If zips are the part of a project you quietly dread, the foot is usually the reason. A standard presser foot can't get close enough to the teeth, so the stitching ends up too far out, and the zipper head stops you halfway along the seam.
An adjustable zipper foot solves both problems, and this short tutorial covers exactly how to use one: setting it up for needle clearance, keeping the zipper aligned with a glue stick instead of pins, and moving smoothly around the zipper head.
What you'll learn
- How to adjust the foot so the needle clears it properly
- A glue stick trick that keeps the zipper aligned without pins
- How to manoeuvre around the zipper head without a jog in your stitching
Check the needle clears before you press the pedal
This is the step to never skip. After moving the foot or changing needle position, turn the handwheel by hand through one full stitch and watch the needle drop. If it strikes the foot you'll hear it, and you've cost yourself nothing. At speed, the same mistake bends or snaps the needle and can knock your timing out.
Why the zipper head is where seams go wrong
The pull sits proud of the tape, so as you sew towards it the foot climbs and your stitching line bends away from the teeth. That kink is the giveaway on a homemade zip.
The fix is to stop with the needle down before you reach the pull, lift the foot, and slide the pull past the needle behind you — then put the foot down and carry on along the line you were already sewing. The needle staying down is what holds your position.
One foot, several jobs
Because an adjustable zipper foot is really a guide that lets you stitch close to a raised edge, it isn't only for zips. The same setup works for piping, cording and any seam where a bulky element sits right beside the stitching line.
Before you buy a foot
Presser feet are matched to your machine's shank type and mounting style, so check whether yours is high shank or low shank first — our guide to high shank vs low shank presser feet explains how to tell. If you'd rather we confirmed it for you, send us the model through our parts request form.
Where to go next
Put it straight to use with our lined zipper pouch tutorial, which uses this foot for the whole project. Our presser feet guide covers the rest of the accessory box, and the Janome edge guide foot tutorial covers another adjustable foot worth knowing.
Shop machine parts and accessories, Janome parts and fabric glue sticks.