1/4 foot
 

I am new to quilting... I have read that I need a 1/4 foot for my machine for piecing. I looked online.. Am I just needing the basic one, or the one with guide? My machine already came with a walking foot, so I am good there! Getting ready to start working on my very first quilt! Yay!

I have both, and I realy like the one with the guide. I get more consistant seam size. If you can move your needle position over 1 click to the right, you have a perfect scant 1/4". Have fun with your first quilt!

Hmm, well I was using my 1/4" foot with the guide recently and remembered why I don't like it. I can't seem to pull my pins out quickly enough for it and they pull the seam out of alignment. It also doesn't let me sew over seams very well.

My all time favorite 1/4" foot is the Little Foot. It's clear plastic with bright red markings all around. Best $22 I ever spent for these aging eyes.

I don't like using a 1/4 foot for machine piecing. I use an adhesive guide on the bed of my machine to create a physical barrier for my fabric to butt up against. I can sew even seams much, much faster this way. I have cut and used moleskin for the barrier (available in the foot section of any pharmacy), sometimes layering it two levels. Currently am using a Dritz adhesive guide, as they are precut and have a nice height:
http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Quilting...dp/B0085L2Y2I/

I do not recommend the associated red ruler Dritz sells for establishing the 1/4". I measured it, and it creates an exact 1/4" seam rather than the scant 1/4" that we quilters prefer.

I use one of my shorter rulers to establish the seam allowance. I place the ruler on the bed of the machine, lower my needle so it is at a scant 1/4", lower the presser foot to keep the ruler in place, check that the ruler is running straight from front to back, then place the adhesive guide butted up next to the ruler. Instead of a ruler, a lined index card would work too, or graph paper marked in 1/4" squares.

I have sewn garments and interior decorating for years. I got use to making the wider seams and even using a regular foot with the 1/4 markings I found I was still making the seams too wide for quilting. I bought the 1/4" foot with the guide from Amazon and I LOVE it. I don't sew too much with pins but when I have to use a pin I try and put it in from the left, that way I can pull it out closer to the foot than when I put it in from the right.

The only thing I don't like about the foot is I have a top loading bobbin and I have to raise the pressure foot to take the plastic cover off the bobbin case. I have no problems going over seams because I turn one, one way and the other one the other way. That keeps the seams from being too thick and lets them match more.

Well, you really don't have to have a special 1/4 foot - just measure from your needle to the edge of your fabric and adjust your needle position if you can. Follow those ideas above about measuring and marking your bed of your machine and you will do fine.

If you are going to buy one I would go with the one with the guide. I have both and rarely use the one without the guide.

Kat

I have both. I use the one with a guide on the machine that I can move the needle. I found the guide is a little bigger then 1/4" if my needle is in a fixed middle position. The Brother 1/4" snap on foot that Walmart sells will fit my Janome Jem and has outlasted the one I bought at the Janome dealer. The foot for my Bernina doesn't have the guide but I seldom piece with the Bernina.

It wasn't until I bought a 1/4 inch foot that I realized I was not sewing a 1/4 inch seam but more like a 3/8 inch seam. I'm excited to try a quilt square with triangles to see if that will help me match up the seams and points better. Before I bought the quilting foot, I tried marking my machine, but I learned that I guide the fabric through the machine by looking at the foot. So, marking the machine really didn't make a difference for me. I have a Brother machine and spent $9 on the quilting foot at WalMart.