I didn't pay any attention to "scant 1/4"" until I started making the blocks for the free Craftsy BOM class I signed up for. My blocks started coming out just a bit too small even though I measured, cut, and sewed as accurately as I could using my trusty 1/4" guide foot. The more seams there were within the block, the worse it got, of course. Once I set the needle position over 1 "click", the problem was solved.