Almost every sewing machine comes with a small bag of metal feet, and most people use one of them for years. That is a shame, because two or three of the others solve problems that are otherwise genuinely difficult.
Here is what they are, in rough order of how often you will reach for them.
The Ones You Will Actually Use
Standard / zigzag foot
The one fitted when the machine arrives. A wide opening lets the needle swing side to side for zigzag and decorative stitches. Fine for the majority of straight and zigzag sewing.
Zipper foot
Narrow, and attaches so the needle can sew right up against a raised edge — a zip tooth, or piping cord. It can usually be positioned to the left or right of the needle depending which side of the zip you are sewing.
Worth knowing you can often manage without one; our guide on sewing a zip without a zipper foot covers the workaround.
Buttonhole foot
On modern machines this is a long sliding foot that holds the actual button, so the machine measures and sews a buttonhole to fit automatically. On mechanical machines it is a shorter foot used with a four-step dial process.
Blind hem foot
Has a vertical guide bar that rides against a fold, letting the needle catch just a thread or two of the outer fabric. Produces a hem that is nearly invisible from the right side. Fiddly to set up the first time, excellent once you have.
The Specialists Worth Buying
Walking foot
Feeds the top layer in step with the bottom. Essential for quilting, vinyl, leather and matched plaids — see what a walking foot is for the full explanation.
Free-motion / darning foot
A small hopping foot used with the feed dogs dropped, so you move the fabric yourself in any direction. This is how free-motion quilting and thread painting are done. It takes practice and it is very satisfying once it clicks.
Quarter-inch foot
For patchwork. Gives an accurate quarter-inch seam allowance, often with a metal guide to run the fabric edge against. If you piece quilts, this removes a constant source of cumulative error.
Overcasting foot
Has a small pin or brush over which the stitch forms, so an overcast edge does not curl up. A reasonable substitute for a serger if you only occasionally need finished edges — see serger versus sewing machine.
Rolled hem foot
A scrolled channel that turns the raw edge under twice as it feeds, producing a narrow hem on fine fabric in one pass. Genuinely tricky to start, and worth practising on scraps before using it on a project.
Invisible zipper foot
Grooved underneath to ride over the zip coil, letting you stitch closer than a standard zipper foot can. If you sew dresses or cushion covers with concealed zips, this is not optional.
Fitting Them
Most modern machines use a snap-on system: a shank stays attached, and feet clip on and off with a small lever. Some feet — walking feet especially — replace the whole shank and are held by the screw.
Check your shank height before buying: low shank is the most common on domestic machines, but high and slant shank exist. Buying the wrong one is the most common ordering mistake.
If You Are Buying Four
Standard, zipper, walking, and a quarter-inch foot if you quilt or a blind hem foot if you make garments. That covers most work.
Generic feet are usually fine and much cheaper. The exceptions are machines with proprietary mounting — some Bernina and Pfaff models — where the branded version genuinely fits better.
Feet Do Not Fix Everything
A specialist foot will not rescue a blunt needle or a badly threaded machine. If stitches are skipping or thread is tangling, start with why your thread bunches underneath and needle types before assuming you need new hardware.
