Originally Posted by sunflower126
I found that many of my 1/4" woes went away when I purchased a 1/4" foot for my machine. It has a little lip on it that keeps you from making the seam larger. They arene't very expensive. The tape looks like a good way if $$$ is an issue.
Here's a trick I've used for years to create perfect 1/4" seams and I sew strips together at warp speed using it!
IF your machine's feed dogs are NOT wider than the regular presser foot you use ----
1. Measure 1/4" to the right of needle strike (Use the stitched-paper method shown above).
2. Line up the glued edge of a small Post-It note (I use the 1/5" x 2" size), sticky side down, parallel to the edge of your presser foot at that 1/4" seam mark. (Like the tape does in the idea above.)
3. Use a fat rubber band from celery or broccoli stalks to wrap around your free-arm of the machine to hold the Post-IT in place. (I've found that the metal of any machine's throat plate will NOT allow the Post-IT to stick more than a few seconds.) This rubber band can usually be easily moved out of the way for refilling bobbins or making other than 1/4" seams.
4. A long strip of Scotch tape will also hold down the Post-It if you don't have a rubber band.
5. Align the edges of your strips/blocks with the edge of the Post-It and keep your eye on the front edge of it while piecing, instead of eyeballing the edge of the presser foot or the needle.
It's like this.......When we "drive" our machines with our eyes on the needle or the edge of the presser foot, we are driving like a 90 year old lady who is looking just off the hood (front) of her car to steer...she's got to make lots of tiny adjustments to stay reasonably straight. Looking ahead down the highway makes for much easier driving corrections.
Jan in VA