Before you begin reading this week’s blog, let me make you aware I have a PS at the bottom with some additional information about the Sear’s Quilt Show at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. I’ve written several blogs about this show and have done numerous guild presentations on it.
It was recently brought to my attention that it’s time to start my holiday shopping.
I am one of those people who really like to have everything purchased, bagged, and tagged by Thanksgiving. I don’t know how it works at your house, but since I do all the holiday shopping, baking, and decorating, this is my call. I don’t sweat the shopping as much as I did because my children are now adults and tend to like pictures of dead presidents done up in green ink (money). A simple trip to the ATM a week or so before the holidays tends to do the trick. However, I also realize some of my readers may be getting something new and shiny under the tree…that sews…and takes thread…and can help you produce marvelous, quilty things.
Sewers can be kind of persnickety when it comes to their machines. Some of us that would be me like certain brands over others. I’m a Janome girl. I’ve sewed on one for over 30 years and it has always been a pleasant experience. I see no need to jump track and change. But no matter if you’re getting your first sewing machine or your fifteenth sewing machine, they come equipped with lots of feet and lots of knobs and buttons. What I’d like to do today is review some of the basic feet which come with nearly all machines, the specialty feet that may come with some higher-end machines, and maybe a foot or two you’d like to have someone drop in your Christmas stocking for future use. I also want to review the basic knobs and buttons and their use.
All sewing machines come with a presser foot. Most of the come with presser feet – meaning you’ll have certain feet which work best for certain jobs. Sometimes these feet are named after what they do and are categorized by the terms “high shank” and “low shank.”
The type of shank your machine has usually is found online through a Google search (search the brand and model) or in the sewing machine manual which comes with the machine. This information is important if you decide to purchase a generic foot for your machine – you’ll need to know what kind of shanked foot to purchase. Some of the feet will snap on and some will screw one. The machine’s manual will give you detailed directions on how to take your feet on and off (and often there are YouTube videos, too). Quite often if you purchase the same brand of machine, the feet from the old machine can be used on the new one.
The foot which comes with all machines, and will probably be on your machine when purchased, is the Standard Foot:
This is usually used for straight-line stitching and the zig-zag stitch. This is a great presser foot for beginner sewers to use while they get used to the machine.
The Zig-Zagfoot comes with many basic machines.
With some machines, their standard foot can’t be used for the zig-zag stitch, so you have to switch feet for this stitch. I have the option of using an open-toe foot for my zig-zag stitching – the open area makes it easy to see and control the zig-zag stitches.
Most basic sewing machines also include a Regular Zipper Foot.
This foot has an opening on either side of the foot. These openings allow you to sew close to your zipper on either side and you can also use this foot to sew piping. Sometimes, depending on your machine, you may need to move the needle when you use this foot.
If you purchase a sewing machine made with quilters in mind, chances are you’ll come across this foot:
This is called the Quarter-Inch Foot. I’ve also heard it called the Quilter’s Foot. Either way, this foot helps you keep a consistent quarter-inch seam allowance. If you’re into French Heirloom Sewing (or any garment sewing that requires a quarter-inch seam), you’ll also love this foot. It gives flawless seams and perfect finishes.
Most machines also come with a Walking Foot. And I’ll be honest here – next to my Quarter-Inch Foot, this foot is my favorite – so much so if my sewing machine didn’t come with this foot, I’d purchase it separately. This foot uses teeth similar to the feed dogs and it’s ideal for thick and heavy fabric or thick and heavy seams (such as sewing the binding onto the quilt). It also works well with fabric which tends to stick. I know a few dressmakers who won’t use anything but a walking foot on their machine and consider it an absolute essential when sewing knits. I use it for sewing the binding on my quilt, joining rows of blocks together, and sewing on borders.
The Buttonhole Foot usually comes with all machines, even those produced with quilters in mind.
Buttonhole feet have come such a long way. The ones used when I took Home Ec in high school were absolutely atrocious. But the new buttonhole feet make sewing the perfect buttonhole so easy and so perfect. The newer buttonhole feet measure the button which is inserted into the back section of the foot and sews a buttonhole the correct size every time.
A Piping/Cording Foot generally is also included.
This foot is easily recognized by the open grooves on the underside of the foot which holds the piping or cording in position. The piping or cording then passes through the foot in a straight line, producing neat, even stitching every time. And if I’m sewing on super skinny stems onto a machine applique block and those stems are either straight or have gentle curves, I’ve been known to pull this foot out for that very purpose. The narrow stems fit snugly in the grooves and are easily sewn on. Please note that for this to work, the stems have to be really skinny.
One foot which I received with one of my first machines was the Teflon Foot. It’s an odd-looking foot and as a quilter, I didn’t think I would use this very often.
This foot is made for use with laminated fabrics, vinyls, leathers, and suedes – fabrics which aren’t used in many traditional quilts. However, as I began to make a few art quilts here and there, this foot really came in handy as I used more “nontraditional” quilting fabrics on these. Then I discovered bag making. Not only will your walking foot come in handy for making bags (all those thick seams), but if you use clear, vinyl pockets in your bags, you’ll pull out your Teflon Foot every time. It makes sewing that stuff a breeze.
