Are you wanting to add a nice decorative element to your project, but you don’t want something that’s too complicated? Check out Pintuck Presser Feet!
What Does A Pintuck Presser Foot Do?
Grooves on the bottom of the pintuck foot make it really simple to stitch evenly spaced parallel rows. You begin by sewing one pintuck. The first one sewn will serve as a guide to continue making your other pintucks. This pintuck presser foot is ideal for adding decorative elements to pillows, bed covers, and even garments. It is also great for heirloom sewing.
What Type Of Fabric Should I Use?
Pintuck presser feet work best with light fabrics such as georgette or de chine; however, you can still use it on a medium weight woven fabric; the pintucks will just be a little less prominent, but it still adds interest to your project. As a good rule of thumb, the smaller the amount of grooves, the heavier the fabric you can use. The larger the amount of grooves, the lighter the fabric. To get the best height for your pintucks, you want to use the appropriate type of fabric.
What Does It Look Like?
There are numerous kinds of pintuck presser feet. Depending on your machine's make and model, availability will vary. Pictured below, we have a 5 Groove Pintuck Foot and a 7 Groove Pintuck foot. Both of these options are snap ons.
Things You'll Need To Use A Pintuck Foot
You'll need an extra spool pin or a thread stand. If you have a horizontal spool pin, make sure to use a spool cap. If you aren’t familiar with how to use a thread stand, make sure to check out our video. It will be included at the end of the attached video. An air erasable maker is really convenient. You will be able to easily mark where your first pintuck will be. Once the first one is sewn, it will serve as a guide to continue making your other pintucks. You will also need two spools of thread. I also find it helpful to have a small pair of scissors and some tweezers, just in case my thread breaks. Lastly, you'll need a twin needle.
What Machine Settings Should I Use?
There are a few things that you need to change on your machine when you are going to sew with pintuck presser feet. First, install a twin needle. I used a 2mm option.
Select a straight stitch and center needle position on your machine. Set your machine to a medium stitch length. You will also need to increase your thread tension. The higher the tension, the more prominent the pintucks are. Depending on your machine, a good starting point is a 5, but you can even go up as high as 7-9. Always test on scraps prior to working on your project to ensure that you will get the look you are going for. Line up the middle open groove of the presser foot with the line drawn and sew your first pintuck.
What Else Can You Do With A Pintuck Foot?
The deep-wide grooves on the bottom of pintuck presser feet can hold cording or yarn so that you can get nice detailed, prominent pintucks, that have structure. Make sure to check out our other video on the pintuck foot. We cover how to use cording with your pintuck foot. That video is also at the end of the attached video.
This foot is so fun to experiment with! Until next time, Happy Sewing everyone
