Tag: applique

Where to find supplies in person now that Joann’s is gone?

May 27, 2025

For the past two days, I’ve been restitching straps and reinforcing stress points on some of the protective gear used by hubs and other TR members out in the field. A big operation closed down recently and all the equipment has come back to the Atlanta warehouse. Hubs sent 120 pounds of chaps out to the laundry and he’s been inspecting each pair to see what repairs need to be made. Last night, I noticed I needed to pick up another small spool of orange Coats & Clark thread. Normally, I would head to Joann.

Where to buy it locally now that Joann’s is gone? Good question. I started thinking about the items I routinely picked up at Joann’s and wondered if I could find them at Hobby Lobby, Michael’s or Wal-Mart? Here’s a quick run-down of what I can find at which store:

Hobby Lobby – Kona cotton + other quilting cotton fabrics, Pellon interfacing, Warm & Natural batting, Fiskars mats & cutting tools, Schmetz needles, and my favorite budget-friendly SewOlogy 50/2 cotton piecing thread on the cross-wound spool (good alternative to Aurifil). Their ribbon & trim selection is pretty good, as well.

Michaels – Coats & Clark thread, Singer sewing machines

Wal-Mart – Waverly precut fabrics, Pellon interfacing & Nature’s Touch quilt batting, some Fiskarts mats & cutting tools, Schmetz needles, Brother and Singer sewing machines, best everyday prices I’ve found on pillow inserts and PolyFil stuffing.

Worth noting: Michaels and Wal-Mart stores near me are redoing their sewing & quilting product assortments. Some Michael’s stores now offer fabric by the yard and feature a sewing machine sales/education center in-store. Wal-Mart may still carry some Coats & Clark thread, but it’s been shifting over to a store brand. Not impressed with it or Hobby Lobby’s store-brand polyester thread. Actually, my favorite polyester sewing thread is Mettler’s Metrosene, but it’s only available at an area sewing machine dealer.

FWIW, Sadie & I made our last visit to the Kennesaw Joann’s store yesterday. It was surreal seeing a practically empty store. We did our usual lap and said our final good-bye.

My essential Featherweight feet

February 13, 2024

Intended audience for this post: Newer Featherweight owners.

Your machine may have come with a single presser foot all the way to a blue velvet lined box full of different feet. The Featherweight Shop does a great shop of explaining each foot and its purpose. That said, you really only a need a few presser feet to handle most quilting, garment and home dec sewing projects.

These are the feet I keep with my Featherweight at all times:

  1. Original presser foot
  2. Original zipper foot
  3. Modern low shank snap-on adapter with 1/4″ foot, scant 1/4″ foot and “open toe” foot
  4. Modern walking foot made especially for the Featherweight
  5. Modern low shank FMQ foot with feed dog cover

I use my FW for piecing quilt blocks, quilting small items, mending and making home dec projects. The one separate attachment I highly recommend is a buttonholer with as many templates as you can find.

Collecting vintage feet and accessories is fun! I do have a complete set of original feet that would have come with my FW in an original Singer box that’s seen better days. It’s put away for safekeeping, along with the original foot controller and cord with the bakelite plug. I also have several other accessory feet that I’ve found while antiquing, including a Penguin foot. My collection includes a zigzag attachment with several pattern cams. It’s fun to play with, but not exactly designed to be used for precise zigzag stitching that you might need in applique. If I’m at a retreat with my FW and our project involves applique, I utilize the Lori Holt solution – hand applique or use a straight stitch. If I know in advance I’ll need a zigzag or blanket stitch for a project, I’ll bring my 3/4 size Elna STAR edition instead. It fits in the same Buc-cee’s travel bag!