Usually there is also a Satin Foot or Open-Toe Foot. This foot is often made of a clear material to allow you to easily see where you’re sewing. It can be used for the zig-zag foot, decorative stitches, and satin stitching. It allows for a buildup of stitches to sewn onto the fabric and gives you maximum visibility. If you like raw-edge machine applique, you’ll love the open-toe foot. You can see every stitch and makes everything more accurate.
The last foot which comes with most sewing machines is the Darning/Free Motion Quilting/Open Toe Foot.
I’m not sure how many people actually mend their clothes by darning any longer (however, as part of the Big Stitch/Slow Down and Hand Stitch Movement, some folks are using colorful embroidery thread to mend their clothing – especially jeans). But this foot can be used for so much more than mending. The open toe foot can be used for thread painting and free motion quilting. Simply drop the feed dogs and have fun!
For the next blog, I’ll go over some of the additional feet you may want to purchase (if they don’t already come with your machine). I’ll also go over some buttons and knobs to make sure you know what they do. This blog is already over 2,000 words with the additional information about the Sears Quilt Show, so it’s time to wrap this week up.
Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,
Love and Stitches,
Sherri and Felix
PS – For those of you who may be newer readers to my blog, I have written and researched the 1933 Sears Quilt Show pretty extensively. I’ll post the link to a few of these blogs at the end of this PS.
If you remember, the winner of the Sears Quilt Show was a lady named Margaret Caden. She jumped through some pretty shady hoops to win the first prize ribbon, cash award, and the title of “America’s Greatest Quilter” (she didn’t put a stitch in the quilt). Part of the fame of receiving that first-place award was your quilt was presented to the First Lady of the United States. And in 1933, the First Lady was none other than Eleanor Roosevelt. We have pictures to prove that this indeed did happen.
Mrs. Roosevelt happily accepted the quilt and then it simply disappeared. Quilt historians have searched for that quilt for years and it has never been found. It is not in the White House archives. Eleanor’s children and grandchildren have been questioned about the quilt’s whereabouts, too. None of them can remember ever seeing the quilt at the White House, Campobello, Hyde Park, or Val-Kil. Some people who knew Mrs. Roosevelt well didn’t think she would keep a quilt like Star of the Bluegrass around if she knew about Mrs. Caden’s “shady” way of entering the quilt. It’s almost like quilt grew legs and ran away. And for the record, I haven’t found the quilt, but I have a new idea about what happened to it.
The year 1933 was a desperate time for the United States. Many parts of the country were beginning to feel the hard pinch of The Great Depression. West Virginia was one of the first states to feel the claws of economic hard times digging in their citizens. Coal was king to this state and most families had at least one (most of the time more) family member who worked in the coal mines. For as long as locomotives and steamboats ran on steam, coal was needed. But with the introduction of gasoline powered motors to locomotives and boats, the need for coal declined. And with the declining need for coal, the living standards for many West Virginians also declined quickly and drastically. Mrs. Roosevelt toured these towns in West Virginia, which had been devastated by economic hardships – many times by herself, driving her own car. A practical woman, she sought to meet the needs of these people while still maintaining their dignity – which to Eleanor Roosevelt meant the chance to purchase their own homes, grow their own food, have the basic necessities in their homes, and educate their children and themselves. She was so devoted to this cause, she worked with the members of her husband’s cabinet and developed cities where this could happen.
She oversaw every small detail of these housing developments. Each house had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living area, a root cellar and indoor plumbing – something we certainly take for granted but was truly a luxury to these folks. The houses were furnished with one double bed and two single beds. The kitchen had sinks and a refrigerator. The homes were heated by steam radiators. She also made sure these rooms had “necessary comforts” such as plates, cups, bed linens and quilts.
One of the first cities she developed was Arthurdale, West Virginia. She was intimately involved with the people who moved here. She paid personal attention to each home, making sure it was just right. I’m wondering if maybe she gave that Sears Quilt Show Award Winning Quilt to one of the first houses in Arthurdale? According to Eleanor’s children and grandchildren, she didn’t use quilts in her home. If Mrs. Roosevelt had no great love for quilts, she may have donated it for use in the first house.
Maybe.
I can’t prove it or disprove it, but it does sound like something she would do. It’s just another idea and honestly, we may never know, but it is one more piece in the puzzle of “Where did the Star of the Bluegrass go?”.
If you’re ever near Preston County, West Virginia, you can visit Arthurdale and the first New Deal Village. Folks have carefully preserved 160 or the 165 original homesteads in what is still called “Eleanor’s Little Village.” It’s interesting to note that she was so involved with this community, she visited it a total of 33 times. And you can rent one of the houses to stay in while you visit.
Source: Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook (Thank you Jeannie Wall for the heads-up about this wonderful book).