with some new ones. Here is a great post if you need help learning how to use your new found knowledge about the feet and use your sewing machine. Knowing the different sewing machine feet will help you when trying new sewing stitches and techniques.
I have also included a handy dandy printable you can keep by the sewing machine to use when maybe you can’t quite remember which foot is which.