Walking Feet

A walking foot (also called an even feed foot) has built-in feed dogs that grip the top layer of fabric while your machine's feed dogs move the bottom layer. Both layers advance together at the same rate, preventing shifting, stretching, or puckering.

The foot's mechanism syncs with your machine's motion, creating a "walking" action that keeps multiple layers aligned from start to finish.

Use a walking foot when sewing:

• Multiple layers: Quilts, blankets, or layered garments.
• Slippery fabrics: Silk, satin, or synthetic linings.
• Stretchy materials: Knits, jersey, or spandex blends.
• Matching patterns: Stripes, plaids, or prints that need to line up at seams.
• Thick fabrics: Denim, canvas, or upholstery material.

A walking foot is especially useful for quilting projects where you need batting and backing to feed evenly with your quilt top.

A regular presser foot holds fabric in place while only the machine's bottom feed dogs move the material. This works fine for single layers of stable fabric but can cause problems with slippery, stretchy, or layered materials.

A walking foot adds a second set of feed dogs on top of the fabric. The top and bottom layers move together, which prevents the top layer from lagging behind or bunching up.

For most everyday sewing, a standard presser foot is enough. Switch to a walking foot when you notice layers shifting or fabric stretching as you sew. Browse our full selection of sewing and quilting feet for other specialty options.

Yes. A walking foot is one of the most useful tools for quilting. It feeds all three quilt layers (top, batting, and backing) evenly, which prevents tucks and puckers on the back of your quilt.

Walking feet work best for:

• Straight-line quilting: Grid patterns, stitch-in-the-ditch, and parallel lines.
• Gentle curves: Wavy lines and gradual arcs.
• Binding attachment: Keeps binding aligned while stitching.

For free-motion quilting with tight curves and detailed designs, you'll need a free-motion quilting foot instead. Many quilters keep both in their toolkit.

A walking foot helps with any fabric that tends to shift, stretch, or slip during sewing:

• Knits and jerseys: Prevents stretching and wavy seams.
• Velvet and velour: Stops pile from pushing layers apart.
• Silk and satin: Keeps slippery layers from sliding.
• Leather and vinyl: Feeds smoothly without sticking. Pair with a leather needle for best results.
• Quilted layers: Moves batting, backing, and quilt top together.
• Plaids and stripes: Keeps patterns matched across seams.

Even stable cotton fabrics benefit from a walking foot when you're sewing multiple layers or working with stabilizers and interfacing.

Walking foot and even feed foot are two names for the same type of presser foot. Both describe a foot with upper feed dogs that work with your machine's lower feed dogs to move fabric layers evenly.

Some brands use one term over the other:

• Walking foot: Common term used by most manufacturers.
• Even feed foot: Often used by Bernina and some Janome models.

When shopping, check that the foot fits your machine model. The function is the same regardless of what the manufacturer calls it.