I struggled with this one. The only thing that started helping was a special 1/4 inch foot that had a pieces of metal that went down to the right of the foot. This marked where the fabric had to stay in order to get the 1/4 inch seam.
Please describe what happens when you mark the 1/4 inch with the sticky notes etc. -----How are your cutting skills? Are your cuts making the 1/4 inch seam harder to achieve?