I create my own physical seam guide similar to Jan in VA. However, instead of a sticky note pad, I use moleskin. This is a furry type thick bandage sold in the foot section of the pharmacy, Target, Walmart, etc. It comes rolled up inside a small box.
Are you understanding the meaning of a scant 1/4" seam? It's scant because "turn-of-the-cloth" in the seam plus thread thickness eats up a little of your seam. If you sew the seam "scant", the end result after pressing is a piece that measures an accurate 1/4" less than it did before seaming.
Anyway, here's my method for using moleskin. (1) Cut narrow strips from the moleskin using rotary cutter and a ruler. (2) Get a favorite quilting ruler -- or quarter-inch graph paper works too -- and place under needle of machine so the edge is 1/4" to the right. (3) Lower needle until it touches the ruler just slightly to the right of the 1/4" mark. (4) Lower the presser foot to hold the ruler in place. (5) Check that the ruler is running straight forwards and back. I eyeball it against the throat plate. (6) Remove adhesive from the back of one of the moleskin strips. (7) Carefully place moleskin so it is butting up against the edge of the ruler, and secure it to the throat plate. (8) I like the moleskin to extend both in front of and behind the presser foot; helps guide the fabric into the needle and keep it straight while sewing.
On my machine, I have to move the needle one position to the right; otherwise the moleskin would be covering up part of the feed dogs!
To test that this placement guide is correct, sew three 2.5" strips of fabric together, iron, then measure. You are looking for an exact width of 6.5" after you have sewn those two seams. If it's not 6.5", go back through the process again and adjust in the direction needed. I have done this so many times and know my machine so well, that I never have to re-adjust. (Of course, it helps that my moleskin lines up exactly with the edge of the feed dog hole!)
If I want an extra-high guide, I layer another strip of moleskin on top of the existing one before removing the ruler.
With this physical guide in place, I can sew very fast and still have very accurate 1/4" seams. Plus my eyes don't get tired from constantly staring at a line on the throat plate. I have found a physical guide like this to be *much* more accurate than the specialized feet that are sold for 1/4" seams.
The adhesive on the moleskin is strong, but easily removed later without leaving residue on the throat.
Edit: Sorry, didn't realize I was writing an essay here! One more thing I wanted to mention is that your sewing machine feed dogs may be making it difficult to sew even seams. Watch it and see if the feed dogs are pulling the fabric to the left or right. An easy way to do this is to take a couple of large scraps of fabric and just let the machine sew without guiding the fabric. If the machine sews in a straight line, the machine is okay. If it sews a curved line, the feed dogs are not in alignment.
Last edited by Prism99; 03-23-2012 at 07:03 PM.