I use a zigzag foot on my machine at all times. To sew accurate quarter-inch seams, I place a layer of moleskin at the correct distance and use that as a physical buffer for my fabric.
I've did the same thing you did several times (although it did not mess up my machine), and that's when I decided to leave the zigzag foot on all the time.
Along the same lines, I quit trying to use the straight stitch needle plate (just has a single hold in it, which is supposed to provide a more accurate straight stitch). I leave the zigzag needle plate in the machine.