How to Attach a Darning Foot and Fix it to Perfectly Fit Your Machine

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Күн бұрын

leahday.com/products/darning-... Learn how to attach a darning foot to your sewing machine and how to fix it to make free motion quilting easier! Find details on adjusting the foot height, breaking open the base to create an open toe free motion quilting foot and how to use this foot for beautiful free motion quilting. Click the link to find this foot available from my quilt shop at LeahDay.com
The generic free motion quilting foot shown in this video will fit low shank machines like Eversewn sewing machines, Singer and Babylock sewing machines. You can also find a high shank version that will fit Juki, Janome, and Brother machines. Modifying the foot as shown in the video makes this free motion quilting foot a stationary darning foot AND an open toe darning foot.
The Eversewn Sparrow 20 featured in this video has been discontinued and replaced with the Eversewn Charlotte. Find this machine here (Affiliate) - amzn.to/3MmVfP7
Jump ahead to find the most important part of this video to watch:
00:00 Check out the free motion quilting foot we're using
00:23 How to attach a darning foot
00:44 1st fix - We need to make this an Open Toe Darning Foot
01:18 2nd fix - HOPPING! Let's stop this foot from hopping!
02:29 What you will need to fix your free motion quilting foot
03:00 How to Cut the Base to make an Open Toe Foot
04:14 How to stop a darning foot from hopping
05:03 Don't worry - it's okay if you break the bar off!
05:26 Understand free motion quilting foot height
06:36 Add rubber bands to the top until the base skims the quilt surface
07:45 How to attach a darning foot and get the height perfect
08:01 Perfect height for a darning foot - slightly squishing your quilt
08:21 Free motion quilting with my modified quilting foot
09:03 Review of how to quickly adjust the foot height
09:40 Find more free motion quilting tools on my website!

Пікірлер: 108

@carolinefortin6032 2 жыл бұрын

A whole morning of frustration with this specific foot.......I couldn't find ANY answers until I found this video!!! Thank you, this was EXACTLY the issue and this was the perfect solution!!!

@dianadavidson8283 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I modified my foot following your design and it was a game changer for me! I’m still very new to FMQ and it’s helped so much!

@chrisoella 2 жыл бұрын

OMG!!! I KNEW there was a better way and, after many days of frustration, I just sat down and googled presser foot free motion quilting and there this was! My husband just did my modification because I was too afraid to screw it up and I’m quilting with so much more ease. I’m so happy haha!! Thanks Leah, your videos are always solving my problems and moving me forward in my quest to become a real quilter:)

@kimsanchez3195 3 жыл бұрын

Just made this modification to my darning foot. It is a real game changer.

@janjones3341 4 жыл бұрын

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! Thank you so much for sharing this modification.

@LeahDay 4 жыл бұрын

Wonderful!

@roxannecaredio2781 5 жыл бұрын

OMG. Thank you so much for this presser foot hack. My FMQ is going so much better now without the jumping of the foot. I swear, the difference in my ability to FMQ is night and day between my last quilt and the one I worked on today after modifying the foot. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

That's great Roxanne! You're super welcome!

@Birdsnest65 6 ай бұрын

Thank you! Excellent workaround!!

@LeahDay 6 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

@jessicacunningham8948 3 жыл бұрын

Leah Day just saved my quilting life!! So smart! I would have never thought to do that! Game changer indeed!

@princessjanmar9893 Жыл бұрын

I did this. It works great. Thank you Leah Daye.

@LeahDay Жыл бұрын

Awesome!

@christinaelliott8186 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Leah! I could not break mine as it is made of metal but just learning how to stop that hopping, oh my god, now I can at least see what I am sewing. That hopping was driving me koo-koo.

@bonnielee8935 6 жыл бұрын

I modified my foot from way back when you first taught this and have done it this way ever since for all my machines. Works beautifully. The only thing I have changed is instead of using a rubber band, I use very thin hair elastics (the kind that are covered) for now. Rubber bands work just as good, but I broke one too many, and could not find one in the house to replace it for the life of me. I was not about to leave the house just to get rubber bands, so I used a thin hair elastic in its place and it worked! When those wear out and the package is empty, I might switch back, haven't decided yet.

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

Yes, I think the Rainbow Loom rubber bands are the exact same thing as hair elastics, just packaged in much greater quantities. Use whatever works!

@threadsology5960 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Leah!!! I was pretty discouraged when I tried free motion quilting for the first time. I didn’t feel comfortable going as fast as it appeared I needed to go to create a semi-decent pattern. I modified my foot and it works so great-can’t thank you enough!

@LeahDay 4 жыл бұрын

Wonderful! I'm so happy to hear this!

@wallacelawrence8234 2 жыл бұрын

i guess Im pretty off topic but do anybody know a good place to watch newly released series online ?

