Types of Presser Feet for the Fabricator® Sewing Machine
Note: Unless a presser foot set comes with its own feed dog (as with the Smooth Leather Foot Set), you will pair any of these presser feet with the Sawtooth Feed Dog that comes with your Fabricator Sewing Machine package.
Sawtooth Foot & Feed Dog
Top left: front of presser foot. Bottom left: bottom of presser foot.
This is the standard foot and feed dog set that comes with your Fabricator package. This is the presser foot that you will likely use for most of your projects, including canvas, awning and upholstery projects, as well as slick materials and applications. The teeth on the feeding surfaces are very defined so that when the needle is up, the outside foot holds the assembly in place. It grips the fabric so your material layers won't shift around, resulting in beautiful, even stitches. You can use the Sawtooth Foot on any material without risk of marring or leaving marks. Check out the list below for some specific material types and uses.
You can sew 8mm to the left of the needle and 6mm to the right of the needle.
Potential Uses:
- Upholstery
- Denim
- Vinyl
- Cushion fabric
- Cover fabric
- Canvas
- Awning/canopy fabric
- Webbing
- General hobby projects
Cording Foot Sets — 3/16 Inch & 1/4 Inch
Top left: front of 3/16-inch cording foot. Bottom left: bottom of foot.
We offer two sizes of Cording Foot Sets for the Fabricator. Cording feet are used to sew piping for upholstery, cushions, pillows and decorative pieces. How do you know which size cording foot you need for your piping? If you're sewing firm piping cord, we recommend using the same size cording foot as the piping. If you're sewing soft or braided piping, go up a cording foot size. This will prevent the cording foot from potentially crushing a soft piping as you sew, which will cause your stitching to wander and not look as neat and straight.
Our 3/16-inch foot is the most common foot for sewing piping. It's recommended for sewing firm piping with a 3/16-inch diameter or smaller, and it also works great for our 5/32-inch-diameter piping. Our larger cording foot, the 1/4-inch foot, is the most versatile. If you only want to invest in one cording foot, choose the 1/4-inch. It's recommended for sewing piping with a 1/4-inch or smaller diameter. It can also sew 9/32-inch soft or braided piping and 5/32-inch medium welting cord paired with a thick upholstery or vinyl fabric.
Top left: front of 1/4-inch cording foot. Bottom left: bottom of foot.
Our Cording Foot Sets are engineered to take curves smoothly without getting stuck or walking over the cording. The cutout at the rear of the outside foot allows for the piping cord to take a sharp turn without the foot compressing the piping at the turn, as other cording feet often do. Our cording feet are specifically designed by Sailrite to make sewing piping easy. All you have to do is guide the fabric assembly. You don't have to worry about keeping piping in the tunnel of the foot. Both sets include the inside and outside presser feet, and they all have smooth bottom surfaces as well.
Potential Uses:
- Upholstery work
- Decorative accents
- Cushions and pillows
Double Cording Foot Set
Top right: front of cording foot. Bottom right: bottom of cording foot.
The Double Cording Foot Set is used to sew your own double piping using double cording (also known as double welting cord). This style of piping is typically used to add a finishing touch to upholstery projects. It's great for hiding raw edges where fabric has been pulled and stapled in place. Both feet in the Double Cording Foot Set have smooth bottom surfaces.
The Double Cording Foot Set sews 5/32-inch double welting cord. After you've sewn the double cording, glue or staple the piping to your upholstery project where the fabric meets the frame. It can also be used to hide gaps between this transition area on a furniture piece. You do not use double cording on pillows or cushions.
Potential Uses:
- Upholstery work
- Decorative accents
Smooth Leather Foot Set
Top left: front of presser foot. Bottom left: bottom of presser foot.
We recommend the Smooth Leather Foot Set for leather that's prone to scuffing and marring. The inside and outside presser feet are designed without teeth so they won’t damage, scuff or mar leather or delicate materials. The inside foot has an open channel in front of the needle that allows you to see where the needle will pierce the material — very important for slow, precise leather sewing. The open channel also makes it easier to follow a marked line on your application. Rounding out the set is the matching feed dog with a smooth surface that won't scratch or mar the underside of your leather.
You can sew 6mm to the left and right of the needle.
Potential Uses:
- Very delicate leather
- Oil tanned leather
- Silk
- Loose knits
- Cork fabric
Narrow Foot Set
Top right: front of presser foot. Bottom right: bottom of presser foot.
This is the narrowest presser foot we offer and the set includes both the inside and outside feet. The outside foot is narrow on both sides, allowing you to get close to zippers, seams and fabric edges. In fact, you can use the Narrow Foot Set in place of the Left or Right Zipper Foot to sew zippers, though this presser foot doesn't get as close to the zipper teeth as the zipper feet.
It's also a great choice when sewing large thickness transitions, such as sewing a cushion where piping on a plate meets piping at a seam or when sewing a handle to a bag. The Narrow Foot Set walks up and down transitions in material layers better than other Fabricator presser feet. This presser foot set gives you the best grip possible with the narrowest presser feet available.
