Presents
Meet Your Heirloom Feet!
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A Few of My Favorite Things!
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Important Basics:
The difference between basic sewing foot and a foot designed
for decorative sewing.
Basic sewing foot is flat on the bottom and holds the fabric
flat against the feed teeth. This foot might drag on heavy
satin type stitches.
Sewing foot designed for decorative sewing has a tunnel or
groove on the bottom so decorative stitches can ride
smoothly under the foot without drag. These feet include the
Open Toe foot, Applique Foot, Decorative Stitch Foot. They
might be metal or plastic.
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Edge Joining Foot
The Edge Joining Foot has a blade
in the center of the foot.
.
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Lace to Lace & Lace to Entredeux
Lovingly called the “lace joining foot”, the Edge Joining Foot helps us to
keep two lace headers separated while joining them together
A zig zag stitch with a close stitch length and width set to catch both edges
of lace is used.
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Edge Joining Foot Folded Tucks
1/8” Tuck, left needle position
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Edge Joining Foot Mexican Tucks
Basic folded tucks can be made more decorative by
stitching the tucks down in opposite directions. These
are called Mexican Tucks.
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Edge Stitching Foot
The Edge Stitching Foot has a blade on the right side of the
foot and is used for making deeper folded tucks. You can
achieve precise 3/8”, 1/2” or 5/8” tucks by moving your
needle position away from the center and placing the fold of
the fabric next to the blade.
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Folded Tucks with Edge Stitching Foot
½” Left Needle Position
3/8” Center Needle Position
¼” Right Needle Position
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Gathering Foot
We know the Gathering Foot for heirloom sewing because two
of our favorite things are ruffles and puffing.
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Gathering Foot: Suggestions for
the best gathers ever
Simply put, the longer our stitch length the more gathers we
will get; so we have to make adjustments to our stitch length
and sometimes also to our tension to get the right amount of
gathers. Sometimes this is trial and error. Practice!
 Cut a 10” piece of fabric.
 Test with the same weight of fabric and thread that you
will be sewing with.
 Cut the fabric on the same grain that the “real” fabric will
be cut.
 Allow for a wide enough seam allowance. (Use left needle
straight stitch and the edge of the presser foot.
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Gathering Foot:
Gathering a single layer:
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Double Ruffle
Baste layers together before gathering
a double ruffle.
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Gather to a flat piece of fabric
Flat fabric in groove – ruffle under
foot
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Gathered fabric to flat fabric
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Puffing
Puffing is fabric that is gathered on both edges
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Ruffler
The Ruffler is an attachment that actually pleats the fabric. The Ruffler is the
“go to” attachment when my gathering foot just can’t get the job done with
heavier fabrics. I also love it for the special the way the ruffles look.
The Ruffler can be set to pleat every stitch, every 6th or 12th stitch or no
pleating at all. There is also a depth screw that will adjust the depth of the
pleat for larger or smaller pleats.
 Set the machine for straight stitch center needle position
 Set stitch length according to amount of ruffle you need:
 The longer the stitch length the less gathers you will have.
 Setting the stitch length above 5.5 will usually make the ruffle adjustable.
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Introducing you to your Ruffler!
Fork
Adjusting lever
Ankle
Adjusting Screw
Heading Slot
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Cloth Guide Fingers
Enclosed Slot
Separator Blade
Bottom view of Ruffling Blade
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Adjusting Lever
Ruffler
Use the Ruffler to:
 Ruffle a single layer of fabric or a double layer of fabric
 Make a ruffle and sew it on in one step.
 Sew a ruffle between two pieces of fabric
 Ruffle lace or ribbon on the edge or down the center
 Sew a ribbon on while making the ruffle
ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES LIMITED ONLY BY YOUR IMAGINATION!
*NEVER PULL YOUR FABRIC TOWARD YOU WHEN REMOVING
THE FABRIC FROM THE RUFFLER. ALWAYS PULL IT OUT THE
BACK. YOU CAN DAMAGE THE RUFFLING BLADES.
