Specialty feet can do amazing things!

Issue #157 (October/November 2011) will be available on newsstands on September 6.

ADVANCED COPIES HAVE ARRIVED AT THREADS
The advanced copies of Threads issue #157 recently arrived in our office. A small quantity are airmailed to us directly from the printer; the remaining issues are delivered to us, to subscribers, and to fabric stores and other distributors by truck, so they take a little longer to arrive. Issue #157 (October/November 2011) will tentatively be available for sale on September 6, and subscribers should begin to receive it on August 25. Our office is always abuzz when a new issue arrives. There's something wonderful about seeing the articles and departments that we've been editing and fine-tuning all bound together in a compact package.

WE ASKED WHICH SPECIALTY FOOT OUR AUTHORS VALUE MOST
In each Threads issue, we feature four authors on our Contributors page and ask them a sewing-related question. Their answers often surprise me. In issue #157 we asked "What specialty sewing machine foot do you value the most and why?" The authors (Louise Cutting, Connie Crawford, Susan Pottage, and Cecelia Podolak) each had a different opinion about their favorite, and so do I! There are so many incredible specialty feet out there, it's no wonder they each chose something different.

MY FAVORITE IS THE EDGE STITCHER
I use my standard zig-zag foot and my zipper foot for 99% of my sewing, but the specialty foot I love the most is the edge stitcher. It's such an incredibly versatile foot that can be used in many different ways with all sorts of fabric combinations to combine them perfectly in a straight line every time. It's fabulous whenever you add trim to the edge of a garment or home decor item. Once you use it, you'll never add trim without it. This particular foot was in a box of old Singer feet that I acquired years ago. It sat there for years untouched until Charlene Phillips wrote "Vintage Presser Feet" in issue #149. The article spurred me on to give it a try. Now I'm hooked. I think of all the time I used to spend pinning and measuring before I discovered this foot, and I'm even more happy to have discovered it.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE?
What specialty foot do you think is the most miraculous invention? Tell us why you think it's so special and how frequently you use it. How did you do the task it accomplishes before you had the foot? Don't forget to read what our authors had to say when you receive or buy issue #157!

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April M. Mohr, contributor
Posted on Aug 23rd, 2011 in sewing, tools & supplies, notions, sewing machine

Comments (5)

Alexus1325 writes: If it weren't for my walking foot, I never could have wrestled bridal satin into submission! This was for an Assassin's Creed 2 costume. To date, that's the best outfit I ever made simply because it was SO challenging to use all these weird and new materials. I'm pretty fond of a darning foot for certain applications, too :D
Posted: 5:47 am on September 7th

Linkbeth writes: my favorite and most useful is the walking foot for my sewing machine..walking foot enabled me to sew Velvet with much more precision and less slipping of fabric..
Posted: 12:48 am on September 6th

TxMouse writes: Here's another vote for the edge stitch foot, but I also love my walking foot--it makes so many tasks easier. I recently bought a Bernina 830LE and cannot wait to use this edge stitch foot with the built in dual feed--like having my two favorite feet all in one!
Posted: 1:01 pm on August 30th

Jen_NYC writes: The overlock foot, for sure. I have an older machine and no serger. It's a little more work, but the overlock foot is great for knits and seam finishing. I use it with virtually every project, for one reason or another.
Posted: 12:01 am on August 25th

Sewista writes: Like you, my most used foot is the edge stitching foot. My machine was in the shop recently which forced me to use my backup which doesn't have this foot. I was lost and just gave up till my good machine came back from the shop. I use this with every garment I sew. I use it for understitching, edge stitching, top stitching, ditch stitching, trim placement. I have even used it to install zippers as the blade lines up beautifully with the zipper coils.You can take away a lot of things but don't take my edge stitching foot!!!
Posted: 6:58 am on August 24th

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