You can sew 4mm to the left and right of the needle.
Potential Uses:
- Bags and purses
- Large thickness transitions
- Sewing zippers
- Very delicate leather
- Oil tanned leather
Left Zipper Foot
Top right: front of presser foot. Bottom right: bottom of presser foot.
A zipper foot is a very useful presser foot to have in your sewing accessories toolbox. A wide variety of sewing projects involve zippers — everything from cushions and pillows to bags and backpacks. If you are a boat owner, your canvas projects (bimini, dodger, sail pack) will likely have zippers. The Left Zipper Foot is a good investment for your sewing career, and it is, by far, used more often than the Right Zipper Foot. In addition to zippers, you can also use the zipper foot to sew large piping and boltrope on sail edges. The Left Zipper Foot has a smooth bottom, so it's great to use on clear vinyl and leather applications with zippers as it won't scuff the application.
The Left Zipper Foot has the right side of the foot removed, which allows you to sew right next to the zipper teeth. With the needle on the right and the presser foot on the left, this allows the bulk of your sewing application to rest on the outside of the machine, which keeps it out from under the arm of the machine and gives you plenty of room to maneuver your project as you sew.
Needle Position: Right
Foot Position: Left
You can sew 6mm to the left and 3mm to the right of the needle.
Potential Uses:
- Cushions and pillows
- Bags and purses
- Garments
- Extra-large piping
- Marine projects — biminis, enclosures, genoa sleeves, etc.
- Installing a curved zipper on an enclosure
- Boltrope on sail edges
- Outdoor gear — tents, sleeping bags, etc.
Right Zipper Foot
Top right: front of presser foot. Bottom right: bottom of presser foot.
The Right Zipper Foot is missing the left toe and is the counterpart to the Left Zipper Foot. With the Right Zipper Foot, the needle is on the left and the presser foot is on the right. This means that most sewing assemblies are positioned under the sewing machine arm. Because of this orientation, the Right Zipper Foot is less commonly used than the Left Zipper Foot.
Just like the Left Zipper Foot, this foot also has a smooth bottom, which makes it ideal for clear vinyl and leather sewing, as the smooth feeding surface won't scratch or damage delicate surfaces. Check out the list below for potential projects and uses for the Right Zipper Foot.
Needle Position: Left
Foot Position: Right
You can sew 3mm to the left and 6mm to the right of the needle.
Potential Uses:
- Cushions and pillows
- Bags and purses
- Garments
- Extra-large piping
- Marine projects — biminis, enclosures, genoa sleeves, etc.
- Installing a curved zipper on an enclosure
- Outdoor gear — tents, sleeping bags, etc.
Shop Right Zipper Presser Foot
Left & Right Edge Guides
Top left: front of Left Edge Guide. Bottom left: bottom of Left Edge Guide. The guide is to the left of the needle.
The Left and Right Edge Guide presser feet are incredibly useful when topstitching. The only difference between the two edge guides is on which side of the needle the guide is located. On the Left Edge Guide, the guide is to the left of the needle and on the Right Edge Guide it's to the right of the needle. Choosing between the two edge guides depends on the location of your seam. With the Left Edge Guide, your topstitch will be 5/32-inch (4mm) to the right of the edge guide and with the Right Edge Guide your topstitch will be 5/32-inch (4mm) to the left of the guide.
Top right: front of Right Edge Guide. Bottom right: bottom of Right Edge Guide. The guide is to the right of the needle.
The edge guide follows a fabric edge, allowing you to maintain perfectly straight stitches through large or long sewing projects. When you can't use a magnetic sewing guide to maintain a straight stitch line, these guides are what you need. The spring-loaded guide slides smoothly along the fold of your seam and consistently stays on top of the fabric so you never lose your spot and the stitch remains perfectly straight.
These presser feet are great for sewing a French seam because you can use the same foot on both sides of the topstitching so that your topstitches are both an equal distance from the seam underneath, giving your project a very neat and professional look. The edge guides are also very useful when creating a semi flat felled seam.
Left Edge Guide:
Needle Position: Right
Guiding Edge: Left
With the Left Edge Guide, your stitch will be 4mm to the right of the inside edge of the guide.
Right Edge Guide:
Needle Position: Left
Guiding Edge: Right
With the Right Edge Guide, your stitch will be 4mm to the left of the inside edge of the guide.
Potential Uses:
- Topstitching
- French seams
- Hemming
Shop Right Edge Guide Foot Set
See Our Presser Feet in Action!
Interested in a demonstration of how our Fabricator presser feet perform? Watch this short video detailing every presser foot and its advantages and capabilities. Take your sewing skills to the next level with the right presser foot.
We hope you've found this detailed explanation of the presser feet we offer for your Fabricator Sewing Machine helpful and useful. Now that you know what each presser foot does and which applications they are best suited for, your sewing potential is limitless! Did you find this blog helpful? Are there any presser feet you think we're missing? What presser feet would you like to see us carry for the Fabricator? Let us know in the comments section below!