*ONLY USE STRAIGHT STITCH CENTER NEEDLE POSITION!
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Ruffle a single layer of fabric:
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Ruffle to a flat fabric:
Flat Fabric
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Ruffle between
blades
Ruffle center of fabric with ribbon
on top.
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Finished Ruffle:
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Seven and Five Hole Cord Foot
I love this foot to do corded entredeux. You can stitch over a
colored cord like perle cotton or Pearl Crown Rayon and it
looks beautiful.
It also makes very pretty braided trim .
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7 Hole Cord foot Entredeux
No Cord
Pearl Crown Rayon in front
Holes of foot, wing needle.
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Gimp cord
Pearl Crown
No cord
Rayon
3 Hole Cord Foot
This foot will be used for the same
things as the 7 & 5 Hole Cord foot
Sometimes feet look
totally different!
This foot can be used to hold cord for gathering over a cord.
Use it for gimp work.
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3 & 5 Groove Pintuck Feet
3 Groove Pintuck
5 Groove Pintuck
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7 & 9 Groove Pintuck Feet
1.6/70 2.0/80
7 Groove Pintuck
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9 Groove Pintuck
Pintuck Feet
Pintuck feet come in several different sizes:
Foot
Needle Size
Fabric Weight
3 Groove
2.5/80 or 3.0/80
Medium – Heavy
5 Groove
2.0/80 or 2.5/80
Medium
7 Groove
1.6/80 or 2.0/80
Light
9 Groove
1.6/80 or 2.0/80
Light
This is only a guideline. Always test your fabric before
making your tucks or sewing decorative stitches to
achieve the look you like.
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Bottom grooves on Pintuck feet
are used to space the pintucks.
The first pintuck will always be in the center groove.
Place the stitched pintuck in any other groove on the
Bottom of the foot to give the desired spacing.
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Pintucks
Twin needle pintucks are an heirloom classic. They can add beautiful
embellishment to your garment with only the investment of your time.
 Use a lightweight (60 wt or 100 wt) thread in the needles. Both
spools should be the same type and weight. The same size spools
should be used.
 Follow your machine manufacturer’s advice for threading.
 Use straight stitch, center needle position, 1.5 – 2.0 stitch length.
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Pintucks with a 9 Groove foot and 1/6 Twin Needle
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Decorative stitching with twin needles
Beautiful decorative effects can be accomplished using
decorative stitches with a twin needle.
 Use your machine’s twin needle setting
 Always test by the stitch by turning the hand-wheel to
move the needle in and out of the fabric to make sure the
needle isn’t hitting anything.
 Use stabilizer
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Decorative Stitching With a Twin
Needle
This project was sewn for the Sulky® Book Embellish Your Life with Sulky
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Piping Feet
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Piping
Piping is a lovely addition to your heirloom garments to use in
collars, sleeves and waistlines. It adds such a lovely accent
or definition to your garment.
Most piping for heirloom garments is made using baby cord
and a small piping foot, or even a pintuck foot.
Place cord in groove of the foot.
Move needle position if
necessary to sew close to cord
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Inserting piping in seam
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Open Toe Foot
The open toe foot will also be called the applique foot. It is
important for visualizing stitches as you sew. It is designed
with the groove on the back to ride smoothly over the raised
stitching of applique and decorative stitches. There are metal
and clear Open Toe feet.
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Open Toe Foot
Pinstitching lace to fabric
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Gimpwork with Open Toe Foot
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Hemmer Feet
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Fabric is placed in the “scroll” of
the foot.
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Scroll
Hemmer feet can make straight
stitch or rolled hem
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Gimp Foot
The Gimp Foot is not readily available for all machines, but it is worthy of
mention. The Gimp foot has a clip and a groove on the top which holds the
cord and allows it to feed easily while stitching so you don’t have to “mess
around” with the cord. The Gimping guide is also handy to hold the cord out of
the way so you can follow your desired design.
