Friday, November 12, 2010

Do you sew with your shoes on?



I don't sew with my shoes on. Never have. I have more control over the foot petal when I'm just wearing socks, and for some reason, I can think better! Sewing with shoes on is like sitting by a fireplace that has a glass panel between you and the fire. So I always kick off my shoes when I sit down at the machine.

Of course if I'm hand-sewing, it doesn't matter if I have shoes on or not. Haha. So, do you sew with your shoes on or off?

70 comments:

Coloradolady said...

off always....I can not sew and control the machine with shoes on!!!

CJ said...

OFF! I wear Birkenstock sandals in my house - year round so I just kick the right one off. When I get up (numerous times) to iron or get new pieces from the cutting table I almost always slip my sandal back on...weird, I know.

~Michelle~ said...

Off :)

Vicky aka Stichr said...

off. even when i wore shoes, i kicked them off to sew. [now that i have no more carpet, i gave up shoes inside.]

Anonymous said...

Off for sure! Sometimes I'll wear socks, but usually I'm bare foot all the way!!!

Heidi said...

Off! We don't wear shoes in the house at all. Besides, I agree, I have much better control of the pedal with socks on. Even when I go to a class I kick of my shoes!

Diana said...

I sew with my plateform slippers on because I'm short and need the extra height to reach the pedal.

Sherri said...

I've never seen this question asked before...but I always take at least my right shoe off when I sew...usually both...but I have to have socks on because I don't like my feet to get cold!

beth said...

off. definitely.

Viki said...

definitely shoes off - i regularly walk around the sewing room with one slipper on and the other one off!!

Béa said...

off always ! :)

Julie said...

Definitely shoes off. I think it aids creativity too.

Unknown said...

shoes off

Oh Sew Addicted said...

barefoot! I like to "feel" the foot pedal!

stufenzumgericht said...

Dear Karen,
I've never thought about it, 'til I red your post *LOL* But I agree, that sewing with for example winter shoes ist a "no go" When I wear those home slippers, sewing feels o.k. Sometimes, I only sew with socks on my feet, but never barefeet ;-)
Martina

Anorina @SameliasMum said...

Always off. Can't feel the presser pedal otherwise.

Gill said...

Off
Gill

Juels said...

Shoes off! And if I am hand sewing, shoes are still off, but my feet are up. Life is good in (my) bare feet.

Sue Niven said...

Off! I prefer bare feet to socks at all times!

Sewing Junkie said...

Sew with my shoes off. I sometimes wear socks depends on the house temp. Some shoes are to stiff in the sole to get the pressure on the controller. Chris

Amy said...

I sew barefoot in the summer,...bootie type slippers in the winter.

Amy said...

Left one on, and right on off to feel the foot pedal, socks on, except for summer, when I am barefoot!

Joan said...

Now I feel like an oddball. I wear Birkenstock sandals in my house, too, and I keep them on when I sew. You should be careful when shoeless (or even in sandals for that matter) and using a rotary cutter. Drop it, and a trip to the emergency room for stitches could be in your immediate future.

patty a. said...

When I am sitting at the machine I take my right loafer off and then slip it back on when I get up to press or cut. My floors are very cold so I alway wear shoes or slippers.

Kiera-Oona said...

In the summer I sew with the shoes off. But in the winter, it somewhat depends on how thick of a sock Im wearing, or how cold it is. My sewing machine is right next to the window, and even though so is the heater, sometimes the drafts from the window gets a little overbearing on my toes.

GerryART said...

One shoe off,
one shoe on!
Actually, it's one slipper off and one slipper on.
More control on the foot feed with my my more or less bare foot. I usually wear my sox with my slippers.
Actually, my hand-knit sox. :^]
Hugs,
Gerry

Unknown said...

really? everybody without shoes?

I must be the weird one... I always keep my shoes on. or my slippers... even flip flops, it doesn't matter..

Nancy said...

Since I always wear shoes, flip-flops or something on my feet, I do sew with my shoes on. I was surprised a little while ago to find others don't wear shoes when sewing. Hmmmm.

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

Shoes on!

Mary said...

Usually have slippers on. Depending on where I am sewing, home or away, mandates if I have, slippers, socks, or shoes on.

Selvage Quilter said...

When I posed this question, I was afraid I might be the only person who sews with no shoes! Haha. Not so!
But Joan brings up a good warning: be careful not to drop your rotary cutter. Yikes.

Anya said...

Definitely off. I almost never wear shoes indoors...and I prefer going barefoot outdoors in the summer, too!

Unknown said...

Interesting to see that so many don't wear shoes. I never do. I am more relaxed without them. Being relaxed helps me to be more creative.

Jocelyn said...

Wow Karen, everyone seems to be shoeless. I've never been a barefoot girl, and usually wear flip flops year round (we live in Florida). I always sew with some kind of shoe on. I guess there are a couple of us around :-)

Elsa said...

definitely off, but just the right one ... the one on the petal! don't know why just one, it's always been that way. Even in a class I always take just that one shoe off!

Nancy said...

