Presser Feet for the Vintage Montgomery Ward

It is extremely difficult to come across an actual vintage walking foot for Montgomery Ward machines however you can purchase a generic low shank walking foot. I purchased my walking foot from my local Bernina dealership. It's a Quilters' Resource Gerneric Low Shank Walking Foot and Plaid Matcher part #10449. It's manufactured and sold by Brewer Quilting and Sewing Supply and should be available at your local Bernina dealership. If you would prefer to purchase it over the web I would recommend these links...

http://www.vacsew.com/walking-foot-low-shank-center-needle-10449-rwa1.html 
http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/deluxe+walking+foot+low+shank.do
http://www.amazon.com/Distinctive-Premium-Walking-Machine-Presser/dp/B003Q3L200/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1318710144&sr=8-5

I can guarantee that the foot from vacsew.com will work as it is the exact same model that I have on my Montgomery Ward. Nancy's notions and Amazon are very reputable sellers but be sure to check their return policies before purchase.

I also have a Nifty Notions Free Motion Quilting and Darning Foot (another Quilters' Resources Inc. product) but to be honest I'm less then impressed with it. The only time I've used it I broke three needles stippling a 8 x 10 inch doll quilt. That is most likely due to piloting error (I'm not a big quilting person). If in the future I decide to stipple another quilt I may just pick up a leather rolling foot.  

I recently went to a sewing expo where I saw a demonstrator use a Bernina leather rolling foot to create tight circles and spirals. He then proceeded to wow the crowd with a simple large stipple pattern. I would have bought the leather rolling foot on the spot if it had been the type to fit on my machine, which of course it wasn't. The wonderful thing about it was that the stitches all came out the same length with the roller (and they most definitely didn't with the free motion foot). The downfall is that the leather roller won't make super tight and small stipples and I'm not sure that it will work well with high loft quilt batting.

The generic low shank leather rollers don't look a thing like Bernina's and I don't know if they will work as well but I put one on my wish list anyway. I hope you find a great free motion foot - if you do be sure to let me know about it.

My Vintage Sewing Machine - Montgomery Ward UHT J1277

I inherited my sewing machine several years ago after my father passed away. While it was not my mother's sewing machine he loved it dearly - he called it his "button sewer". My father was a practical man, I think he bought his machine with two things in mind; one, it is a little power horse and two it can sew buttons on clothes.

To be honest I knew nothing about owning a vintage sewing machine when I brought it home. It needed so much equipment - my dad may have bought a good machine but he didn't buy any of the peripheries - it needed needles, bobbins, bobbin casings, presser feet, cams, and belts. Blarg. Imagine my surprise when I learned that finding Montgomery Ward parts was next to impossible. I was so depressed. Thank the powers that be for my local Bernina dealer "The Sewing Palace."

Believe it or not those ladies know about more than just Bernina sewing machines - they knew that my Montgomery Ward could be repaired using Singer parts and that I could use generic manufactured class 15 metal bobbins, bobbin casings, and belts and Schmetz universal needles and that my machine would be compatible with most low shank presser feet. The only thing they couldn't help me with were cams - cams appear to be machine specific and while I have since found and purchased Montgomery Ward cams that are compatible with my machine I am curious if others will work but hesitant to spend money on them (if you know please tell me).

She sews like a dream, emitting a pleasant little whir as the motor takes on most every fabric I throw at her - including layers of denim and leather - without a stopping. Her one downfall is her satin stitch foot. It drags on the top layer of fabric causing it to pucker and create uneven stitches so I have become an addict of the walking foot I purchased for quilting. I think I will buy one of those Teflon open toed feet to see if it will fix the problem. Until I do the cams go unused - nothing can destroy a decorative stitch faster than uneven feed.