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I'm curious about this type of presser foot, which is supposed to feed both layers of fabric evenly and to work on pile fabrics.
Would this keep mohair layers from "crawling" as you sew? Is the foot only for sewing straight lines?
Pleas let me know if you've heard of or tried this type of foot.
Thanks!
Becky
Hi Becky
This foot is traditionally used in quilting and IMO would not work for sewing bears
Hugs
Gail
Back Road BearsI use a walking foot for quilting... its great for the multiple layers of a quilt when you are finishing it. But when I tried it on mohair I was not so happy with how the mohair fed through. I find a plain old quarter inch foot to work best. Just play with the tension and be sure you are pinning properly and don't take the pin out until just before you get to the needle. Your material shouldn't crawl if you have your presser foot and thread tensions set properly. Every machine is different so I can't really help you with that and it also varies depending on how dense the mohair is that you're working with.
Thank you, ladies. That all makes good sense.
I thought there might be a way to reduce the number of pins I use, but really -- between the pins and a good old heavy-footed machine (plus some finger action), I do keep any movement under control.
I appreciate the help!
Becky
Dances With Teddy BearsDon't know if this would be of help or not, but I use alligator clips instead of pins. With pins I get far more crawl than with alligators. I've used them for years and absolutely love them. I use 2 sizes.
Fulrfun BearsI'm also a fan of the alligator clips but as for walking foots the only ones I have ever tried are on the bottom of my legs :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: ps i don't understand sewing machines and avoid them at all costs. I have resorted to one only when doing a bear over 20inches tall and then only for the body, arms and legs.
Posts: 112I have a Pfaff dual feed machine and used it recently on alpaca fabric. Even though I overcast the entire seam by hand first, I found that the fabric moved sideways, so that when I looked on the reverse side the seam allowance was very uneven ie, the stitching on the underside was way too close to the edge. I asked a Pfaff consultant about the problem at a quilt show and she said there was very little that could be done to rectify the problem. I was not very pleased with the result but satisfied my curiousity by trying machine sewing out. By the way, the alpaca fabric was fairly spongy so I don't know if results would be different with a different fabric. For dressmaking the Pfaff is excellent. 
Posts: 280I also have a Pfaff dual feed machine - and have used it for years to make bears out of mohair. It works flawlessly for me. I've seen a lot of people that pull their fabrics from the back as it feeds through the machine, and they almost always end up with problems like the fabric slipping. I don't know if this applies in this case, but if you do tend to pull the fabric, try letting it go on it's own, by just guiding it instead. I just let mine feed through on it's own, and have had great results.
Luann
Back Road BearsA little note on pinning: When I teach bear making workshops one of the first important things I teach is how to pin as I'm always amazed at the number of sewers who don't pin properly. To pin mohair fabric together you must first go straight down through the material 1/8 inch from the edge, with pin perpendicular to the fabric. Then, while keeping a good pinch on the fabric pieces to keep them lined up, turn the pin 90 degrees so it's parallel to the fabric then insert to come back out on top. Many insert the pin at an angle and this will cause the layers of fabric to slide which you don't want. I also find that using great big pins can cause more slipping in the fabric as they are harder to push/pull through it.
It doesn't sound like any of you are having a problem with the pinning but I just figured I'd mention it in case someone else out there is reading this who might be.
Luann... I was just at a Pfaff dealer last week and saw the dual feed machine for the first time (I've never looked at Pfaff's and I believe they are the only one with the built in dual feed). It was quite interesting... very streamline and unobtrusive... and I wondered if it might be a bit more useful in bear making than the regular walking foot attachment. Interesting you mentioned it!
Posts: 280Hi Daphne. To the best of my knowledge, Pfaff is the only machine on the market with the built-in walking foot. I can't speak first hand, but friends who have walking feet that are attachments to their machines don't get the same results that I do with my Pfaff. I wouldn't trade my Pfaff for anything. I use it and a featherweight, and love both of them.
As for pinning, I use applique pins for everything, especially foot pads. I use them pretty sparingly - only 4 pins for a foot pad. I find the fewer pins I use, the less bulk.
Luann
Posts: 112I stopped pinning, preferring to overcast by hand instead, as I was obviously not using the correct technique for pinning. the fabric moved and slipped. I am more used to dressmaking, and have found that techniques for teddy bears are very different. Thanks for the tips on correct pinning techniques. I will try with my next bear.
