The Sure Foot for a strong and stable technique
As the UK HandiQuilter Educator for Pinhole Quilting I have been asked to do a review on the new Sure Foot. I know that sometimes companies bring out things that you tend to think are just a gimmick and you won’t use them much.
Well I can honestly say that this is not one of those.
At first glance you can see that the Sure foot is a lot deeper than the original ruler foot, and it has two grooves or dips on the top of the foot, one to the front and one to the right.
One of the main problems with the original foot is that rulers can often slip onto the top of the foot, and if you are not very careful you can strike the ruler with the needle and have the possibility of putting the timing out or worse.
The Sure foot almost totally eliminates that. We should all stop with the needle down when doing ruler work and it is when re-positioning the ruler that the ‘oh no’ moment can happen, particularly when you are working to the rear of the foot and you often hold the ruler in a manner similar to a contortionist.
Also, when using thick wadding or more than one layer, the ruler often sits proud of the top of the original foot and that is when you need to be very careful.
Original hopping foot supplied with machine which can be used for ruler work.
Compare to the new Sure Foot - the height difference is clear between this foot and the original hopping foot.
Personally, I love ruler work but I can see why some are a little shy of it when this can happen. However, the new foot is sooo much better. When the ruler is at the rear of the foot, with the needle down as it should be, there is no way that the ruler can jump onto the top of the foot, there just isn’t the space. When the ruler comes further to the front, and away from the danger area there is one small area where it can get a little closer, however, the needle bar is a lot closer to the foot and it tends to make it slip of rather than sit on top and is not nearly as ‘iffy’ as the original foot.
Direct comparison of the original hopping foot on the left and the new Sure Foot on the right.
The grooves in the foot aid the vision into the foot when doing normal fills etc, but can also be used to help placement as they are on the horizontal and vertical, and they also make it easier to visualize the centre of the foot when having to start in a particular spot.
I have done a short video to show the differences as I think visuals are easier to understand sometimes.
I have used it on a variety of rulers, straights, curves, circles etc and it really does feel a lot more secure to use. For those of you who are a little nervous of ruler work, I feel this will really help you. In short, I love this new foot and the name fits it so well.
The Sure Foot is available from Pinhole Quilting priced £49. UK P&P is £3.40. Please email quilt@pinholequilting.co.uk if you would like to place an order.
