DIY Quilt Batting Foot

[R]

I recently found myself faced with the task of sewing a dozen or so yards of quilt batting for an art project.

I cut some flat plastic sheet from a produce container and made what I’d call a ‘batting sole’.  It goes under the normal foot of your sewing machine, like the sole of a shoe under your foot.  Took me about a half hour to make the first one, and only 5 – 10 minutes to trace the pattern to make another.  Worked like a charm – I could run 1″ batting through the machine like ordinary fabric.  I expect this to scale well to thicker stuff.

The only trouble I got in to was when I had the machine set to a wide zig-zag and zero length – I did this to anchor a new stitch – and lay down enough horizontal layers of thread to create a lump.  Then when I ran the foot over that, it pulled the batting sole, which bent and got dragged with the fabric under the needle and I sewed right through it – hence, making a second one.

Tools used: cutting wheel (optional), xacto blade, scissors.

Strangely, a google image search shows nothing similar.  Nearest options are wheel-based gadgets.

The rear flap has a hole cut in it to accept the leg (?) of your machine.  The side flaps have straight rear edges which press against the folded up rear flap – this is what prevents the sole from being dragged under the foot by the fabric.

[Elliott Wolin]

You might consider a walking foot attachment (not a walking foot machine, that’s different).  I see them on Ebay in various sizes (maybe two, long and short arm).  I find they work much better than a fixed foot, on everything from thin silnylon to thick insulation.

[R]

Thanks for clarifying that distinction.  I may go pick one up.

The problem I solved for myself that a walking foot attachment wouldn’t (at least as far as what I saw in my quick search) is the ‘toes’ of the foot snagging strands of fiber from the upper layers of insulation.  My gadget ensures the foot stays on top.

[Author]

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