How to Use a Walking Foot

Usually, a walking foot (also known as an even-feed foot) looks a bit scary for a beginner. At first, I knew nothing about it. It is bulky and doesn’t look like any other foot. But to tell the truth, not everything about it is so frightening.

1. What is a walking foot?

It is a foot that is used to feed the fabric evenly. It has a set of feed dogs that move the fabric and pull it through the sewing machine. When sewing, the feed dogs of the foot and the feed dogs of the sewing machine move simultaneously, making the top and the bottom layer of the fabric also move simultaneously. The foot is best for straight stitches due to its size.

2. Where can I use it?

A walking foot can be used for the creation of:

• Straight lines
• Patchwork quilts
• Products sewn from multi-layer and dense fabric
• Belts
• Products sewn from stretch fabrics
• Products sewn from plain or knitted fabrics
• Bulky seams
• Products sewn from check, stripe fabric or any other fabric pattern type

3. How to use it?

Step 1. If you have a different presser foot installed, remove it.

Step 2. Remove the presser foot holder.

Step 3. Place the arm of the walking foot on top of the needle clamp screw.

Step 4. Attach the presser foot to the presser bar from left-to-right.

Step 5. Insert and tighten the presser foot thumb screw.

Step 6. While holding both threads, begin to sew slowly.

Use the sewing speed ​​1 or 2.

A sewing machine needs to be cleaned from time to time; and the same applies to this presser foot.

You can do amazing sewing projects with the help of the walking foot. I’m sure of that!

Author: Maryna Laas

My name is Maryna Laas. I am the muse, main author and owner of this site. As a child, I loved to sew dresses for dolls, and when I turned 16 I decided to learn sewing and design. I'm a psychologist. But my vocation through all my life has been designing clothes. I discovered a lot of secret techniques which I am eager to share with you.