@kingstondouglas3488 2 жыл бұрын

@Wallace Lawrence Try flixportal. Just search on google for it =)

@wallacelawrence8234 2 жыл бұрын

@Kingston Douglas Thank you, I signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) Appreciate it!!

@kingstondouglas3488 2 жыл бұрын

@Wallace Lawrence happy to help xD

@rosepaul9681 4 жыл бұрын

Did this years ago when you blogged about it. Works great. Thanks.

@capedoryus 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much. I have a a foot that I could not figure out. It has a adjuster nut where you have rubber band and no lever. This video is perfect.

@CS-ci9lf Жыл бұрын

This is revolutionary. Everyone in the comments has said how I feel, I was sure I was just bad at FMQ, maybe my machine isn't good enough, maybe I'm just doing something wrong.. turns out the culprit was just piss-poor design. You're an engineer and a saint!

@susandalton658 3 жыл бұрын

Leah you are a star!!!! You have fixed my problem and I am so grateful. Thank you!!!!!

@dharmafey 6 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you did this again! I need to do this with my newer machine.

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

Gotta make it work somehow! I'm so glad you enjoyed this video.

@AJ54Makeup 4 жыл бұрын

WOW...I am amazed at this..will definately give this a try. Thank you so much.

@drownedinnostalgia3433 3 жыл бұрын

Oh wow! You just saved me with this😍 From among the many problems, I was worrying my sewing machine was making loud noises because of the foot, now it’s quiet😍🎉

@dianestone2300 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Leah, this worked like a charm!

@siyaz 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful information! Thank you very much Leah!

@Leonieb1 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Thank you!!! for this advice!!!!!!! My machine cannot stitch if the presser foot is not in the down position. The free motion foot was pressing the fabric down and I could not move it freely. With this tip, I will be able to try FMQ now. I was so discouraged and thought I will have to forget about ever doing FMQ or buy a new machine( definitely out of the question).

@teribusse8607 2 жыл бұрын

Really good video and advice! Never thought of this but it makes perfect sense and I will try this next time I machine quilt thank you Leah!

@vmuse55 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, I have that exact foot and have not had good results with it, I will modify as you have shown to use on my E.S sparrow 20, you have been a blessing.

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

Wonderful! Enjoy!

@lauralynneh Жыл бұрын

Thank You! Wow, I’m new and couldn’t figure out why my fabric, wouldn’t move well. I didn’t cut anything but did wrap some rubber bands and it was magical

@lisavh4610 2 жыл бұрын

This is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!!

@mskibenes 4 жыл бұрын

This is the only darning foot that works with my machine, and I honestly thought I had to get another sewing machine to be able to free motion darn jeans properly. Now I don't have to. Thank you for this amazing hack!

@marthaciupa6362 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!!! What a great help you have been. Visibility was a problem with this foot. I knew others were made with an opening. I came across your video by accident. The elastic suggestion was an added bonus. You are brilliant.

@LeahDay 3 жыл бұрын

So happy to help!

@chrisnmichelle0218 5 жыл бұрын

Wonderful idea! I took it one step further though by cutting off the very top and threading the metal to use a nurled nylon nut on it so I can adjust the depth by just twisting the not. Now I can actually learn to free motion quilt finally without getting frustrated! Thank you again!

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

A nurled nut??? I must check this out!

@chrisnmichelle0218 5 жыл бұрын

The hardest part is threading the rod to accept the nut, maybe I will take a short video to post on here, it is really really easy to change the depth depending on the batting.

@timjerome8942 3 жыл бұрын

I am going to try this on my Emerald 116, thank you Leah Day!

@zenamorgan1754 6 жыл бұрын

Your tutorials are excellent

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Zena! Thank you for watching!

@esmereldaweatherwax7230 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this tip, it's just what I need!

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

Wonderful! I'm so happy you enjoyed this video!

@lovefulS06 9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. I've been so mad about the hopping on my free motion feet and had no clue how to fix it

@Sunnylass7 6 жыл бұрын

This is brilliant! Thank you

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@NubianRoxanna 6 жыл бұрын

I modified my spring FMQ foot, bought from my h viking dealer, this way last year. It still didn't behave well. I now use my R floating foot on spring foot setting & it really has been great. I'm tempted to snip it open bc I now have 2. I also have used my Q foot, used for embroidery.

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

Some machines are really weird and sometimes you have to be really particular about the foot height. I'm glad to hear you found something that worked for you.

@lorettalalumondier8957 5 жыл бұрын

thanks, i have one of those and really needed this

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

Wonderful!

@chevydude658 5 жыл бұрын

I searched everywhere for an affordable foot that would work on my Vintage Singers. I've used your modified foot on two Featherweights, a 201, a 15, 66, 99, and a vintage 15 clone Kenmore.I paid a fortune for the foot from a local sewing machine repair business. It made the foot usable and opening the tow up made it WAY more agreeable to use. I totally agree with a previous poster. If you could produce a modified foot that functions like this it would be a gold mine. An affordable and FUNCTIONAL quilting foot would be a God-send for me personally. I don't want to spend $100.00 for a vintage quilting foot.

