My best sewing week in years was ruined by a single zipper foot

Last Tuesday I cranked out 7 tote bags in 2 days using a new pattern from a shop in Portland, then spent 4 hours fighting a stuck zipper foot on my old Singer and finally gave up and ordered a $12 replacement online, has anyone else had a project totally derailed by one dumb tool?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_carter1mo ago

Yeah I've been there. Easiest fix for stuck zipper feet is a drop of sewing machine oil on the screw threads and the little hinge part where it moves. Let it sit for ten minutes then wiggle it gently with pliers wrapped in tape so you don't scratch the foot. Sometimes they just get jammed from lint and old oil gunk. Also worth checking if your Singer uses a low shank or high shank foot since getting the wrong replacement is another headache waiting to happen.

kai_park18d ago

My friend Lisa had the exact same thing happen with her old Singer last month. She ended up having to take the whole presser foot holder off and soak it in WD-40 overnight before she could get the zipper foot loose.

milestaylor1mo ago

Tbh that zipper foot probably has a personal grudge against you. One time I spent three hours trying to force a buttonhole foot onto a machine that clearly wasn't compatible and ended up just snapping the thing in half out of pure rage. Hope the new one shows up before your sewing mojo totally evaporates.