In 1989, a woman came to Clare Rowley who was legally deaf and blind. She wanted to sew — independently. That challenge set everything in motion. Clare modified an existing presser foot to help guide the fabric for her. It worked. It worked so well that Clare's father began using it to demonstrate sewing machines in his store.

That was the beginning of Creative Feet. Not a business plan, not a trend to chase. A person who needed a better tool, and an inventor who figured out how to make one.

Built for Reliability — Injection-Molded in the USA

The early feet were modifications done at a machine shop, but demand grew faster than that process could keep up. Clare molded and carved an improved version of the foot — one precise enough to create an injection mold — so production could scale properly. That process gave the first foot its name: the Satinedge Foot. The Pearls & Piping Foot and the Sequins & Ribbon Foot were invented and went into production shortly after.

Today, all three Creative Feet presser feet are injection-molded and assembled at the Creative Feet location in Durango, Colorado. They are precision-manufactured — consistent, reliable, and built to perform on every sewing machine. The only items made by hand are the wood pressers and the Thread Dispenser.

Shows, the Home Shopping Network, and Word of Mouth

Clare began selling Creative Feet at sewing shows around the country and on the Home Shopping Network, where thousands of feet sold within minutes. Along the way, the shanks were developed so the feet could attach to virtually all sewing machines — regardless of brand, age, or style. If a machine can sew a zigzag stitch, it can use Creative Feet.

That reach — built through live demonstrations and honest results — is what carried the company through 37 years. Customers who bought a set in the 1990s still write to say they use them every week. Some keep a second set at a lake cabin so they never have to pack and unpack.

Durango, Colorado

Since November 2024, Creative Feet has been based in Durango, Colorado, where Clare continues to manufacture the presser feet and Octi-Hoops free motion hoops, operate the online store at creativefeet.com, and teach through her free online sewing school. The mission is the same as it was in 1989 — make sewing simpler, more accurate, and more enjoyable for every sewist, at every skill level.

Three patented feet. Eighty-plus techniques. A lifetime exchange warranty. And a company that has never needed to oversell what it makes — because the results speak for themselves.