Switching to a Free Motion Foot: What It Is & Why You Need One

If you’ve been sewing in straight lines your whole life, it’s time to shake things up. Enter: the free motion foot—your gateway to quilting cool(er) shit. Whether you’re itching to try thread painting, intricate stippling, or just sick of feeling restricted by the feed dogs, this little tool is about to change your life.

What Is a Free Motion Foot?

A free motion foot (also called a darning foot or quilting foot) is a special presser foot that lets you move your fabric in any direction while sewing. Unlike a regular foot, which holds fabric down tightly as the feed dogs pull it through, a free motion foot only lightly touches the fabric, giving you full control. Think of it as switching from driving on autopilot to full-on race car mode.

How to Swap Your Presser Foot for a Free Motion Foot

Changing to a free motion foot is simple, but it does require a couple of key steps:

1. Remove Your Standard Foot & Ankle – Most free motion feet attach directly to the presser bar, so you’ll need to unscrew and remove the entire ankle piece that holds your regular foot.

2. Attach the Free Motion Foot – Position it so that the little springy bar (if it has one) rests above the needle clamp screw. Tighten it securely.

3. Lower the Feed Dogs – This is the magic step. On most machines, you’ll find a lever or setting to drop the feed dogs. If your machine doesn’t have this, cover them with a Supreme Slider or a homemade workaround (painter’s tape can help).

4. Adjust Your Tension & Stitch Length – Since you’re now in control, stitch length won’t matter (you’re moving the fabric manually). But test your tension to avoid thread nests or skipped stitches.

5. Test on Scrap Fabric – Free motion quilting has a learning curve, so don’t dive straight into your masterpiece. Practice on scraps to get a feel for the movement.

What You Can Do with a Free Motion Foot

Now for the fun part—what can you actually do with this foot? The answer: a lot.

• Free Motion Quilting – Say goodbye to straight-line quilting. With a free motion foot, you can stipple, echo, meander, feather, and doodle all over your quilt.

• Thread Painting – Layer different thread colors to "paint" intricate designs onto fabric.

• Sketchy Appliqué – Give your appliqué a raw, hand-drawn look by outlining shapes with messy, intentional stitches.

• Monogramming & Writing – Yes, you can literally write with your sewing machine using cursive stitches.

• Mending & Darning – If you’re into visible mending, a free motion foot makes it easy to patch holes with artistic flair.

• Literally Anything Else You Want

The Verdict

Switching to a free motion foot opens up a whole new world of creativity. It takes practice (we’re definitely still practicing), but once you get the hang of it, you’ll never look at quilting (or sewing in general) the same way again. So drop those feed dogs and let your creativity take the wheel—you’re in charge now.

Time to make some cool shit! ✂️💗

-Manon