Common Presser Feet and What They Do: A Reference Guide
Most sewing machines come with 4–8 presser feet, but the box doesn't always explain what each one is for. Here's a complete reference: which foot for which job.
When you unbox a new sewing machine, the accessory box usually contains four to eight presser feet — small metal or plastic attachments that change how the machine handles fabric. The manual rarely explains what each one does in detail. Beginners often use one foot for everything, missing the point of the others.
This guide covers the presser feet you’re likely to have or want, organized by purpose. Knowing which foot to pull out for which job dramatically improves stitch quality on certain projects.
What presser feet do
A presser foot has two jobs:
- Hold the fabric down against the feed dogs so the machine can feed it.
- Guide the fabric into the needle along a specific path, depending on the foot’s shape.
Different foot shapes optimize for different fabric situations. The general-purpose foot works for most things; specialty feet do specific things much better.
Presser foot attachment systems
Before diving in: there are three main shank types, and feet aren’t universally interchangeable.
- Low shank: most modern domestic machines (Brother, Singer, Janome, Bernina). Distance from the screw to the bottom of the foot is about 1/2 inch.
- High shank: some industrial-style machines and older models. Distance is about 1 inch.
- Slant shank: vintage Singers and a few others. Angled foot.
Generic feet sold as “low shank” fit most modern machines. If you’re buying additional feet, verify your machine’s shank type first.
Many modern machines use snap-on feet — a foot ankle stays on the machine, and feet clip onto it without unscrewing. This is faster than fully unscrewing each time.
The general-purpose foot (zigzag foot)
The default. Wide enough to accommodate the zigzag stitch’s left-and-right needle motion. Made of metal or clear plastic.
Use for: almost everything. Straight stitching, zigzag, decorative stitches, basic seams.
This is the foot installed on your machine when you buy it, and the one you’ll use 80% of the time.
The straight stitch foot
Narrower than the zigzag foot, with a single small hole for the needle. The narrow opening provides more support around the needle, preventing fabric from being pushed down into the bobbin area on fine fabric.
Use for: straight stitching on fine, lightweight fabric (silk, voile, organza). Topstitching where precision matters. Heirloom sewing techniques.
You can sew straight stitches with the regular zigzag foot, but for delicate work, the straight stitch foot reduces puckering and skipped stitches.
The zipper foot
Narrow foot with a single offset shank position — sometimes left of the needle, sometimes right, depending on the foot. Some zipper feet are adjustable so the same foot can be moved to either side.
Use for:
- Inserting zippers (the foot allows the needle to sew right alongside the zipper teeth without the foot bumping into them).
- Sewing piping or cording (the foot tucks against the cord, allowing the needle to sew close to it).
- Topstitching very close to a thick seam edge.
Almost every machine includes a basic zipper foot. Invisible zipper installation typically requires a separate invisible zipper foot (covered below).
The invisible zipper foot
Specialty foot with two grooves on the bottom that hold an invisible zipper’s teeth in place as you sew. The needle drops between the teeth, hidden by the zipper’s wrapped fabric edges.
Use for: invisible zipper insertion (the kind hidden inside a seam, common in dresses and skirts).
You can install an invisible zipper with a regular zipper foot, but the dedicated foot makes it dramatically easier and cleaner. Worth buying if you sew dresses, skirts, or pillows with invisible zippers regularly.
The buttonhole foot
A foot specifically designed to make buttonholes. Modern machines often include a single-step automatic buttonhole foot — you place the button into a holder on the back of the foot, and the machine sizes the buttonhole to match.
Use for: making buttonholes.
Older machines use a four-step buttonhole foot, where you manually advance the machine through four positions to complete each buttonhole.
The automatic buttonhole foot is a major time-saver if you sew button-front shirts, dresses, or any garment with multiple buttonholes.
The walking foot
A foot with its own feed dogs on top, synchronized to the machine’s lower feed dogs. Both layers of fabric move together rather than the top layer drifting.
Use for:
- Quilting (multiple layers).
- Slippery fabric.
- Velvet, plush, fleece.
- Pattern matching across long seams.
- Multiple thick layers in bag construction.
We have a complete guide on the walking foot in detail.
The free-motion foot (darning foot)
A small spring-loaded foot that hops up and down with each needle stitch, allowing free movement of fabric in any direction. Used with feed dogs dropped.
Use for:
- Free-motion quilting.
- Free-motion embroidery.
- Darning small holes.
A specialty foot for advanced techniques. Skip until you’re ready for free-motion work.
The blind hem foot
A foot with a small flange in the centre that runs along the fold of a hem, allowing the needle to make a tiny invisible stitch into the garment fabric while the rest of the stitches go into the hem allowance.
Use for: machine blind hemming on trousers, skirts, and curtains.
A blind hem is the kind of nearly-invisible hem you see on ready-to-wear pants — only a tiny dimple shows from the right side. It takes practice to do well, but the foot makes it possible.
For hand-sewn invisible hems (a slip stitch by hand), see our 10 essential hand stitches guide.
The overcasting foot
A foot with a small post in the centre that holds the fabric edge in position while the zigzag stitch wraps around it — preventing the edge from rolling under the foot during stitching.
Use for: overcasting raw edges on woven fabric (a substitute for a serger). The result is a clean serger-like finish using a regular sewing machine.
A useful foot for sewers without a serger. Pair with a wide zigzag stitch for best results.