I always sewed without shoes..then August of 09 I stuck a needle into my left big toe... I took it out and thought all was fine until 3 days later...when my toe still hurt and was swollen. Was directed by my dr to head to the er where an xray showed that half the needle was still in there...hmm.. surgery the next morning took care of that...
AND SO... I still sew without shoes.. Turns out you CAN'T teach an old dog new tricks...lol

June Calender said...

Another off person. I've never taken classes or gone to group sewing events -- I wonder if every one is sitting around with their shoes off.

Kathryn said...

I'm a shoes off sewing also. Kathie L in Allentown

DianeY said...

Off always! But, living in Hawaii, my shoes are always off anyway!

Victoria Paige @ Boutique Uniquely said...

Shoes AND socks off! I feel the same way. Even if I'm wearing slippers or flip flops, when I sit down at the machine, they immediately come off.

I can't feel the pedal if I don't.

Laurie in Iowa said...

I wear my wool slippers and use my left foot.

Anonymous said...

Off! Even if I'm sewing at my LQS for a class or a sew night. At home, I never wear shoes. When I'm sewing elsewhere, I usually kick off my right shoe while sewing, and put it back on if I get up to walk around.

Connie said...

I'm in the minority here! I go barefooted all summer but I put one shoe ON when I sew - and when I get up to use the iron, etc. I kick the shoe off. In the winter, my floors are cold so I always wear shoes.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I'm in the minority too, always shoes ON. I was never allowed to go barefoot on the farm as a kid and just grew up with shoes on for everything. I don't wear slip on shoes (strange feet) so with tie shoes it is too much trouble to be on and off with shoes that lace. We all drive a car with shoes on, so why not the sewing machine.

conny's quilts en creaties said...

Shoes, boots , socks, bare feet, house shoes, no problem, I use it all to sew!

Tina Craig said...

If I'm piecing, I can have shoes on. If I'm free-motion quilting, I need to take them off for better speed control.

Pokey said...

Shoes OFF, preferably almost all the time....

Päivi said...

In a quilt meeting I have tried to sew with shoes on, but I can´t do it.

Mitt lille rosa syrom said...

Off. Never wear shoes in the house :-)

Trudi said...

Off definitely! And I've frequently been seen answering the front door with one shoe on and one shoe off! LOL

Cherie in St Louis said...

Off, definitely off :)

Rebecca Merry said...

I'm so glad I'm no longer alone! One shoe off, one shoe on! Never thought about it though! How funny!

Susan said...

Shoes off!

LN in TX said...

I ALWAYS sew with my shoes off - whether it's machine sewing or hand sewing.

Amy said...

No shoes. Took a class with Sue Nickels and she recommended sewing without your shoes to get the feel of the speed of your sewing machine when doing free motion quilting. It helps!

Cyndi said...

Just the right shoe comes off - and lately I've considered putting an extra sock on since that foot's getting cold! When I'm using my hand crank, though, I keep finding myself reaching for the foot pedal that isn't there.

Quilting_Chris said...

Always off. I don't think I have the right control with my shoes on.

ktquilts said...

Off, always off!!!

Denise in PA said...

I drive neither my sewing machine or my car with shoes on. o:)

Staci said...

Barefoot or socks if it is cold. =)

connie said...

On, always on. My studio is in my basement and has a concrete floor. to Cold for no shoes!!!

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

I guess I am one of the odd ball ones too. I sew with them on. Today I have hiking boots on, imagine that!

I have plantar faciaitis and it feels so much better to have shoew on.

glen

Dree said...

Off! Barefoot or socks doesn't matter. Depends on if I am cold or not :)

But I have to have shoes on to drive. This makes no sense to me.

lisa said...

I am so the oposite of you, I usually have my shoes on. Not always, but I tend to wear shoes around the house because I get cold all the time, even with furry socks on I get chilled and the shoes help me stay a little warmer. If I am hand sewing I Am usually curled up on my couch, so off the shoes go so I can tuck my feet under me.

Julianne said...

Ha! Great post! I also take at least one shoe off...always wondered what everyone else did!

Kathy said...

I generally sew barefoot, 2 reasons for this, I'd rather sew than house clean or do laundry, so to kill 2 birds with one stone I sew barefoot so I don't have to clean house or wash dirty socks (hahaha)! But I do keep a pair of slip on slippers near my machiene for when my toes get ccold.

Kathy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tine Hohl said...

shoes off and socks on :)

IdleHandsinAlabama said...

Shoes off! Sometimes socksm but ALWAYS no shoes... I drive the same way :)

Granny said...

Since this posting is still available, I thought I'd throw in my "2-cents".
I simply cannot sew with a shoe on. I walk around the house summer and winter in thongs. I add socks if the house is cool. When I sew, I always remove the right thong because as others have said, I need to feel the pedal. I can't imagine being able to sew with a shoe on.
Having said all this, there was a time when I sewed with shoes on, but that was when I was a little girl learning to sew on my mother's 1939 White Rotary which was in it's own table and was run by a knee pedal.(I still have this machine and it still runs beautifully) In the late 1960's my mother gifted me with one of those wonderful old Kenmore zig-zag model 158's. It took me a VERY long time to be comfortable with the foot pedal after using her machine for 10+ years!!