Must-have Sewing Machine Presser Feet
Discover must-have sewing machine presser feet that take away the stress from trickier sewing techniques!
The Sewing Problem: Fabrics are sticking and causing your stitching to bunch up!
The Solution: Teflon, Non-stick or Ultra Glide Foot
This presser foot is moulded from a special resin and has a non-stick coating on the underside. This allows fabrics to glide (rather than drag) more easily when sewing. It’s ideal for fabrics such as suede, vinyl, faux and real leather, plastic vinyl, and laminates. Your sewing machine manufacturer should have its own version of this foot that you can purchase.
The Sewing Problem: Need to ruffle or pleat fabric quickly!
The Solution: Gathering Foot
Create fullness with this foot and avoid having to struggle with the normal two (or three!) lines of basting stitches to create a ruffle. Place your fabric under the foot, adjust the stitch length to create the fullness of gathers you require and sew to create even neat gathers. You can also use this foot to sew gathers into one piece of fabric while attaching it to a flat piece of fabric like on a skirt. Use this foot for creating soft gathers in lightweight fabrics too.
The sewing problem: Is the fabric not feeding through easily when sewing?
The Solution: Walking, Even Feed or Dual Feed Foot
This foot looks a bit different from other presser feet but you will wonder how you managed without it! It allows you to feed more than one layer of fabric through your sewing machine evenly at the same time. Unlike a regular foot where the layers feed through at a slightly different rate. This foot is particularly useful when working with stretch fabrics such as jerseys or knits where the fabric can stretch out of shape.
The sewing problem: Creating seams that look like they’ve been finished with an overlocker
The Solution: Overedge, Overcast or Overlock Foot
If you don’t have an overlocker/serger – this foot is a great alternative and invaluable in neatening the seam edges on knit and woven fabrics so that they don’t unravel.
Your sewing machine should have one or two stitches that have been designed to sew over the edges of the fabric with this foot.
The sewing problem: Want to sew a zip into your garment that does show?
The Solution: Concealed or Invisible Zipper Foot
Sew an invisible zip that looks like the seam with this foot. This zip style often fills sewers with dread, which is such a shame as this foot is easy to use and will give you a professional zip every time. It can be used with all sorts of fabrics from fine silk jerseys to medium-weight wools and tweeds.
TIP: To find more must-have sewing machine presser feet always refer to your manual. You can also visit the website of your sewing machine manufacturer for information on presser feet suitable for your sewing machine.
Author: Julie Bonnar
IG: @thepatternpagesmagazine
