Last evening, I was sitting outside as the sun went down, thumbing through one of the first sewing books that I owned, and I stopped on the page talking about extra presser feet available for your sewing machine. I instantly remembered the first three accessory feet I purchased 38 years ago for my Singer 6233; a walking foot, a button sew-on foot and an overedge foot. I distinctly remember buying these three feet and feeling like such a “big shot” because sewing was proving not to be just a passing fancy. It was an interesting fate because here I am now owning a business that sells presser feet to sewers around the globe and I now own every presser foot that there is, but at one time I only had the four basic feet that came with my machine. As a new sewer, I knew these three feet would help me do a better job with the clothing I was making. With each passing garment, I was growing more aware of how bad my seam finishes were and stripes weren’t staying matched as I sewed, and there was no way I was sewing buttons on BY HAND!
Though I had recently heard of sergers, I had yet to understand their wonder. And even if I had, I was a kid, I couldn’t afford one anyway. My zig-zagged seam edges looked terrible, edges curled into little hard rolls looking very homemade. The Overcast Foot was an amazingly helpful compromise! The edges were much flatter and therefore, less conspicuous! A solution only cost a few dollars! Who knew it would be so easy?
I was just beginning to get comfortable with using the 4-step buttonholer built into my machine, so of course, buttons needed to be sewn on. “Hand sewing” is a dirty word and I would rather get hit by a bus than ever do it, so I didn’t then, and I don’t now, and never will in my future; the Button Sewing Foot allowed me to sew buttons on in a flash. While you can use a standard zig-zag foot, the button tends to shoot out from underneath or shift and gets obliterated by the needle coming down. The Button Sewing Foot was worth every penny!
And finally, the walking foot or “Even Feed Foot” as it was called, it promised to keep stripes lined up as you sew, and that’s what I needed as I loved sewing with striped fabrics! Lo and behold, it actually kept those stripes matched! With each project, my sewing got better and better! Things began to progress from home made to hand made. Some of it, of course, had to do with skills improving, but looking back now, I see it was also very much because I invested in tools that would benefit my sewing to make it more professional looking and also bring more joy to my art. Presser feet, scissors, rulers, irons, sewing machines, these are all investments that can inspire us to sew better than we did yesterday if we choose the right ones. Invest time and money in tools that will help you, whether you sew for a business or for pleasure, you deserve things that will make sewing easier and more fun!
How about you, do you remember the first presser foot that you ever bought or a foot that you bought that is so essential for you that wished you had purchased it years ago? I hope you still get excited to pick out a new tool to make sewing easier and more fun!
