High Shank – Compensating Foot – Left Or Right 1.6mm

What Is A Compensating Foot?

This High Shank 1.6mm (1/16th Inch) Compensating Foot is a clever little sewing machine part, which is perfect for helping you to top-stitch thick fabrics. It will help you to compensate for that step up when you want to sew along the edge of thick fabrics, bulky seams, chunky hems or other raised fabric areas. These tricky fabric surfaces may leave other feet quaking in their boots (or should we say in their shanks?!). But with this nifty foot, you can confidently sew effortlessly over these uneven edges with ease. When a regular foot tries to sew along the edge of a chunky hem, the outer side tips downwards, which adds stress and strain to your needle, leading to uneven stitches, broken needles and thread breakages and messes, as well as a whole heap of frustration and unpicking. With the compensating foot, one side of the foot is higher than the other. The thick fabric simply fills in the missing space – like a wedge of paper under a wobbly table, it balances the compensating foot perfectly so that you can sew with a flat foot top and no needle strain. Our compensating feet have a little spring on the deeper side. This means that the foot is able to adjust the pressure to hold your thick fabric edge in place perfectly regardless of the exact thickness. And when you’re at the end? That clever little spring will help you spring up or down from your fabric cliff as easily as a gymnast dismounting from a beam. So, whether you’re stitching up a denim storm, making corduroy cool again, or creating thick cotton canvas masterpieces, this foot’s got you covered! Just select whether you want the left or right side compensated, to suit your favoured sewing style better.

How Do You Fit A Compensating Sewing Machine Foot?

First off, you’ll want to move your current foot out of the way. To do this, lift your presser foot up. Loosen the small screw on the side of the shank with a screwdriver, where it attaches to the bar and you can take that foot or snap-on adapter right off. Slide this 1/16th inch compensating foot into place and replace the screw, gently tightening it until it is secured in place. Line up your fabric edge so that the chunky fabric is under the shallow side of the foot, while the deep metal half fits snugle next to it on the other side, holding the foot up level.

Will This Compensating Foot Fit My Sewing Machine?

High-shank sewing machines are generally industrial-style sewing machines. If you are unsure if this foot is the perfect fit for your machine? Don’t fret, we’ve got your back. You can either see if you can spot your exact model of sewing machine in our compatible sewing machines list in the “More Information” tab, or have a read of our sewing machine feet guide to help you determine what fitting you need for your machine.  

Recommended Reading – Sewing Machine Feet Guide