5 Best Walking Foot Sewing Machines for Leather

Sewing machines with different fabric sets; some are light, others are midweight, and some are heavy. But usually, a sewing machine can deal with most materials and sew thread.

Till, of course, it encounters the leather.

Leather is a tough fabric; it is hard to sew thread on it, and its texture is so different from other fabrics that it usually slips out of place. More often than not, a specialized machine or equipment has to deal with it.

There are specialized sewing machines for leather; those equipped well to power thread over it. One of these is the walking foot sewing machines for leather.

What is it exactly, and how does it differ from regular sewing machines?

Why Walking Foot Sewing Machine For Leather?

A presser foot is the part of the sewing machine that puts the material in place, regardless of the fabric type.

It pushes on the fabric as the sewist moves the material to sew thread, with the sewist moving the material to make stitches.

There are several kinds of sewing feet, and some of them deal with specialized materials or allow the machine to do some unique stitching.

Some are for a straight hem, for instance, others are for quilting, and others still are for other parts of garments like a zipper.

Whatever the case, the principle is to keep those fabrics or materials in place and smoothen them to make the correct stitches.

If the fabric keeps moving, you cannot make the right stitches; a faulty sewing project results, for it will make for unaligned sewing.

Because leather is an altogether different fabric, sewing is tricky, and you need a walking foot more often.

A walking foot evens and smoothens the material, making it straight so it will not have uneven sewing.

It grips the fabric on top and helps to move it under the needle; the other one walks to it, drives it backward, and stitches again, hence, the term “walking foot.”

A walking foot walks with the fabric. The difference between a regular sewing machine and a walking foot sewing machine is that the latter is primarily geared toward helping the foot walk over the material.

The overall working mechanism of a walking foot sewing machine is to ensure that the foot walks over the material, which provides even stitching.

A walking foot sewing machine for leather is a machine geared towards ensuring that leather will not move, as the foot moves, ensuring even stitches to this rigid material.

Best Walking Foot Sewing Machines For Leather: Our Top Picks

Here are our best selections for walking foot sewing machines for leather:

If you want to handle thick leather materials, power through them, and sew thread like butter but still want to save space, nothing is ideal than this Consew CP206RL.

It is a powerhouse, an absolute straight stitch workhorse that can deliver up to 800 stitches per minute, depending on the material.

The best thing about this machine is that it is lightweight and portable.

After sanding, you need not worry about handling thick fabric; it can take thicker and heavy materials, especially those for camping and travel, like vinyl and different types of coats.

Verdict: You may not need that much speed for leather sewing, but it packs so much power and can sew thread on any fabric, even the most rigid leather.

And at just around five hundred dollars, you get much durability, performance, and efficiency for much less.

This industrial sewing machine can handle all kinds of heavy fabric and deal with the toughest leather.

Powering thread on leather with this leather sewing machine seems like child’s play, and it has all the features that make it so.

This one has a maximum speed of 2,500 stitches per minute; it is a fast, cylinder bed sewing machine, considering that you are sewing on leather and heavy fabric.

However, you do not sacrifice quality for speed, as it makes excellent stitches on any heavy material.

The Sewquiet servo motor is potent; the machine has an automatic bobbin winder, a stitch and dial reverse lever, and a synchronizer for comfort, ease, and excellent functionality.

It has a flex light, too, for greater visibility when sewing.

Verdict: There is no doubt about this machine’s power, efficiency, and capability.

With its speed and consistent, quality stitching, it can deal with materials faster than other leather sewing machines.

With its speed and efficiency, this one is ideal for manufacturing and repairing leather products.

Others need walking foot leather sewing machines to deal with everyday materials, to fix and repair leather and thick fabric that need repairing.

Those who want to deal with their household items may do well having this inexpensive option, the Rex 607 Portable.

Rex 607 is ideal for sewing boat canvas, doing upholstery, and dealing with other fabrics such as vinyl, and those leather shoes, and other leather materials.

You need not go to a repair shop if you have this one.

But this sewing machine is only for advanced users with excellent skills in sewing leather and handling the sewing machine.

The foot may also need sanding so it will not leave marks on your sewing project.

Verdict: This one might have a lot of issues, but if you are an advanced user, you will benefit tremendously from this one.

For a couple of hundred dollars, you can have an ideal machine for dealing with thick fabric and leather, capable of heavy-duty repair and quality stitching.

Are you a professional leather crafter who wants to start working and deal immediately with any leather or thick fabrics to sell or repair? Better start with this one from Juki.

Leather crafters will work with delight with this one, for this leather sewing machine can sew a thread on up to six layers of leather without any problem or hassle.

That might be its best feature, but it has what every crafter needs: a servo motor, a table with a drawer, excellent lighting, etc.

This one has a rectangular feed motion; you will never worry about feeding it any fabric, regardless of texture or thickness.

It has so much power, speed, and performance, and provides excellent, quality stitching.

Verdict: There is nothing you can ask for this machine, talking about performance. It has excellent features, is durable, reliable, and can cut through any leather or thick fabric imaginable.

It might be the consummate walking foot leather sewing machine for professional crafters. Of course, experienced crafters who want the best may need to deal with its high price.

This sewing machine is most suitable for handling thick leather and heavy fabric consistently and frequently.

The 14mm clearance from the presser foot to the table and the stitch length of 100 mm already say a lot about its sewing capabilities.

It can take on any sewing project, whether leather repairs, making garments, or upholstery work; the thickness of material and fabric is the least of your worry.

It saves time, not only because it is capable of 3,300 stitches per minute but because it allows you to stop sewing as you change the bobbin.

Verdict: On balance, this gives you enough of everything, toughness, excellent performance, speed, and high-quality stitching at reasonable prices.

We consider it the best overall walking foot leather sewing machine.

Things You Need to Consider

When choosing the best walking foot leather sewing machine, you must look at some things. Among these are:

Sewing Thickness

Different leather sewing machines have differing sewing thickness capabilities; some can sew thread on thick leather, even several layers, while others do not.

Depending on the sewing project you have in mind or the material you are dealing with, you must choose the sewing machine that can sew thread on that material.

The usual sizes are 1″, ½,” 3/8″, and ¼” for leather.

Motor

A servo motor of variable speed is ideal for you to have control of sewing speed. If you need to reduce speed tremendously, you might need to add a speed reducer to your leather sewing machine.

Attachment and Accessories

Depending on the brand of the leather sewing machine, some provide add-ons and other accessories you might need.

These include extension table or flatbed attachment, extra bobbins, needle positioning system, etc.

Conclusion

A walking foot sewing machine for leather is different than a regular sewing machine, but one that can give you excellent performance and more.

It can deal with leather, one of the most demanding sewing materials, and other fabrics.

This type of sewing machine can deal with a whole variety of sewing projects, for it is capable of sewing thread on nearly every fabric; you will have limitless options.

It can deal with products, clothes, garments, and covers and perform many sewing services, like upholstery.

At least for leather, you can choose from these five options. They are durable, reliable, and high-performing and can sew thread in leather efficiently and smoothly.