Sometimes when I am sewing I notice that I have to constantly readjust and straighten my fabric because it keeps turning or falling to the left. It seems so odd, why the left? Do you have this problem too?
So why does the fabric sometimes pull to the left when sewing?
Fabric pulls to the left while you are sewing because of the weight of the fabric, the direction the fabric is draped as you sew, crooked presser feet, and because of uneven contact with the feed dogs.
Let’s go over each reason this problem happens in more detail, and what you can do to fix it.
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Why does my fabric pull to the left when sewing?
1. Your fabric is heavy or large
When you are sewing heavy fabrics, the gravity pulling them down will gradually turn the fabric over the left side of the sewing machine and onto the table below.
This problem can also occur when you are sewing a very large piece of lightweight fabric.
To fix this problem, you can use a sewing machine extension table to increase the surface area of the sewing machine’s throat plate and help raise more of the fabric up to the level of the needle.
My sewing machine (Brother cs6000i) came with a really handy large quilting table that slides right into the front where the removable expansion table slides in. (Take a look at the 25 basic sewing machine parts diagram if you don’t know where the expansion table is located.)
It really works! This solution helps feed the heavy and large (or even skinny but just very long) fabric through much more smoothly.
If your sewing machine doesn’t have a large extension table like mine does, do not fret!
There is an amazing Etsy shop that makes CUSTOM acrylic extension tables for almost every popular domestic sewing machine. The tables are custom made to fit around your sewing machine model, and also have measurement markings on them. AND they are affordable, and very cool. (Especially needed if you quilt!)
2. Your fabric is draped/moving over the throat plate sloppily
Sometimes when I am sewing fast, I notice that instead of having my fabric nicely laid flat over the front and back of the sewing machine, it is curved way out to the left side.
This happens because my left hand gets lazy when I am helping pull the fabric through, and instead of pulling straight back, I start to move towards the left.
Make sure your fabric is draped flat, front and back, and that your left hand guides it backwards straight.
Luckily, this is a very easy fix that definitely makes a difference!
3. Crooked Presser Feet
Many domestic sewing machine presser feet are connected with a snap-on bar mechanism, which usually makes sure they are straight.
If your presser foot attaches with a screw, it can be possible that the foot is attached slightly diagonally and the foot is not level with the feed dogs.
You can read more about how presser feet work in my post 15 Types of Presser Feet & Their Functions (You’ll want to Pin this for later!)
It is a good idea to remove the presser foot and then put it back on just to make sure that it isn’t what is causing the fabric to pull or fall to the left.
If pressure from the presser foot only pushes the fabric to one feed dog, the material will move through the machine unevenly, causing it to twist and turn.
4. Your Fabric is Not Contacting Both Bars of the Feed Dogs
This is one of the common causes of this issue for me, and it happens the most when I am quilting.
When quilting a 1/4th inch seam allowance, my fabric only touches the left most feed dog.
You might think this wouldn’t have any effect on the fabric, but it does. The feed dog is trying to pull the entire quilt from one tiny spot, which causes the rest of the quilt to sort of “pivot” or turn as it feeds through.
This week I was working on a mini upcycled quilt made from baby clothes, and a few of the blocks ended up crooked because the fabric kept falling left. Because quilts are heavy, bulky, AND don’t contact both sides of the feed dogs, the problem compounded.
One possible solution is to sew the 1/4th seam allowance with the measurement taken when the needle is in the MIDDLE or RIGHT positions, not the left position, but that would make the measurement markings on my sewing machine incorrect.
Another extremely impractical solution is to sew a larger seam allowance, then trim it afterwards… silly but if you really do need extremely precise measurements and straight lines, it might be worth trying…
The only good solution to this uneven feed dog contact is to make sure the other 3 possible causes are taken care of, and to very carefully guide your fabric through as best as you can.
Make sure to read through my presser foot guide to brush up on your basic presser foot knowledge! It includes 15 types of presser feet and their uses, and a chart you can pin for later.
Conclusion
When your fabric is pulling or falling to the left as you sew, it can be seriously annoying! But it is a solvable problem as long as you know what was causing it.
I hope these ideas helped solve your sewing woes today!
Let me know which one solved it for you in the comments below, and make sure to subscribe to the email list for more helpful tips.
I am also always open for you to comment with additional questions.
