Presser foot
A presser foot is an attachment used with sewing machines to hold fabric flat as it is fed through the machine and stitched. Sewing machines have feed dogs in the bed of the machine to provide traction and move the fabric as it is fed through the machine, while the sewer provides extra support for the fabric by guiding it with one hand. A presser foot keeps the fabric flat so that it does not rise and fall with the needle and pucker as it is stitched. When especially thick workpieces are to be sewn, such as quilts, a specialized attachment called a walking foot is often used rather than a presser foot.
Presser feet are typically spring-hinged to provide some flexibility as the workpiece moves beneath it. Presser feet have two toes, one to hold the fabric down on either side of the needle.[1]
Types of presser feet
The most commonly used presser feet are the "all-purpose foot" and the "zipper foot" which are typically standard with household machines. Different manufacturers have produced machines with one of three presser foot shank types: low shank, high shank, or slanted shank. These shank types mean that presser feet are designed with only one of the three shank types in mind, and cannot be used on machines with a different shank design.
Various separate presser feet which are designed for specialized uses are available. These include the following:[2]
- blind hem foot
- buttonhole foot
- darning foot
- gathering foot
- narrow hem foot
- open toe foot
- overedge / overcast foot
- piping/ cording foot
- quarter-inch seam foot (6mm)
- quilting quarter-inch seam foot
- roller foot
- satin stitch or decorative stitch foot
- straight stitch foot
- zipper foot
References
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