I always use the same machine, same foot throughout a project. I also have a little ruler with a hole for the needle that indicates 1/4". I place the ruler down under the needle, drop the needle into the hole, make sure the ruler is very straight, drop the presser foot to keep the ruler straight and then place a thick strip of masking tape (or comparable) along the edge of this ruler. Finally, I move my needle one click to the right. This only takes a few seconds and my seams are much more consistent that relying just on the 1/4" foot.