Over the last few months I have heard tons of people talking about a “Compensating Foot”, claiming that they were wonderful for attaching binding.
Since that is one of my LEAST favorite quilting tasks, I decided to get one and try it out.
When it arrived, I was interested to see that one side of the foot is lower than the other….
It is even more apparent when viewed from the front….
The idea being that you can put a fabric under the foot with the edge against the lowered edge….
…..and sew…..
I love that the stitching stays so very close to the edge….without having to control it myself!!
I used the foot when binding a recent charity quilt…..
….and it worked REALLY well…..
My only concern with the foot is that I normally use a walking foot so I have more control over the fluff of the batting.
I will need to try it on a few more bindings before I make up my mind.
If you have one, do you like it??
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I’ve tried that one also, but my favorite is a stitch in the ditch foot. I sew my binding to the front of the quilt like I was going to hand sew it on the back. I then turn the binding to the back and cover the seam where it was sewn and stitch it in the ditch on the front side in the seam. The blade on the stitch in the ditch foot keeps it from wobbling.
I don’t have a “Stitch in the Ditch” foot but it sounds like it would work really well in this situation. My binding is normally a bit wider on the front which means that I almost have to sew from the front. Thanks for sharing your solution!!
I have used a compensating foot several times for binding. While I find it does do well, it does seem to do best for thin batting or fleece and binding fabric that is firmly woven and less prone to shifting and stretching. If I have any premonition that the foot might cause the binding to ripple, I will use my Janome 9400 with Accu-feed feet to machine stitch binding in place with a serpentine stitch. Also, I am somewhat lazy and like to cut my binding a standard 2.5 inches wide. The serpentine stitch secures the width of the binding with good coverage and looks great especially for quilts that are loved, used, and in need of frequent laundering. Additionally, for special quilts, I am willing to sit through a couple nights of movies or audio books for entertainment while I slip stitch binding in place. Currently, my Juki 2010 is misbehaving so I will be opting for machine binding on the Janome 9400 until I can schedule an appointment while the machine is serviced and I shop.
Hi Sally. I had wondered if it would be as good at keeping things flat. I normally use my Walking Foot for binding. When I tried it first, I found a bit of ruffling but next time I am going to release the foot pressure a bit and see if that helps. I do love the even stitch that it gives!! Your solution on the Janome sounds perfect!!
This is the first I’ve ever heard of a compensating foot. Thanks for the article.