One of our very first articles on Sew4Home (way back in the old days of 2009!) was how to go about selecting the right thread for your project. It's still one of the most important topics to talk about; after all, thread is what's holding everything together! We're happy to announce one of the newest S4H supporters is the venerable Coats & Clark - purveyors, for nearly 200 years, of some of the best thread in the business. It was the dawn of the 1800s when Patrick Clark developed a method of twisting cotton yarns together to produce a thread so strong and smooth it could replace the natural silk used in the looms of the day. We worked with Coats & Clark to update our thread information to help you understand not only the standard choices, but some of the specialty options as well.

When Pantone picks their color of the year, you can expect to see its influence everywhere from fashion to makeup to home décor. So get ready for the 2011 pick: Honeysuckle. “In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.” In honor of honeysuckle, we've chosen four new fabric collections that include the flattering reddish pink hue.

If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, I'm guessing this three-in-one presser foot is easily worth a bird, a hand and a bush... if you're in to collecting bushes and birds. Me? I just like to find a cool accessory that does several things. The Janome Clear View Quilting Foot and Guide Set comes with two guides: the Quarter Inch Guide and the Ditch Stitch Guide. The foot itself is clearly marked with red guide lines for 1/8" and 1/4" seam allowances, as well as cornering marks for both 1/8" and 1/4" seams in front and behind the needle drop. The foot is super easy to use and very lightweight. But be careful, the little guides are the Barbie® shoes of sewing; they could very easily get lost. So, keep everything together in a little plastic bag, or even the original packaging.

It was our biggest Great Giveaways to date for one of the coolest products we've reviewed to date: the Simplicity Bias Tape Maker. Well over 250 folks posted comments, telling us how they would go about making sure everyone they knew heard about Sew4Home, including my personal favorite - a promise from a gal to create sandwich board signs for her cats and then let them wander the neighborhood!