I broke my 1/4 foot (twice!!), and I am wondering if putting a piece of tape on my machine as a guide will work fairly well until I can buy a new foot tomorrow.

I am pretty sure it will, but I would like to hear that from an expert or two. I was going to use painter's tape.

The foot is plastic and the metal "shield" part just popped off and jumped across the room. My husband put it back on, and it worked for a while, but then it just came off again....without the jumping part this time. He is going to "weld" or "solder" or glue or something it back together, but at the moment he is watching a race on tv. I don't want to attempt it myself, as he is the "putter back togetherer" in the family.

But tape will work until the race is over, right?

You should be fine with tape. I have measured on the feet I use the most where the 1/4" is and just use that as my guide if I don't want to put on the 1/4" foot.

Do you have an post it notes? Take a few of those and stick them on the top of your machine at the 1/4" seam line. It will form a kind of fence to guide your fabric against. make sense?

Mole skin would work better if you have any. If not several layers of tape will help. Need to build it up so that the fabric sits up against it. Masking tape or painters tape are thicker and wouldn't need so many layers.

This can be done:

Learn where 1/4 inch seam is in relation to the edge of the presser foot you are using.

We used to sew 5/8 inch seams (more or less) when the edge of the presser foot was about 1/2 an inch away from the edge of the fabric.

In the long run, it's much easier than trying to relay on "props"

Okay, thanks, all good ideas. I have the tape out, but was having trouble figuring out exactly where 1/4 inch was. Measuring on my foot makes much more sense.

In fact, I see some red marks on my foot. Hmmm...nope, doesn't seem to be where the 1/4 inch is.

Okay, again, thanks. I am going to either tape or just mark my foot. Gotta sew, ya know. :)

I have that same 1/4 in foot and I've been afraid that would happen to mine. The one I have is for a Viking and it cost $34.97. That is just crazy!

Painters tape is great. It does not leave a residue on you machine

The tape will work fine. I have an old machine that just doesn't line up with it's quarter inch foot to make a good quarter inch seam, so I measured 1/4 inch from the needle and just drew a line and that works, too.

Painter's tape worked fine, and the race is over, so my husband just fixed my foot....plus my sister just lent me her spare 1/4 foot...so I am all "footed up."

:)