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I know, it's on my list, but that's a very long list! Most of the vintage Singers are low shank so you definitely shouldn't spend a ton of money on them.

@williamwright9747 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this free motion quilting foot hack!! I actually had to add five rubber bands to the top. Even with these modifications, my low shank Brother sewing machine does not hold the quilting foot up high enough for free motion quilting. If I use single thickness of cotton fabric, it's fine. Anything thicker (so forget a quilt sandwich) the quilting foot clamps down on the fabric. Is it my machine? Any suggestions would be awesome. Thanks Leah!!

@Catwomanmn 6 жыл бұрын

Uugg! My hopping foot has drove me crazy for years. I'm doing this to my foot. I at least don't need to cut it open as mine already is open. Thanks for this tip!

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

That's great to hear! Time to stop it from hopping!

@syedmomin1048 3 жыл бұрын

Thank u, i found out a great little gadget

@meacadwell 2 жыл бұрын

I tried this and found that it does help with FMQ. Yay! And thank you! After using it, I got tired of having to mess with the rubber bands when using different thicknesses of quilting though. I had some double sided tape that I snipped into a 1/4 inch width then cut off a length that wrapped around the top stem twice (I used tweezers). The end liked to keep unsticking itself so I had to wrap the tape with a small rubber band. This kept the stem up by the pre-cut measurement of 1/4 inch, which was handy to know. This worked well enough that I'm thinking of cutting other strips at varying widths for different quilt thicknesses. An 1/8 inch and maybe an 'un-scant' 1/4 inch (what else does one call a width that's a little over 1/4 inch...? Is there a word for it? lol) Note: Keep the paper backing on both sides of the double sided tape, except for the end as it will eventually get adhesive on the stem and the rubber band.

@sadiejosiemom 6 жыл бұрын

I have the 30 and can't remember if the FMQ foot was part of the package or it it was included in the "quilting" accessories package I purchased separately. Anyway, my foot is all metal. I'm going to purchase one of these feet and modify it - hope it works!

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

Yes, I've see the metal version. You'd have to hack it open with a saw! Much easier to change up the plastic version instead.

@ozzyyv6070 4 жыл бұрын

Can you you that foot also for sewing sewing lace appliques on a dress?

@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 3 жыл бұрын

Are these darning feet very model specific? I just bought an old Nelco Deluxe sewing machine that has a darning function switch on the machine and just a regular all purpose foot. I'm excited to try embroidery/darning, but this model is so old I fear I won't be able to find an OEM darning foot.

@suzannemiller993 6 жыл бұрын

The problem I have with fixed foot darning feet (like your modification or the popular ruler feet) is traveling over thick seams. The foot stops...like there is a wall in front of it. Other than flatten your seams as much as possible, do you have other advice to deal with this situation?

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

A few things you can do - adjust the foot and test it over the seam rather than over plan fabric sandwich. You can also keep an eye out for seams and be ready for them when you come close. You can also switch to "echo ditching" and avoid the seams completely. That's what I've been doing lately and it's so much faster!

@catherinegoaack1629 5 жыл бұрын

Both of my machines come with the foot and a different foot also it’s called the quilting foot can I use that and it has an open toe foot also does it serves the same purpose with your modifications to this foot? In my manual it is called a darting foot, the other one is called a fmq foot.

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

Yes, I find this really funny because they are basically the same thing. A darning foot is a FMQ foot. I'd try them both and see how you like them and only modify if you really don't like the hopping movement.

@dianeharrell817 3 жыл бұрын

To do some free motion sewing, could I use the little button sewing foot (the one that holds the button down and looks like two little ‘crab claws’) because it has an open space for viewing the needle...then lower the feed dogs and leave the arm raised?? Just trying a DIY fix here🥴

@LeahDay 3 жыл бұрын

Maybe, but keep in mind that foot must be in the down position to have tension on the thread. If that foot is in the down position, unless you can shift it upward somehow at the foot screw, it will probably squish the quilt too much to be able to free motion quilt.

@KThomas0123 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this video! That bar up top was driving me crazy but wasn’t sure if I should bend it or if I was just installing it wrong.

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

I'm so happy this helped you! Yes, I've found some feet that aren't so annoying when they hope, but most just need to get bent! LOL!

@poocky100 5 жыл бұрын

I have a sewing machine model that requires a darning plate when I have the free motion quilting foot on because I dont have the ability to lower my feed dogs. I tried sewing n the lower thread got caught in the darning plate. What did I do wrong? I put the upper thread through the foot hole n I quick set the bobbin thread and went at it. Thanks for your time n expertise in advance

@LeahDay 5 жыл бұрын

Hmm... You know you don't have to use the darning plate if it's causing you issues. Instead you can just lower the stitch length on your machine to 0.0 or the lowest setting it allows. The feed dogs will still be up, but will move only a small amount, not enough to pull against the quilt.

