OK, ladies...I need some input here:

Have you found the "perfect" 1/4" foot for your piecing? Does one even exist???

I do have an exact 1/4" foot for my Janome, but the marking on the plate is exactly a "scant" 1/4" so I usually use that as my guide. I have to put a little stack of sticky notes next to them or I go off in all directions!!

usually only by luck does a 1/4" foot is perfect. usually have to move needle position or position of fabric to get perfect 1/4"

yes even tho my Janome 1/4" foot has a piece on it to keep you from going past the edge I can can not get qite close enough, or get it bunched up against it so I say "NO", there is no such thing, they all leave room for the operator to mess it up :shock:

The foot that came with my Brother 1500 machine gives me a perfect 1/4" seam. When I put my blocks together, and measure the quilt, it comes to within 1/4" of what it should.
I do stress that it works for me. Please keep in mind that what works for one, does not necessarily work for other.

My machine came with a 1/4th" foot & I've measured it several times & it's spot on. Having said that, I don't worry about my seams being exact as long as there's enough to sew even seams.I don't go under that size.Don't want to worry about them pulling apart.

Fabric thickness and thread weight affect the 1/4" seam. My Bernina foot is wonderful, but I always do a test as I sometimes have to bump the needle over a spot depending on these things. A 1/4" foot doesn't take these into consideration. You must gauge the fabric and thread thickness.

I was able to purchase a 1/4" foot for my Viking Saphire 830
it has an edge on it for that it still is not perfect. I have to watch carefully that I do not allow the material to go under it or pull away from it

I love the Bernina 1/4" foot, but I too have to "fudge" the needle depending on the fabric and thread. I think this applies to all quarter-inch feet. I always sew a sample seam to get it just right.

OK...so what you're all saying is....

The foot may be perfect, but the operator isn't :)

I have to move my needle over 2 spots to get a real scant 1/4". It used to bother me but now I'm so used to it that it's like second nature.

:> Not so much the operator, but that every thread and fabric combo won't be exactly the same.

I bought the Little Foot, and it is a perfect 1/4" for me, if I bump my needle once to the left, it is a perfect scant 1/4" :D:D:D
The feet with the blade/guide on it doesn't work for me either, my fabric either goes under it or bunches up right next to it :(

Got it in one!!!

What's The Little Foot?

I use the regular foot and change the needle position. That way I have more control in the feed dogs.

I think I've very lucky, I have a 35 year old Viking with 1/4..... so very thankful

My SQ9000 has a 1/4 in. foot and it is perfect, I also had this same type of foot with my old Brother and have had no problem keeping a 1/4 in. seam at all. :D

the little foot is clear with red measure lines on it..no guide bar.
the lines on the end of the foot, help with stopping 1/4" from the end of the quilt binding corner..did that make sense? lol

i use it alot..the bar on my regular foot got bent, and i ended up taking it off..

http://www.createforless.com/Little+...utm_medium=cse

Move the needle position! Never thought of it! Duh. Thank you for telling me this tip -- I have an expensive machine and a 1/4 inch foot, but still can't get good 1/4 inch seams. I have been "eye-balling it" even with my 1/4 inch seam foot and not getting good results. Off to put your advice into practice. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

A consistant seam is more important to me that worrying about scant measurements. Find what works best with your project and then just relax and enjoy the experience. Too many up-tight people in this world to worry about things like that. I have Janome machines and any of the 1/4 in feet I have work with whatever project I'm doing. My grandkids and friends are not going to measure the seams, just love them. Sometimes to rags and that is much more important to me. Relax. Enjoy.

I took this as a given, (that everyone knew) when i first started, because i took a beginners class.(lucky me!) then at quilt group, i was watching a girl sew, and she was complaining about the finished block size not being the right size ..it finally dawned on me, that she didn't know about moving the needle! she just thought if she had a 1/4" foot on, it would come out 1/4"!
i never take things for granted in quilting anymore..especially for beginners! tell them even the simple things, for they may not know!

