There is a hundred different things at michaels, ac Moore, hobby lobby, etc. that can be used for tying. In my opinion sewing thread is not really one of them with exceptions. It is usually pretty thick and doesn't lay flat comes out lumpy and to thick. Also the spools are usually to big and not made to fit in a bobbin for fly tying. You may be able to get away with it on large flies but I wouldn't recommend it. Anyway a lot of tying threads are about the same price( about $2.75 for 200yards of 8/0 uni at evening hatch. UTC at cabelas is under $2. So just go with thread made for tying. I have bought a few of the metallic threads at AC Moore for ribbing and stuff though. But there is a lot of other stuff that is good to get from craft stores. Foam is definetly one of them. I got a brick of foam with about a dozen different colors for $5 on sale, pretty much a lifetime supply for me. I got a package of a dozen different colors of copper wire for $10( I think) about size med in tying wire sizes,28 gauge. And I got gold and silver in 32gauge ( around small size) for $2 or $3 each. They have some feathers there but be careful because some of it is junk. I got peacock feathers from there and they are very brittle. I know peacock is normally pretty fragile but this stuff is useless. I have pheasant tails that are decent and they were like $2 for six. They have epoxies, beads( I've never used craft store beads so I don't know if they are any good), cork for poppers, craft fur, and the list goes on and on. But if you are just starting out I would stick with stuff mostly from fly shops until you know what you are looking for. I know things can be cheaper at craft stores but if you buy something that ends up being useless then you really didn't save any money. If you get it from the fly shop you know it's for tying and they can help you with any questions you may have.
