nativetexan

sometimes even with the 1/4 inch foot, you can either let the fabric wander away from the needle or push it in towards the foot too much. it's only a guide. and yep, i hate instructions that say sew a scant 1/4 inch seam. all right, all ready.

patricej

we had a conversation about this recently in another thread.

it turns out that even though 1/4" feet are designed especially to achieve a 1/4" seam, the default needle position differs among brands and models of machine. soooooo even if you're using the 1/4" foot made especially for your machine you might not get that 1/4" seam without adjusting the needle position.

for example, i have two different janome models. if i use the 1/4" foot on the first machine with the needle in the default position, i automatically get a scant 1/4" seam. i must adjust the needle position to get a full 1/4".

the second model has two different 1/4" feet. using the first foot with the needle in the default position, i get a perfect 1/4" seam, so have to adjust for scant. using the other foot i have to adjust the needle whether i want a full or scant 1/4". fortunately, the package instructions included the required setting.

considering all the different makes and models of machine, plus all the different styles of 1/4" available, it's no wonder we are still confused! :lol: :lol:

p.s. - a scant 1/4" is really 3/16th". adjust your needle one or two clicks to the right and c'est voila!

BellaBoo

One sure way to have accurate size blocks when not using the scant 1/4", is to cut all the pieces 1/8 bigger. It's just another line on the ruler, not scary at all.

amma

Patrice said it all in a nutshell :D:D:D

Charity Quilter

Thanks Patrice and BellaBoo for the very informative information. I so appreciate that knowledge. :thumbup:

ScrapQuilter

Charity Quilter
I too have a Janome 9000........
What I do is set my needle at 6.0 for a 1/4" seam and for the scant 1/4" seam I set my needle at 6.5.
Using the 6.0 setting my seams are always 1/4" and blocks come out very accurate.
I love my Janome how about you????

littlehud

I finally invested in one just before Christmas and I love it too.

Charity Quilter

Scrap Quilter.....I too love my Janome. I'm having withdrawals at the moment as it's in the shop for cleaning.......I'm lost with out Janome! Thanks for the pointers. I will use those settings and am anxious to give it a try.
Thanks again!

Rose Marie

Even with a 1/4 inch foot with the metal quide my seams were to big and my blocks were to small. So I still have to adjust my needle for a scant 1/4 inch to make up for the fold.

Miss Mona

An index card lines are 1/4" apart. Use an index card to see if you truly have a 1/4" seam. Put it under your foot against the guide and sew (without thread). I have 2 machines that use the same foot but have to adjust the width because of the default.