Among the collection of presser feet that might be available for your machine are some with unique configurations, designed for very specific tasks. You may need them, you may not, depending on the type of sewing you do. These specialty feet don’t usually come with your machine, but they’re ideal to put on your stocking stuffer list if you frequently do these tasks. Check with your dealer for availability or look for generic versions to fit your machine model.

Braiding/Cording Foot

Any time you’re trying to follow a line, hold braid and stitch over it at the same time, you wish for a third hand. But, a braiding foot can help. This handy foot has a tapered hole in the front of the foot to guide your addition as you sew so you don’t need to hang onto it. The underside of the foot has space for a thin cord or ribbon to easily glide underneath without jamming. This foot is ideal for couching small trims and cords, but be sure to check the hole size to be sure your trim fits the opening. Note that some brands may call this a cording foot.

Embroidery Foot

Decorative stitches on your machine are often called embroidery stitches—you might have scallops, ducks, arrows or any number of stitch patterning. As you sew those stitches you need good visibility and you need space under the presser foot for thread build-up, especially if the machine is going both forward and backward to create a dense stitch pattern. The extra bulk can stall stitching if your presser foot doesn’t have room under it for the thread build-up to glide easily over the stitches. Embroidery feet (often called satin stitch feet, decorative stitch feet or reverse pattern foot, depending on the brand) have a recessed area under the base of the foot to allow for the thread accumulation with bold stitching patterns. The foot opening is wide enough to accommodate your widest stitch width. Many embroidery feet are clear plastic for better visibility, and some have an open-toe area for the same reason. Some brands also have horizontal or vertical marking to help line up intricate stitching patterns.

Gathering Foot

Yes, you can stitch multiple rows of long stitches and tediously pull threads to make gathers, but having a gathering foot can make the task much easier and it will gather fabric for you as you stitch, or secondarily, it will gather one piece of fabric while attaching it to a flat piece—think adding a ruffle to a band in one step. The multi-layered foot is broad and flat, with a slot between the two base layers. If you simply want to gather, feed the fabric under the foot, adjusting the amount of gathering by changing the stitch length. You can also adjust the tension to change the look of the gathers. If you want to sew a gathered layer to a flat layer, thread the fabric to be gathered under the presser foot, and the non-gathered layer into the slot. As you stitch, the lower layer will be gathered and sewn to the upper layer in one step.

Pintuck Foot

Teeny tucks, often in groups, are called pintucks and they require a specialty foot and a twin needle for creation. The secret to this embellishment lies in the fact that a single bobbin thread spans both needles, making a tiny narrow raised ridge. To make the tucks more prominent, you can add a small cord between the bobbin thread and the fabric. Pintuck feet come with varying numbers of tucking channels underneath, depending on the brand and the desired usage—usually three to nine tuck channels, so you can stitch multiple tucks evenly spaced. Use the channels to align with a previous pintuck to control spacing. Pintuck feet can be metal or clear plastic, depending on the brand.

All photos compliments of Bernina

~Linda Griepentrog is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and three dogs, Yohnuh, Abby, and Lizzie. Contact her at gwizdesigns@aol.com.

Sewing Multiple Layers

Q: When sewing garments with multiple layers or fabrics of different weights, how can I keep seams from shifting and maintain accurate alignment throughout construction?

A: One of the most overlooked aspects of advanced garment sewing is controlling fabric rather than simply stitching it together. When combining fabrics with different characteristics—such as a wool coating with a silk lining, or a stable woven with a slippery rayon—each layer wants to feed through the machine at a different rate. Before sewing, stabilize areas that are prone to distortion with staystitching, lightweight fusible interfacing, or temporary wash-away tape. Hand-basting critical seams, particularly princess seams, collars, lapels, and sleeve caps, often produces a more accurate result than relying solely on pins or clips.

Machine settings also play an important role. Adjusting presser foot pressure can dramatically improve feeding, especially on delicate or lofty fabrics. A walking foot or dual-feed system helps keep layers moving evenly, while fine-tuning stitch length can prevent puckering. Press each seam as it is sewn—not just at the end of the project—and allow the fabric to cool on a tailor’s ham, seam roll, or clapper to permanently set the shape. These couture-inspired techniques require more time, but they result in garments with cleaner lines, better drape, and a noticeably more professional finish.

Squaring Up Quilt Blocks

Q: Why do experienced quilters sometimes recommend “squaring up” blocks after every construction step instead of waiting until the quilt top is complete?

A: Accurate quilting is cumulative. Even tiny discrepancies—an oversized seam allowance, slight stretching while pressing, or a block that’s only 1/16 inch too large—can multiply dramatically across dozens or hundreds of blocks. Squaring up individual units, subassemblies, and completed blocks keeps these small errors from compounding, making final assembly smoother and reducing the need to ease pieces together later.

That said, squaring up should be done thoughtfully rather than automatically trimming every block to fit. If multiple blocks are consistently undersized or oversized, it’s better to identify the source of the problem, such as seam allowance accuracy, cutting precision, or pressing technique. Many advanced quilters use specialty rulers designed for specific block units, allowing them to align seam intersections before trimming. This approach preserves points, improves overall accuracy, and results in flatter quilt tops that are easier to baste and quilt with fewer distortions.

