Presser foot

A presser foot is an attachment used with sewing machines to hold fabric flat as it is fed through the machine and stitched. Sewing machines have feed dogs in the bed of the machine to provide traction and move the fabric forward, while the sewer provides extra support for the fabric by guiding it with one hand. The presser foot holds the fabric down against the feed dogs, enabling them to apply forward force to the underside of the fabric, and keeps the fabric flat so that it does not rise and fall with the needle and pucker as it is stitched. It is typically spring-hinged, providing some flexibility as the workpiece moves beneath it while maintaining the correct level of force against the feed dogs.

The presser foot assists the feed dogs passively, contributing nothing to the forward force they apply to the underside of the workpiece. When especially thick workpieces are to be sewn, such as quilts, forward force may also be needed at the top of the workpiece and a specialized attachment called a walking foot is often used rather than a presser foot.

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