Sewing Machine Accessories

For best results and to avoid any potential damage to your machine we always recommend you use the right feet and accessories for your brand and model of sewing machine. We stock the full range of feet and accessories for Baby Lock, Brother, Janome, Husqvarna and Pfaff and we have also listed the models of machine or groups of machine each foot is compatible with.

If you are unsure and need any help just drop us an email or give us a call and we will be very happy to help you to choose the right foot or accessory for your project

There are a few key presser feet, which come with most sewing machines and you will find yourself using them time and time again. For example, the zig zag or standard presser foot, the standard zipper foot, the overcasting foot, the blind hem stitch foot and the buttonhole foot. You will usually find information on all the feet included with your machine and how to use them in the manual. You can also refer to our helpful YouTube tutorials to see videos of them in action.

Once you’ve perfected the more standard sewing techniques you might want to branch out and choose additional feet to sew more advanced techniques or to make certain tasks easier. For example an invisible zipper foot, a rolled hem foot, a pintuck, a piping or bias binding foot. Again our YouTube channel has video tutorials demonstrating most of these feet and you can also read our 'The Ultimate Guide to Sewing Machine Presser Feet' article to find out more. If ever you are uncertain and need a little help you can contact us via email or phone and our expert team will be happy to help.

A walking foot is an incredibly useful foot to have in your sewing toolkit. With standard sewing machine feet there is only one set of feed dogs feeding the fabric through the machine as you sew – the ones actually on the machine. The machine feed dogs feed the bottom layer of fabric through and the top tends to move through with it. However, on multiple layers of fabric or on tricky fabrics like velvet, crepe de chine, satin, jersey, leather etc the top layer of fabric can ‘run away’ from the bottom layer of fabric and you end up stitching things together in not quite the right place.

A walking foot has a set of feed dogs on the bottom of the foot and these work in conjunction with those on the machine to feed even the tricky fabrics through evenly. Usually walking feet are purchased separately to your sewing machine, but they are included with some makes and models and Pfaff even have a ‘built in’ walking foot on their machines, which is engaged by simply pulling down a lever. You can also sew a range of techniques with the built in Pfaff system too and this is also an option on some Janome and Husqvarna models.

It is possible to sew a quilt without specialist sewing machine feet, however, there are some feet which are incredibly useful for quilters. For example a walking foot is a great investment due to the multiple layers of fabric you will be working with (see explanation above).

Lots of quilters also like to have a quarter inch foot so they can sew accurate quarter inch seams easily to make sure their patchwork and quilting matches up perfectly. A stitch in the ditch foot can be a useful tool for securing fabric by sewing in the seamline because it has a guide which will help you to place your stitches accurately rather than doing it by eye. Many quilters also like to have a range of free motion embroidery feet for when they are stippling or sewing applique and other decorative techniques.

One of the most useful feet for dressmaking is a zipper foot and you will usually receive one of these in the box when you purchase your sewing machine. However, an invisible zipper foot is also a very worthwhile investment. It helps to make sewing invisible zips much easier by keeping the zipper teeth secured in a groove under the foot so you can focus on the sewing and keep your stitching on the zip tapes nice and straight. A buttonhole foot is also very useful and most machines will come with one included. A seam guide foot can be very helpful to sew nice, even seams if you struggle to follow the markings on the needle plate. Many dressmakers like to have a blind hem foot for hemming and an overcasting foot for neatening the raw edges of fabric, especially if they don’t have an overlocker. A walking foot is also very useful for working with tricky fabrics.

There are a number of other feet you might like to buy for techniques like rolled hems, bias binding, piping or pin tucking, but these can be purchased at a later date once you are looking to stretch those sewing skills.

This is one of the little known things about sewing machine feet, but that little button is actually incredibly useful! It is there to make sewing thicker fabrics easier. As you lower the foot, push the screw in and it will keep the sewing machine foot level as you start to sew so it doesn’t struggle to get going. After a few stitches the screw pops back out again. Without doing this the back of the foot has no contact with any fabric and may struggle to start sewing.

You can also use a small, inexpensive plastic tool called a bulky seam aid or humper jumper if you are struggling to get over bulky seams, which you slip under the back of the foot to give it something to work against. This is a great alternative if you don’t have the black button on your standard foot or you are using a different foot to sew a specialist technique.