Walking foot and fabric creep help!

17 years ago

I am putting together a rag quilt using denim and flannel using a older Singer 503 (slant shaft). I'm sewing through two layers of denim and two layers of cotton flannel. When I first started, I had significant creep of the top layer. I realized I had a walking foot for this machine, so I put it on and started sewing. Well, it is much better, but I am still having creep on that top layer, about 1/4 inch on a 9 inch seam.

Do I need to adjust something, like the pressure foot pressure? I have the pressure on a medium setting now. I've not used a walking foot before, so I don't know what I am expecting it to do for me. I'm afraid when I get ready to do the long connecting seams, it's really going to mess me up.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Elaine

Featured Answer

prism99

17 years ago

I'd lighten up on the foot pressure and see how it does.

A lot of machines have this creeping problem. For whatever can't be adjusted out, you can compensate by how you manipulate the fabric as it feeds. Grab the two pieces of fabric with one hand about a foot or so from the feed dogs before you start sewing. This keeps the two layers together so you can see how much you need to compensate as you sew. To sew, lift the fabric up so you are feeding from above. This stretches the bottom layer slightly and keeps more tension on it than the top layer gets. You can use the fingertips of your other hand to gently push the top fabric into the presser foot too. With practice, you can probably learn to compensate completely for the creep. You can also periodically lift the pressure foot lever to release tension build-up on the top layer.

When you cut fabric, cutting parallel to the selvedge edge (assuming you are using fabric off a bolt) means the strips have less stretch to them. Usually quilters cut crosswise, and those crosswise strips have considerably more "give". Using strips with less stretch can also help with the creeping.

Comments (7)

kathyg_in_mi
17 years ago
Did you drop your feed dogs?
Kathy G in MI
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northbound
17 years ago
Try holding the fabric several inches both in front of and behind the needle. This is quickly done by just pinching a fold in your fingers. Pull just enough to flatten the section between your hands. Let the feed dogs pull the section through without pushing or pulling. In other words, let your hands move at the same pace that the machine does as it stitches.

I saw this method somewhere and used it back when I sewed most of my clothes--it worked well for me.

Sharon
chelone
17 years ago
I have several industrial machines. One has a walking foot and typically the walking foot is coupled with a "needle feed" needle bar. This means that the needle bar actually moves forward in conjunction with the feed dog, rather than the simple up and down motion of a "drop feed" machine. The needle feed allows the upper layer to be moved under the needle readily. Depending on the number of layers, I sometimes "lift" the work to feed "down" and use my index finger to further isolate the layers and control the feed, but generally that's not necessary. Occasionally, I will reverse the typical way I work on cushions... i.e., putting the boxing on the bottom and the corded piece on top... but only when the fabric is "stretchy"... velours or maybe velveteens...

OK, so here's my question: on a "home" machine with a drop feed mechanism how, exactly, does the "walking foot" work? Can you post pictures for me? I'm wondering if it's anything like the roller foot I have for my 31-15 (old drop feed, industrial Singer with no reverse!).
keepeminstitches
17 years ago
Hi, chelone,

I have a book called "Feetures" that describes how the various Bernina feet work. The one for the walking foot, however, isn't too helpful. It says, "As the needle of the machine goes up, the feed dogs rise and pull the fabric toward the back of the machine. The feed dogs then lower and move back to their forward motion. This cycle repeats with every stitch. The Walking Foot #50 has a rubber coating on a moveable portion of the sole that "pinches" fabric layers together as they feed under the foot. The Walking Foot can be used with most stitches; however, the maximum recommended length for reverse motion stitches is 3mm." I don't know how to attach pics to this post, so I'll put a picture of it in the Gallery. I love my walking foot and use it regularly.
chelone
17 years ago
Thank you for posting the picture in the gallery. I now have better understanding of how walking foot attachments work with a drop feed mechanism. I'm sorry it took me so long to reply.

And I'm with you! there is NOTHING like the proper foot or attachment to take the "pain" out of what ought to be a simple operation.
vall3fam
Original Author
17 years ago
Hi everyone! I just wanted to get back to you on what finally worked. I fooled with the foot pressure and tried the other suggestions you had and I was able to eliminate about 98% of the creep by increasing the foot pressure and manipulating the layers of fabric while I was feeding them through when sewing. By doing this, when I got to the long seams joining the rows, I didn't have any problems keeping the seams in line.

Since I am making a used denim quilt, I did notice that different fabrics crept more than others, so I had to adjust my feeding technique when I got to those patches.

Thanks for your advice! I'm now clipping all the seams and trying to get to the laundramat tomorrow to wash and dry to see what it turns out like! If anyone has any experience with these quilts and the washing technique, let me know!
Thanks again,
Elaine