On both my kenmore's I always get the 1/4" exact, until the operator(me) gets off and not paying attention.

That's Riiiiiiigggghhhhtt!!!

I know I can't believe what we have to do to get the l/4"
Even on the quilting machines. I don't get it.
I have a Bernina, and I can move the needle to make the
1/4". Or pay $30. for the 1/4" foot. But if you have the
walking foot on, you can't move the needle.

This is true, but the finished block size will be different and could cause major problems later on.

Because, like I said, it's not the machine or the foot. It's the combination of the different weight threads and fabric on the market. That's why being able to manually move the needle is important. I can have a perfect , scant, 1/4" using 50wt. Aurifil thread on LQS cotton. If I change to Gutterman and flannel I will have to change needle position. Or if the quality of fabric is different with the Gutterman or other variety thread, I'll re-check the scant by a small test and move the needle if need be. This way I get perfect points and block sizes.

[What's The Little Foot?[/quote]

the little foot is clear with red measure lines on it..no guide bar.
the lines on the end of the foot, help with stopping 1/4" from the end of the quilt binding corner..did that make sense? lol

i use it alot..the bar on my regular foot got bent, and i ended up taking it off..

http://www.createforless.com/Little+...utm_medium=cse[/quote]

I lucked out one of my friends purchased the "Little foot" for her machine and it didn't fit, so she gave it to me and it works perfectly on my Brother! I really like it and have had excellent results in my piecing! I had purchased a foot from the sewing machine shop with the guide on it and I didn't have any luck with it at all....it just seemed to push the fabric every which way!

I have a pretty new Janome 6600. I had the same problem with the Regular 1/4" foot not being accurate. The gals on the Janome Blog helped me with that...Move the needle and even gave me the proper adjustment. The manual has some information but I had not read it carefully enough. The accufeed (built in walking foot) has a 1/4" foot too but I don't have that yet. It is ordered and I look forward to trying that out.
Judi

I love my 1/4 inch foot but it seems like lately every pattern is calling for a Scant 1/4 ... and my 1/4 foot is a single hole so no room to move the needle.

I don't worry about "scant" this or that. I use my 1/4" foot consistently throughout my project. Imagine that! Everything's perfect.

I have all three 1/4" feet described and I don't have any problem with any of them.

My 1/4" foot is accurate, but for a scant quarter-inch I move the needle position one position to the right.

I don't worry about mine being an exact 1/4" either. I figure they are all the same so that works for me. Of course, I don't do anything that requires precision.

Will thread make a difference? Wouldn't a thinner thread such as Aurfil, take less space, therefore making a scant quarter inch seam...or almost? Just a thought.

No perfect answer...it can depend on your thread, your fabric, how you press, using a scant quarter, even how you cut.

It is always best to do a test...example...batik fabric will be different than sewing with flannel. The "take up" as you are pressing will be different with each of these fabrics, and your "scantness" will probably need to be a bit more with the flannel to get a true 1/4."

To do a test, you can cut a 2" strip from each fabric and sew them together using what you think is a1/4" and measure your width after pressing. The strips after sewing and pressing should measure 5" and if they don't, you need to adjust your 1/4" so that they do.

There are some patterns you can do that it might not matter too much if the seams aren't correct, but the more intricate the block, the more important it will be to sew with a "perfect 1/4."

Depends. Aurifil makes a lot of different thread weights. I have 3 different Aurifil thread weights. And they make more than that. All will affect the seam allowance in a different manner and what you'd need to do, or not do with the needle to get a scant 1/4".

Same here!

I bought a1/4" attachment for my Pfaff. It has a bracket on the side
that holds the distance. It is spot on.

My MIL bought me a 1/4 inch foot when she gave me her featherweight. Lucky me! I love both... well all three, my MIL, featherweight and the 1/t inch foot!!!