If a Gimp foot is not available, use an Open Toe Foot and hold the cord in the
center of the foot.
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Gimp Foot
 Gimp work is satin stitching done over a very fine cord
which gives the stitching a raised 3 dimensional look. It is
lovely to add as an embellishment that is subtle yet
beautiful. It is wonderful sewn over the heading of lace
rather than using a pinstitch or entredeux stitch.
 Satin Zigzag Stitch, Stitch length 0.3 – 0.6; Stitch Width
1.5 – 2.0
 Threads – decorative Rayon, polyester or cotton. Adjust
the stitch length so that it covers the cord
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Gimp over lace
Gimp Foot
The gimp foot is also very handy when you want to gather
over a cord. Use a zigzag stitch wide enough to clear the
cord and stitch length 3.5 – 4.5, SW 2.0. Pull the cord to
gather.
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Spanish Hemstitch Foot Set
Viking is the only machine that I know of that has this
foot, but it definitely is worth mentioning. I will also
share how to get the same effect without the foot.
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Spanish Hemstitch foot set
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LACE TO
SPAGHETTI BIAS
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If the Spanish Hemstitch accessory is not available use the
following technique:
1.
Cut a 1 ¼” piece of Sticky Wash Away Stabilizer the length of the
lace/bias piece.
2.
Peel away the release paper from the Sticky Wash Away Stabilizer.
3.
Place a piece of insertion lace on one edge of the Sticky Wash
Away Stabilizer.
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4. Measure from the opposite edge of the bias a scant
1/4” and place the header of the second piece of lace
or other trim up to the edge of the ruler.
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Stitch with the feather stitch between the lace and bias.
Rinse out the stabilizer by soaking the strips of lace
and bias in warm water and rinsing several times.
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LACE/RICK RACK
Using the wash away stabilizer method, join lace and rick rack
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LACE/LACE
Stabilizer Method/Bodkin
Ribbon Bodkin


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
Place water soluble sticky stabilizer under each piece of lace
Tape a ribbon bodkin centered in front of the presser foot
Place one piece of lace on either side of bodkin and sew.
Rinse out stabilizer after stitching is finished.
Wrong side of lace with stabilizer
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Stabilizer rinsed out
Feet you might not think about!
Manual buttonhole foot – Use for:
 Roll & Whip
 Piping
 Corded Entredeux
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Chenille foot for applying wide Rick Rack
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Designed to sew on chenille. When was the last time you did that?
Fancy Trim Foot for sewing rick rack,
spaghetti bias and other narrow trims
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The foot was designed for sewing sequins!
When was the last time you sewed sequins on
anything?
Let’s Not Forget – The Serger!
I love using my serger for heirloom techniques. The gathering
Foot and Piping Foot work fabulously!
Two sizes Piping Feet
3.0 and 5.5 mm.
Gathering(shirring) Foot
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Gathering- make ruffles
and puffing!
Piping- Create piping, insert piping
and also insert zippers!
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I love that serger gathering finishes the edge of the
fabric while it gathers
This is how the piping looks when it is finished and applied to a garment. I use it as
a quick and easy finish for armholes and necklines. For complete instructions
check out Cutie Capris and Tank Top Pattern
www.PeggyDdesigns.com
The presser feet in this presentation are only a sampling of feet that are
Available for today’s sewing machines. They are my favorite and the ones
that I use all the time for heirloom sewing. I am sure you have your
favorite feet also. I appreciate you allowing me to share this information
with you! Please be sure to check with your local machine dealer for
more information and for the purchase of these accessory feet. The
machine manufacturer’s web sites have a wealth of valuable information
regarding the use of the presser feet and which feet are available for your
machine. Be sure to check them all out!
I would like to give credit for the photos of the Babylock and
Bernina presser feet. These photos were copied from their web
sites: www.babylock.com and www.berninausa.com
Please visit my website www.PeggyDdesigns.com for all of my patterns
and CD’s!
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