The buttonhole sewing-on foot (button foot)
A small foot with no feed dog interaction, used to sew on buttons by stitching back and forth in zigzag motion to attach the button.
Use for: machine-attaching buttons (faster than hand-sewing for projects with many buttons).
Drop the feed dogs (or cover them, if your machine has a cover plate) so the button doesn’t move during stitching.
The roll hem foot (narrow hemmer)
A foot with a small spiral or curl that automatically rolls a narrow fabric edge over twice as it feeds, producing a narrow rolled hem in a single pass.
Use for: narrow rolled hems on lightweight fabric — napkins, scarves, ruffles.
Difficult to use well at first. Takes practice. Once mastered, dramatically faster than folding hems by hand.
The pintuck foot
A foot with multiple grooves underneath, designed to create parallel raised tucks (pintucks) when sewn over fabric using a twin needle.
Use for: decorative pintucks on heirloom-style garments and children’s wear.
Specialty foot. Skip unless you’re specifically interested in this technique.
The ruffler foot
A heavy mechanical foot that automatically gathers or pleats fabric as you sew, with adjustable settings for gather depth.
Use for: making long ruffles, tiered skirts, gathered curtains.
If you sew lots of ruffled or tiered projects, this saves enormous time vs hand-gathering. For occasional use, manual gathering is fine.
The cording / piping foot
A foot with a groove underneath that accommodates a piping cord, allowing the needle to sew closely alongside the cord without crushing it.
Use for: making and inserting piping into seams (decorative trim seen on cushions, jacket edges, upholstery).
The zipper foot can substitute, but the dedicated piping foot is more accurate.
The teflon (low-friction) foot
A foot coated with a low-friction material on the bottom — usually Teflon or a similar plastic. Glides over fabric that would stick under a metal foot.
Use for:
- Vinyl, leather, oilcloth.
- Coated fabrics (laminated cotton, waxed canvas).
- Fabric that resists feeding under a metal foot.
A useful upgrade if you sew bags, raincoats, or projects involving non-traditional fabrics.
Edge stitching / quarter inch foot
A foot with a small flange that runs along the fabric edge, ensuring stitches are exactly 1/4 inch (or whatever distance the flange is set at) from the edge.
Use for:
- Topstitching at exactly 1/4 inch.
- Quilt piecing (where 1/4 inch seams are the standard).
- Any project where edge consistency matters.
Quilters use this foot constantly. Garment sewers use it occasionally for topstitching.
Other specialty feet
A few less-common but occasionally useful:
- Bias tape binder foot: applies bias binding to a fabric edge in a single pass.
- Smocking foot: creates evenly gathered smocking.
- Hemmer feet (various widths): rolled hem feet at different sizes.
- Quilt-in-the-ditch foot: a foot with a centre guide that runs along an existing seam, allowing topstitching exactly in the seam line.
- Open toe applique foot: an open-front foot for visibility during applique work.
These are project-specific. Buy as needed.
Building a foot collection
A reasonable order to acquire feet, starting from your machine’s included set:
- General purpose / zigzag (always included).
- Zipper foot (almost always included).
- Buttonhole foot (almost always included).
- Walking foot (after your first quilt or knit project).
- Invisible zipper foot (after your first dress with a zipper).
- Overcasting foot (if no serger).
- Edge stitching foot (when topstitching consistency becomes important).
- Free-motion / darning foot (when ready for quilting).
- Specialty feet as projects demand.
Most home sewers stop at the first six. The rest accumulate slowly over years.
Storage and labelling
Feet are easy to lose. Store them:
- In the original case if available.
- In a small parts organizer (the kind sold for screws and beads).
- Each labelled with masking tape and a marker if not obvious by sight.
Most beginners find a “miscellaneous feet drawer” works fine; once you have 10+ feet, organization helps.
Quick reference table
| Foot | Used for | Essential? |
|---|---|---|
| General-purpose (zigzag) | All-purpose sewing, default for most stitches | ★ Yes |
| Straight stitch | Single-layer fine fabric, slippery silk | Optional |
| Zipper foot | Regular zippers, piping, top-stitching close to edges | ★ Yes |
| Invisible zipper foot | Invisible zippers (dresses, skirts) | If sewing dresses |
| Buttonhole foot | Automatic buttonholes | ★ Yes |
| Walking foot | Quilting, knits, multiple layers, vinyl | If quilting/knits |
| Overcasting / overlock foot | Edge finishing without serger | Optional |
| Blind hem foot | Invisible hems on trousers, skirts | Optional |
| Rolled hem foot | Narrow rolled hems on lightweight fabric | Optional |
| 1/4” foot | Quilt piecing | Quilters only |
| Free-motion / darning foot | Free-motion quilting, embroidery | Quilters only |
| Teflon (non-stick) foot | Vinyl, leather, oilcloth, laminated cotton | Project-specific |
| Gathering foot | Gathering long lengths quickly | Optional |
| Cording / piping foot | Piping for cushions, garments | Optional |
Closing thought
The right foot for the job is one of the small techniques that separates beginners from experienced sewers. It’s not obvious from the box that the zipper foot is for piping too, or that the overcasting foot can substitute for a serger on small projects. Knowing this just shortens the path to clean results.
Read your machine’s manual to identify each foot it shipped with. Try each one on scrap fabric. After fifteen minutes you’ll have a clear sense of what your kit contains and which feet you’ll be using next project.
For the broader sewing toolkit, see our essential sewing tools guide.