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FAQ

Where are you located?

We are located outside Buffalo, NY, USA.

 

How much is shipping?

Regular shipping charges start at $4.99, shipping depends on the weight of your order. To calculate options, add the items to your cart and begin the checkout process so that the website can calculate your costs.

 

How long does it take my order to ship/arrive?

Most orders ship within 24 hours. We ship USPS and offer from First Class to Express Mail, so you can get it from generally 2-3 days to ovenight if necessary.

 

How do I find out if a presser foot works with my machine?

At the top of every category is compatibility information regarding models. If you still have questions, just email us and we'll be glad to help you further.

 

What is your phone number?

All of our customer service is handled by email. Feel free to ask us anything through the "Ask A Question" form, we generally will get back to you within 12 hours and most of the time, much less time than that. 

 

How do I make a return and what is your return policy?

You can find these details at the bottom of any page and with this link: https://www.thecolorfulworldofsewing.com/Returns-Exchanges.html

 

Can I use a walking foot on my Pfaff or other machine with built-in Dual Feed/IDT?

You cannot use a walking foot on sewing machines with built-in Dual Feed or IDT. In 1969, Pfaff introduced Dual Feed, borrowing the idea from industrial machines, but failing to use a complete set of upper feed dogs as industrial machines do. What Pfaff made is what is known as a “puller feed” which was an attempt at fixing an existing issue with Pfaff machines for years. Pfaff used the weaker “elliptical feeding system” over the stronger and more even feeding “box feed” system. The Dual Feed was meant to pull already stitched fabric through the machine to compensate for the weak lower feeding, but consumers were confused and though that this meant Dual Feed was for even feeding of fabric layers, and it is not. Pfaff capitalized on this misconception and began marketing it as such. A built-in dual feed cannot feed fabric nearly as evenly as a true walking foot. (This information is based on our staff’s own experience with both using and selling Pfaff machines and the amazing number of emails we get from Pfaff owners wanting a walking foot for their machines because the fabric is not feeding evenly.)

In addition to feeding from behind, a walking foot feeds the fabric on the sides and in front of the needle along with the lower feed dogs before it ever reaches the needle for stitching, this keeps the top layer from scooting along before it is stitched. A built-in dual feed can’t do this as the fabric has already been attached together by stitching before it ever makes contact with the dual feed system which makes correcting a feeding differential impossible as an inch in front of the foot, the top layer of fabric is already being pushed longer. We have done extensive tests with dual feed machines versus a machine with a walking foot attachment and in every single one, the walking foot was always the clear winner at even feeding, from sewing slippery silky fabrics, to knits, to thick quilting layers and of course matching stripes. A built-in dual feed always pushed the top layer longer, doing exactly the opposite of what it is advertised to do.

A built-in dual feed is just, unfortunately, a sales gimmick. Now that Pfaff’s patent has run out, every other brand has a version of some sort in order to give misled consumers what they were told that they “have to have”, and all but one does the same thing; makes sales promises without giving actual sewing results.

If you find yourself discouraged with the slipping of fabrics while sewing on a Pfaff or other brand with a built-in dual feed, take a look at three options:

  • Purchase a machine that can use a separate true walking foot. And some walking feet are better than others. A $15 walking foot is junk and does more harm than good. A top quality perfectly engineered walking foot such as our exclusive Ultimate Walking Foot is made to do the job correctly and last.
  • Look at Janome: Many upper and midline models have what’s called AcuFeed. It is the best of both worlds: it’s a true walking foot with a full set of feed dogs to walk, not pull the fabric. Even better than a walking foot, it is synchronized with the machine and the feed rate is adjustable for different fabrics. It actually lives up to what any other built-in dual feed systems cannot, it is superior to any other.
  • Look at Bernina: Though top and some midline models have a built-in dual feed, Bernina knows it’s a sales gimmick added only to satisfy buyers who have been told it’s the best thing ever, and so they designed their machines to still allow the use of their famous and best made of any brand walking foot.

 

How do I get a coupon or discount?

Sign up for our mailing list from any page on our site and be sure to like us on Facebook. These are the only two means of electronic coupon codes that are legitimate. Any other coupon codes you may find online are FAKE. In addition, we rarely have coupons or sales. Why? Because we have scruples and don’t mind being the odd store on the block that isn’t interested in insulting the consumer’s intelligence. We charge everyone, every day the same lowest possible fair price. Any time we have a sale, it is an actual sale, of overstocked or discontinued items or because we want to generate some additional traffic. This means the store loses money to sell something for less, not a trick like the big box stores both brick and mortar and online have conditioned people into. No store anywhere can afford to give 40% off or more almost every day on almost everything, but here is how they trick you into not noticing what they are doing to you:

--The first trick is to severely overinflate the “suggested retail” prices of their exclusive store brand products so that no matter how much they take off in a discount, they are still making money on the item. For an example, let’s say something costs $5 to make, instead of the normal perhaps 50% retail markup ($10), they say it costs $50 regular price. But it rarely will be purchased at $50 because it’s either on sale 40% off or if not on sale, most people have a 40% off coupon. So, the consumer really thinks they saved big, because look at the numbers: I saved 40% off a $50 item! (making it cost $30.) But where is the proof that this exclusive untraceable $50 retail item really cost about $25 to make? There is nothing to compare it to. But it would have only cost $10 if the store was honest! Of course, we can’t prove it cost only $5 to make, but we can be pretty sure it didn’t cost much. This concept also pays for the deep actual discounts you are saving on name brand merchandise, like things that we sell, and your local sewing machine dealer sells. That package of Schmetz needles really does sell for $5.80 at every store, but the big box stores make up for this 40% off loss by cheating you on the things you are buying that are their exclusive products with the overinflated prices that don’t really retail for that much. You are still paying for it; you just didn’t notice how!

--The other way to recover money when a store puts everything on sale and gives away huge discounts is to soak the unlucky customer who isn’t a regular shopper and doesn’t get the store’s emails or coupons in the mail, and the number of these customers is larger than you may think. That poor customer pays the super overinflated price on the exclusive nowhere else to compare it to item they found when they just went into the store they rarely visit to browse and found something they decided to buy. The same thing happens when someone doesn’t have enough 40% off coupons for all their not on sale items. These people’s losses are the store’s biggest gains. The big box store steals from one and rewards another and steals from you here to save you there. Real ethical.

So, you decide, is the 40% off coupon worth using at a store that’s tricking you into giving them your money or would you rather buy what you can at stores where they are honest, don’t insult your intelligence and actually know and support their products?