Being a sewer for many, many  years, i had never given the "fancy feet" a second thought. Yet as i looked into new techniques and was noticing a growing trend towards really using the specialty feet and realized that i might want to as well. But the one foot i should have received but didn't was the gathering foot thus i purchased one. After a few tries i was wondering WHY i waited so long to do so - traditional Gathering is a royal pain in the patellae, the machine baste and pull method SUCKS especially when your threads break, and i won't get into the pin pricked finger tips ... This little foot does what it says it does - Gathers in a fraction of time of either hand and needle or old school machine basting. This machine foot is worth every penny.