@poocky100 5 жыл бұрын

@@LeahDay thank you for the quick reply. I watched your video again n realized I didnt pull up the lower thread through the fabric. So let me get this straight...I pull up the lower thread and put it along with the upper thread back under the presser foot and hold it aside to make sure it doesn't get caught up? Anyways, I'm gonna try again tommorrow. Thanks again for the reply

@youngreporting4925 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing this. I am new to FMQ and was looking for solutions for issues you have raised here, but I still have one question. Could you not simply use a ruler quilting foot instead of the darning type foot that jumps up and down? Many/most of them are made of metal, so you wouldn't be able to see through like the clear one in your video, but it seems that using a ruler FMQ quilting foot would help avoid the bouncing. Thanks.

@LeahDay Жыл бұрын

Yes, in some ways, a ruler foot fixes this whole issue. This video was made long before ruler quilting was an option for home machine quilters. It’s a good option for this style of darning foot, but yes, you won’t need to bother if you have a stationary ruler foot instead

@keavehines3276 3 жыл бұрын

Do you recommend doing this with machines other than the sparrow? I have a Brother and am new to FMQ and am wondering if I should do this. Also, do you recommend adding a rubberband to FMQ feet that are already open toed?

@LeahDay 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, any machine with this style of darning foot can be modified. And yes, I also do this even to open toe feet. A hovering foot is much easier to use and see what you're doing while free motion quilting with less distraction.

@rebeccawalsh-dodd2805 3 жыл бұрын

Is this a strait shank? If not can you do a slant shank type? I have a singer 301!

@LeahDay 3 жыл бұрын

Just run a search online for Singer 301 Feet. You will find plenty of styles of Slant Shank Feet, including darning feet.

@donelllittlejohn5350 2 жыл бұрын

Hello I like your idea about modifying the darning foot. However, I do have a question? Will you ever need the darning foot to go up and down again in future projects or will you keep it the modified way for all future needs?

@LeahDay 2 жыл бұрын

I personally like a stationary foot and have never needed to have it hop. If you have a really really puffy quilt, the hopping might be helpful. Best advice is to get two feet, modify one, and keep the other one as is! leahday.com/products/darning-foot

@catladylily 3 жыл бұрын

Leah, you're a lifesaver!!! I had an open-toe darning foot that already had a U-bend in the bar, so all I had to do was snip off the front of the bar and add elastic bands. Tip: If you want to test this out before permanently breaking it, wrap an elastic around the needle clamp so that the bar of the presser foot rests on the wrapped elastic instead of directly on the needle clamp. Thank you SO much for this - I was debating whether to quit trying FMQ, stick to walking foot quilting, or waste money on an expensive machine when my old machine worked fine for everything except FMQ. It felt like I was playing tug-of-war with the machine and could not form consistent stitches no matter how I adjusted my speed, tension or presser foot pressure. It turned out that the fabric wasn't feeding smoothly because the foot was too low and was hopping on the quilt instead of floating over it.

@jeanettemaxwell1508 6 жыл бұрын

I got mine modified,it ended up messing up my machine,it bent my needle arm and now my machine is broke,have to buy a whole new machine when I save up,so becareful

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

This is definitely an "at your own risk" modification! As you can see, I rotate the hand wheel quite a bit to double check the foot is attached properly and nothing is hitting in weird places. You especially need to watch out for ruler feet. Never drop the needle down when the ruler foot is up - that can definitely jam the needle bar badly!

@lisahernandez3462 6 жыл бұрын

Tfs

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

You're very welcome!

@Jocantral 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Leah. But oh my goodness. In this day and age we have to make these modifications? Why are they not designed already for our use.

@Jocantral 6 жыл бұрын

Yes for sure.

@LeahDay 6 жыл бұрын

I completely agree with you and yes, this is something I'm looking into. But just in case you don't feel like waiting months (or years) for me to manufacture the perfect foot, this one will do!

@briteddy9759 6 жыл бұрын

I suspect that knowing and understanding your sewing machine with make the adventurous modify and adjust no matter what. These kind of videos are great for us more cautious to look into ways of improving our machine!

@trishblakely3476 6 жыл бұрын

Jocantral a lot of machines have special free motion feet available. But they can be expensive! Leah has taken a $15 foot and ten minutes of modifications and made FMQ accessible to many more people. 😀👍

@Jocantral 6 жыл бұрын

Yes that is true - these feet are expensive. I don't happen to have the tools to modify a foot, but this is certainly a good work around for lots of people. Not for my arthritic fingers though. :)