Hi everybody! Another post coming from Coco Wawa full of tips! And this time we talk about feet. No, not the normal, regular ones you use to walk but those little metallic things we all use for sewing (and yes, those silly little things we don’t always know what they are for and just go with the flow and use them in a total random way! 🙂 ).
So that is why on this post I have gathered the ones that I find more useful. Come on, give it a read!
1. Universal or Zigzag foot. This presser foot is the one that usually comes with the sewing machine when buying it. It is used for straight and zigzag stitching and it is a good idea having a couple of them near by just in case you loose the only one you have! They can be made out of metal or plastic and there is another version that is completely transparent (called “clear open toe”), which is great for seeing better what are you stitching! 🙂 (and used a lot for applique).
2. Walking foot. OK. This one looks way too scary and weird (doesn’t it remind you a bit of these? Or am I just a super freak?). BUT! It is absolutely brilliant! I discovered it a while ago when someone recommended it for sewing with knits. I remember I was straggling trying to sew a fabric with a high percentage of spandex and this presser foot was a total saviour. It kind of grabs the fabric and “walks it” over the feed dogs making the sewing much easier. Now I regularly use it for slippery material, interlocks and knits and it is an essential part of my sewing box.
3. Zipper foots. So easy to use! The one on the right, with the little “Z” is for concealed zips and the other one for regular ones 🙂
4. Overedge foot. I loooove this presser foot! Why? Because it acts like an overlocker and helps giving a more professional finish to any garment than a regular zigzag foot. The little brush prevents the stitches from forming too tightly but giving a neat stitch on the raw edge at the same time.
5. Buttonhole foot. This one is just the best although I recon it looks a bit “how the h*** do I use this”. Well, in the plastic bit at the top you place the button you are going to use. This helps the presser foot and the machine knowing the size of the buttonhole so you don’t have to get crazy measuring (and if you have used the correct button size). Then you just need to lower a plastic bit that bumps into the foot when using it and that is what tells the machine the size of your button to create the perfect buttonhole.
6. Seam foot and blind hem foot. The first one (the one on the left) is quite the patchworker type as depending on the seam it helps keeping the same seam allowance all the time. The blind hem presser foot is another great foot! as it help you getting a perfect blind hem. The fold of the fabric fits snugly against the guide in the foot wile the groove underneath help to prevent slipping. The needle swings over the metal guide creating slack in the upper tension so that the pick of the stitch is almost invisible.
And that’s it guys! This is my take on basic sewing machine presser feet. Hope you liked it and see you here again next Saturday! (with a great surprise for crochet fans!!).
XX
Ana