feed dogs

Donna,

I did notice this with a little featherweight machine I have. I also thought it was the feed dogs but after watching the feed dogs without the presser foot blocking my view, it was pretty obvious they had to be straight because of how they fit in the needle plate. It turned out to be the presser foot was not sitting evenly on them. I was not sure how the presser foot could set "catty-wampus" but I unscrewed the presser foot screw a little bit with the presser foot down, so it would allow the presser foot to set evenly on the feed dogs. Then I tightened the screw and it worked much better. This is also the way I was told to attach the feet on my Janome so they would set level with the feed dogs.

Just an idea,

Marsha in nw, OH

Hi, Marsha, and thanks! Will take a look to see what if anything my SM needs. Maybe just tightened up. Just frustrating to have to keep trying to keep the material/seams straight.

Donna in WA

there is a very logical reason this happens. Most of today's machines have wider feeddogs because they do wider zig zag/decorative stitches. So the fabric doesn't cover the feeddogs as you are making a quarter inch seam. The left side of the seam line gets more "pull" because there is more fabric on the feeddogs than on the right side of the seamline. One solution is to determine where to set your needle for a scant quarter inch seam using the "regular"/zigzag foot (or edge guide foot if you have one). The other solution is to be a little more careful with feeding the fabric under the foot. That just takes practice, the machine still does the work, you just have to keep guiding it. After all, who is "bigger", you or the machine/fabric?

This is one reason the old straight stitch only machines (or narrow zigzag machines) work so well for piecing with quarter inch seams. The feeddogs are rarely wider than half an inch.

Pati, > I just noticed something on my sew Viking SM and I think it

My mouse just hiccupped and sent without a message!

I was intending to suggest a simple test - take all of your accessory feet out of hiding and a piece of muslin - draw straight lines with a marker - insert the fabric under the needle and sew a 6" line or so

*without* guiding it yourself. Chances are that any one of your feet will do a straight line by itself - use any of these for your seaming

- my pfaff has so many choices for straight line sewing and any one of them will work (but I still have my favourites). Check out your available new accessory feet - google husqvarna/viking and follow the links to find out if a more useful foot can be ordered. Pfaff have a

1/4"> I just noticed something on my sew Viking SM and I think it

I have a Viking Lily SM, and while it came with a 1/4" foot, I seemed to have the same problem. It was the fabric being guided over just one of the feed dogs and it always veered to the left. I now use the regular foot, but set my machine for a 1/4" seam (don't know which # on your Viking, but mine is #21) and push the +- button 4 times to move the needle position a "squeek" over to the right. -- seams come out great now - scant 1/4". ME-Judy

Hi Jennell! Those two Pfaff Pfeet you mentioned sound very useful. I think my Pfilomina would like some, but I do not know the names or numbers of those. IF you have an extra couple minutes, would you check for me please? Vielen danke,

Thanks, Marsha. The suggestion to check the stability of the presser foot is new to me; it may come in handy someday, so I will mention to my quilting buds tonight.

Hi Pat - I went back to the pfaff usa pages to find the order #'s for the feet that I mentioned. My machine is a 2144 but the same feet are OK for other models too. Here goes:

820541-096 = 1/4" metal foot with right hand guide and IDT opening (I use this one almost 99% of quilty seaming and joining)

820211-096 = 1/4" metal foot with IDT - don't use it much anymore -

820881-096 = 1/4" clear foot with righthand guide and IDT (don't have this one)

820882-096 = 1/4" clear SID foot with IDT (I have the metal one and didn't see the need to have both)

820883-096 = 1/4" clear foot with IDT

All these feet have a single needle hole and a wider back that rides the feed dogs. They now also have a 5/8" right hand guide foot which I bought for my machine crazy quilting because it has the 9mm opening for embroidery.

is a link to a picture info page forsome of their other new additions. At the top of the page is a drop down list of machine models so you can double check your #'s and suitability of these feet.

Hope that you indulge yourself with a pair of new feet! jennellh

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I agree Pati. Once you get used to compensating for it, it just comes naturally.

On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 13:16:47 -0500, ME-Judy wrote (in article ):

I do the same with my Lily. Great 1/4" seam! I never use the 1/4" foot that she came with anymore.

Thank you so much Jennell for this very detailed information. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into answering my question. Pfilomina will be happy too!

Hi Pat - I went back to the pfaff usa pages to find the order #'s for the