honeybee_2000

Could someone explain why beginners are taught always to use 1/4 in exact when sewing then along down the road, you find something like wedding ring quilt that requires scant 1/4 inch that totally confuses you when the markings on the wedding ring rulers are in 1/4?? No wonder so many new quilters give up!

Tartan

Most patterns call for consistent 1/4 inch seams. If the whole quilt top has the same seam allowance it goes together better. I very rarely find a pattern that calls for scant 1/4 and when I do, I just change my needle position over 1 space.

joe'smom

Whenever you see '1/4" seam' or 'scant 1/4" seam', it really means the same thing -- the seam allowance that will give you the correct size block with the machine and thread you are using. I think the terminology used is just a matter of preference. Whether a pattern says 1/4" seam or scant 1/4" seam, it's always good to do a test piece to see if your block/unit is the size it is supposed to be. If it's not, then you have to adjust the seam allowance.

PaperPrincess

The other thing that makes this confusing is although we talk about a seam size, you don't measure the seam, you measure the resultant patch. You sew with whatever seam size will give you the right block size. Here's a good way to check:
Achieving an Accurate 1/4" Seam Allowance

patricej

i agree wholeheartedly. nearly every set of instructions will tell you "1/4". rarely do they correctly call for the scant 1/4". and i have yet to see any instructions that tell you to make test patches and keep testing until you find the seam allowance you really need.

i have long believed that is a huge part of the reason so many newbies feel like failures when - in truth - it was the directions that failed.

honeybee_2000

Ive been watching youtube on how to make the wedding ring quilt block and the woman keeps saying to use scant 1/4 inch when sewing. Just so confusing..

Prism99

There are quite a few quilt patterns that do not require a scant 1/4" seam. For these patterns, any seam size *as long as it is consistent* works. Most 4-patch and 9-patch patterns are this way. These are easy patterns for beginners.

It is when you get into the more complex patterns that the scant 1/4" seam becomes important. It's just something a quilter needs to learn when ready to move into more complex quilt patterns, the double wedding ring being one example. It's not rocket science, and there are great tutorials on the QB and elsewhere online on how to achieve the scant 1/4". As PaperPrincess pointed out, what you are really trying to achieve is sizing accuracy for your finished pieces so they all fit together.

Edit: The 1/4" seam allowance for quilting is based on practicality. The more common 5/8" seam allowance for clothing construction would waste a lot of fabric in a quilt, plus add unwanted weight. If you don't need a scant 1/4" seam allowance for a particular quilt pattern, you have a choice about using it or going with your own "personal private seam allowance" (a la Mary Ellen Hopkins). More complex patterns require specific accuracy in the seam allowance in order for the pieces to fit together and lie flat.

quiltingshorttimer

Well said, Prism99. I help teach a beginner quilt class and we give our students a number of 2.5" squares (exactly cut) and tell them their homework is to sew a "1/4" seam" so that when 2 are sewn together and pressed open, they message an exact 4.5" rectangle. We explain that for most machines, that means sewing a "scant" 1/4" but since they are not measuring the seam itself, what they are trying to find is the correct setting for their machine--which can change based on fabric and THREAD used.

Jingle

I use a 1/4" seam and call it a day. I don't plan on making a pattern where an exact scant 1/4" seam is crucial.
I am making and donating quilts using my scraps from previous quilts. Warmth is the most imporatant thing, not the pattern.

DOTTYMO

Like Tartan if my pattern says a scant 1/4" I just move my needle over one notch from the 1/4" setting. Most of my projects I use a 1/4" seam. It works fine for me.

iwas told that the scant 1/4" allowed the seam to be pressed.