Walking Foot (Even Feed Foot)

A walking foot (also called an even feed foot) has its own built-in feed dogs that grip the top layer of fabric, moving it in sync with the machine's feed dogs feeding the bottom layer. This prevents the layers from shifting during quilting, which is critical when quilting through the thick quilt sandwich. Walking feet are used for straight-line quilting, quilting in the ditch, and sewing through multiple thick layers (like binding). They are also essential for matching stripes and plaids across seams.