A walking foot adds a second set of feed dogs on top of the fabric, driven by the needle bar, so the top layer moves forward in step with the bottom layer instead of lagging behind it. Attach it in place of the regular foot holder, hook its fork arm over the needle clamp screw, keep the stitch length at 2.5 to 3 mm and sew at a moderate speed. Use it for knits that ripple, quilt layers that shift, plaids that need to match, velvet, thick seams and fabrics that stick to a metal foot.

What does a walking foot do?

A sewing machine feeds fabric from below: the feed dogs rise through the needle plate, grip the bottom layer and move it back one stitch at a time. The top layer is only pushed along by friction against the bottom one, and the presser foot drags on it. On two layers of smooth cotton the difference is tiny. On knits, velvet, vinyl, slippery linings or three quilt layers, the top creeps behind the bottom: a long seam ends with one layer longer than the other, stripes drift out of line and knit hems ripple.

A walking foot, also called an even feed foot, carries its own feed dogs in the foot. A fork arm resting on the needle clamp lifts them with each stitch, so they step forward in time with the ones below. Both layers travel the same distance per stitch. Some machines build this in as dual feed, a small arm that drops down behind the regular foot (Pfaff's IDT is the long-standing example; Janome and others have their own versions), which does the same job with less bulk.

What do you need?

  • A walking foot that fits your machine's shank. Most modern domestic machines are low shank; a few are high shank, and vintage slant-needle Singers need a slant-shank foot. The walking foot replaces the whole foot holder, not only the snap-on sole, so a generic "low shank walking foot" fits a wide range of machines. Check your manual before buying.
  • A small screwdriver for the presser bar screw.
  • The right needle for the fabric: a stretch or ballpoint 75/11 to 90/14 for knits, a universal 90/14 for quilting cotton with batting, a 100/16 for thick seams in denim.
  • A scrap of the fabric to test on.

How do you attach a walking foot?

  1. Raise the needle and the presser foot. Switch the machine off or unplug the foot pedal.
  2. Remove the presser foot and its holder. Snap off the foot, then undo the screw on the left of the presser bar and lift the holder away.
  3. Position the walking foot on the presser bar so the fork arm (the thin lever on the right) sits on top of the needle clamp screw. On some models the fork goes around the screw; the foot's packaging shows which.
  4. Tighten the screw while holding the foot level. Lower the presser foot lever.
  5. Turn the handwheel by hand through two full stitches. The upper feed dogs should lift and step as the needle goes up and down, and the needle must not touch the foot. If the foot does not move, the fork arm is not seated.

How do you sew with a walking foot, step by step?

  1. Choose the stitch. A straight stitch is the main use. Zigzag works if the opening in the foot is wide enough for the width you set; check by turning the handwheel. Decorative stitches that feed backward and forward do not suit a walking foot.
  2. Set the stitch length to 2.5 to 3 mm. Very short stitches ask the mechanism to step more often than it likes; very long ones give it no advantage.
  3. Leave the presser foot pressure at normal, or slightly reduced on knits and velvet if your machine has the setting.
  4. Pin across the seam with the pin heads to the right so you can pull them out before the foot reaches them, or use clips. The foot is wide and will hit pins that lie along the seam.
  5. Sew at a moderate speed, hands guiding only. The foot does the feeding; the moment you pull, the layers shift again.
  6. Pivot with the needle down, foot raised. The upper feed dogs lift with the foot.
  7. Test a 20 cm (8 in) seam on scraps and lay it flat. Both ends should finish level and a stripe should match from one side to the other.

On a knit hem, the walking foot stops the wave but a straight stitch still has no stretch: use a zigzag, a stretch stitch or a twin needle with the walking foot, as explained in twin needle vs coverstitch vs zigzag hems. On plaids, cut carefully and pin at every bar of the pattern; the foot then keeps what you pinned, see how to match plaids and stripes.

Tip: The walking foot hides the seam allowance markings on the needle plate. Stick a strip of low-tack tape on the bed at 1.5 cm (5/8 in) from the needle as a guide.

What are the most common mistakes with a walking foot?

  • The fork arm is not on the needle clamp screw. The foot sits there like a heavy regular foot and does nothing. Watch it move when you turn the handwheel.
  • Sewing at full speed. The mechanism clatters, the stitches get uneven and the needle can deflect into the foot. Moderate speed, always.
  • Leaving it on for everything. It is bulky, noisy and blocks the view of the needle. Switch back to the regular foot for ordinary woven seams, zips, buttonholes and anything that needs a specialist foot.
  • Expecting it to fix tension or puckering. If a seam puckers on a single layer, the cause is tension, needle or thread; see fabric puckering when sewing. The walking foot only solves layers feeding at different rates.
  • The wrong shank. A high-shank foot on a low-shank machine sits too high and never grips. Check before buying.
  • Free-motion quilting. The walking foot is for straight and gently curved lines; free motion needs a darning foot and the feed dogs dropped.

When should you use a walking foot instead of another foot?

  • Knits: use the walking foot on a regular machine; a serger with differential feed does the same job and finishes the edge in one pass, see sewing knit fabrics.
  • Vinyl, oilcloth and laminated cotton: when only the top layer sticks to the metal foot, a Teflon (non-stick) or roller foot is cheaper and less bulky; the walking foot wins when two sticky layers face each other.
  • Plaids, stripes and velvet: the walking foot, or hand basting first and a regular foot.
  • Quilting through batting: the walking foot for straight-line quilting and binding; a darning foot for free motion.
  • A machine with built-in dual feed: engage it and leave the walking foot in the box; it does the same job.

Other presser feet that solve one problem each are compared in presser feet explained. If a step in your pattern gives you trouble on a difficult fabric, Sewly's sewing guide answers questions about your pattern ("my fabric is slippery, any tips for this step?"), and a walking foot is often part of the answer.