Sewing Machine Light Bulbs

Q: What color temperature is best for my sewing machine light, and does it really make a difference?

A: Yes—it can make a significant difference, especially when you’re working on detailed sewing tasks or matching fabric colors. For most sewing applications, a cool white LED bulb with a color temperature between 5000K and 6500K provides the closest approximation to natural daylight. This brighter, whiter light makes it easier to distinguish between similar thread colors, see stitch definition, and spot subtle flaws such as skipped stitches, uneven seam allowances, or fabric puckering. Many sewists also find that daylight-balanced lighting reduces eye fatigue during long sewing sessions because the work area appears sharper and more evenly illuminated.

While warm white bulbs (approximately 2700K to 3500K) create a comfortable, inviting atmosphere in a sewing room, they’re generally better suited for ambient lighting than task lighting. Their yellowish cast can alter the appearance of fabric colors, making navy and black, or similar shades of gray and brown, more difficult to differentiate. If your machine accepts a replaceable LED bulb, choose one designed specifically for sewing machines and verify that it matches the manufacturer’s recommended size and voltage. For the best overall lighting, combine a daylight-balanced machine light with adjustable room or task lighting to minimize shadows and illuminate your project from multiple angles.

No matter what brand of machine you own, you probably have multiple presser feet that came with it. We have a tendency to use maybe one or two different feet, but let’s take a look at some feet other than the “basics”. Depending on your model these may come with your machine, or need to be purchased as separate accessories, so check with your dealer, or look for a generic equivalent.

Blindhem Foot

Sewing the perfect blindhem takes practice, as you want the “bite” of the stitch to catch as little as possible, but still have holding power for the weight of the hem. While you can create this hem with a standard zigzag foot, a blindhem foot offers a vertical guide for the folded fabric edge to help keep stitches where they belong. In addition to using this foot for hemming, you can use it anytime you need to keep an even edge in place. Some brands offer an adjustable position guide, while others offer a fixed location.

See our article on blind hemming for more information.

Button Foot

It’s easy to sew a button on by machine but holding it in place for the process can be a challenge. Enter the button sewing foot…short little toes to hold even the squirmiest button in place and a little protrusion to allow for creating a thread shank while sewing. The short toes also allow for better visibility for correct positioning. Just lower the feed dogs (or set the stitch length to zero), position your button on the project and lower the foot. (Double check your machine manual for any specifics.) Set the stitch width to span the button’s holes and stitch away. Then slide the button out and voila!

Darning or Free-motion Foot

When you’ve lowered the feed dogs, it’s up to you to move the fabric where you want it to go, so you can’t have a presser foot sitting down on the fabric. The darning or free-motion foot “hovers” above the fabric surface allowing you to move it around freely for darning, writing or free-motion embroidery work. The circular opening in the foot is roomy enough for a zigzag or straight stitch, depending on your project, but the open-loop foot base prevents the fabric from riding up on the needle.

Non-stick Foot

If you’re sewing vinyl, oil cloth, laminates or leather, a regular presser foot can sometimes stick to the surface causing drag and uneven stitches. But a non-stick foot is made from a special material that simply glides over the pesky surface so the fabric feeds evenly. Non-stick feet are available for straight stitching, zigzagging and for zipper insertion, depending on your machine brand.

Open-toe Foot

There are times when you just need to have a clear vision for what you’re sewing and you don’t want the presser foot toes obscuring your view. An open-toe foot to the rescue! Showcasing a wide-open space in front, it’s easy to see an appliqué edge or follow a line on your fabric. Use this foot anytime to need a better sight line for the task at hand.

Quarter-inch Foot

Keeping a seamline at an even ¼” isn’t always easy, but this specialty foot comes with a built-in seam guide to abut the fabric edge and keep things even. Revered by patchwork aficionados, this foot makes it almost a sure deal for even seaming with a straight stitch.

Rolled-hem Foot

If you’ve ever tried turning a narrow, rolled hem and stitching it flat, you know it can be a challenge, especially on squirmy and lightweight fabrics. Rolled-hem feet come in varying widths and offer a scroll up front to pre-roll the fabric hem before it actually reaches the needle. Just curl the fabric edge into the scroll and stitch away for a perfect rolled hem. Note that some feet allow for using a zigzag stitch, while others accommodate only a straight stitch.

Zipper Foot

Zipper insertion requires multiple stitching locations next to sometimes bulky zipper teeth to create even placket stitching. An all-purpose presser foot doesn’t ride over teeth well, but the zipper foot allows for positioning the foot on the side opposite the teeth. Some zipper feet have adjustable bases allowing them to actually move side-to-side, while others are stationary and utilize varying needle positioning for relocating the stitching lines.

Don’t see a foot you’re curious about here? Watch for Part 2, coming soon.

All photos compliments of Bernina

~Linda Griepentrog is the owner of G Wiz Creative Services and she does writing, editing and designing for companies in the sewing, crafting and quilting industries. In addition, she escorts fabric shopping tours to Hong Kong. She lives at the Oregon Coast with her husband Keith, and three dogs, Yohnuh, Abby, and Lizzie. Contact her at gwizdesigns@aol.com.