Did you drop your feed dogs?
Kathy G in MI

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

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!).

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.

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.

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