Tag: Quilting

Seam guides for vintage straight-stitch sewing machines

June 29, 2026

Lately, I’ve been working on my Silver Lake quilt, which is a fund raiser for the Virginia Quilt Museum. Pat Sloan sponsored a QAL earlier in the year, but I’m just now able to get to it. So far, I’ve pieced all the blocks on my Elna 450 using a scant 1/4″ seam allowance, as the test block using the full 1/4″ seam allowance came up a wee bit short.

Modern, computerized sewing machines have us spoiled. It’s so easy to adjust your needle position with 1-2 clicks to set it for a perfect scant 1/4″ seam allowance. Not so easy with a vintage, straight stitch sewing machine! You can’t move the needle, so you must compensate by moving the seam guide or by using a specialty scant 1/4″ foot.

With the way my Singer 301A was built, the specialty slant shank scant 1/4″ foot yields a full 1/4″ seam allowance. It’s not a fluke. I purchased the same exact foot from two different vendors and experienced the same result each time. More than one technician has told me that it’s just the way my machine was made. If I need a scant 1/4″ seam, I was advised to use the original presser foot and a seam guide.

So, what solution did I come up with?

I use a Seam Square from The Featherweight Shop as the measuring device to set any seam guide.

(1) If I am chain piecing or can pin parallel to the fabric edge, I’ll use the Seam Guide from The Featherweight Shop or a cute magnetic one I picked up at a local quilt shop.

(2) If I need to pin perpendicular to the fabric edge to match at specific points, I like to use the little stick-on guides from Guidelines 4 Quilting along with the Magic flathead pins from Taylor Seville. The guide is just high enough to act as the fabric bumper, while still allowing the pins to pass over. (A thin stack of sticky notes will also work).

I’ve also tried various 3-D printed slant shanks with snap on feet. If someone can design one with a slightly thinner shank, I’ll be happy to test it out for you.

It’s travel season for quilters!

June 22, 2026

A common question appearing in many of the different quilting groups I follow is, “What sort of sewing machine should I take on my trip/to my retreat?” The litany of responses that follows usually includes mentions of Featherweights, machines from big box stores, and smaller computerized machines found at various sewing machine dealers. My thinking? Take the machine that does everything you need it to do at the retreat and preferably one you can transport (lift, unpack, set-up) unassisted.

Martha Pullen, the heirloom sewing guru, often said that all you really need is a sewing machine with a straight stitch and a fully adjustable zigzag stitch to make beautiful things. (I’d also add an automatic needle threader and top loading bobbin to those criteria!) Mechanical or computerized? It’s your choice.

Here’s the thing: you do not need a super fancy sewing machine at classes and retreats. A Featherweight is a great little machine for piecing blocks. I love my Featherweight, but from a practical standpoint, you’ll be happier with one that does a few other stitches in addition to a straight stitch. Circled in red are the stitches I’ve used in classes and at sew days over the past two months.

Elna 450 showing stitches actually used during recent classes and sew days.

A $200 budget and a trip to your local big box store can net you a decent travel machine. I found three viable options in-stock at my local Wal-Mart store: Janome Signature Charm, Singer M3220 and Janome C30 in blue. To me, the Singer offers the better value of the two mechanical options. My money is on the computerized C30, though. Same stitches as the Elna 450 shown above (and Elnita EC30 and Janome TM30), but this model does not have a speed control slider.

Need more options? Scout your local thrift shops and FB Marketplace for a vintage machine.

The value conscious quilter shops for thread

June 15, 2026

Thread. It’s kind of required to piece blocks and make a quilt. Like everything else, the price of thread has risen 25% or more over the past couple of years. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s Aurifil, Mettler or Coats & Clark.

A recent financial news segment reported that shoppers across all economic levels are now seeking value when they go to spend their hard-earned money. It’s one of the reasons Wal-mart is still doing reasonably well in the current economy. I get it – especially when it comes to groceries and household items. Previously, I did most of my weekly shopping at the local Publix. More of my grocery dollars now go to Lidl, Aldi & Wal-mart because the same brand name product is cheaper and/or the store’s private label brand is equal to the national brand. This is what a value shopper does – seeks the best quality product for the most reasonable price – not necessarily the cheapest price. Those savings add up.

You probably have a favorite brand of thread that you prefer to use – just like I do. And chances are, it’s not available at your local Wal-mart store. Here are three strategies to help you get the most value for your thread purchases:

(1) Stick to basic colors: off-white/natural, light beige, light gray and a medium/dark gray.
Jenny Doan shared during a class I took at the Garden of Quilts that she only keeps neutral colors on hand for piecing and quilting. This, coming from someone who has easy access to every color spool of thread imaginable! No need to collect carefully curated thread collections (that can require a substantial investment on your part) unless that’s your thing.

(2) Comparison price shop before you buy. A single 1422 yard spool of Aurifil thread is almost $17.00 at an area LQS, $16.00 on Amazon and $15.00 at Missouri Star Quilt Company. However, if you buy a 3 spool pack on Amazon (with several curated neutral assortments available), the price drops to less than $13.00 per spool, with free shipping because the order amount is over $35.00. That’s a $12 savings (for 3 spools of thread) versus the local quilt shop. I also don’t have to spend time and gas driving to the shop and back home. (With gas at $4.49/gallon right now, I prefer to utilize free shipping whenever possible.)

(3) Substitute another brand of thread. Wonderfil (Efina & Konfetti) and Superior Threads (PIMA) offer products that are similar to Aurifil. The unit price per yard of thread is about the same for all three companies. Try a small spool of the competitor’s product and see how well it performs in your machine. Good? You now have an option, that might be on sale at some point.

My thread “value” shopping secret? Hobby Lobby’s Egyptian cotton 50/2 thread in 1200 yard cross-wound spools. (Compared with the Superior PIMA product, it makes me wonder if both products are actually made by the same company.) Anyway, you won’t find it in the thread display cabinet on the end cap at Hobby Lobby. It’s sold near the presser feet and sewing machine accessories on the peg board notions wall.

To me, this thread sews just as nicely as the “national” brands. The only drawback is the very limited range of colors. However, the $4.99 price point is super budget friendly – especially if you sew a lot of projects for different charitable organizations.

Photo by Arturo Au00f1ez. on Pexels.com