I see a lot of good information in this post. However, there is one that I don't see (hopefully, I didn't just miss it). When marking your machine for your 1/4 inch or scant 1/4 inch seam it is very important that this marking-tape or paper or whatever you use- by several inches long. It should be placed so that half of the length is in front of the needle and half behind the needle. Then hold the patches or segments of the block up against the marked line for the full length of the seam. If you don't start and finish straight, your seam will veer off and the pressing will be off. Another technique that works until you have a true visual feel for seam width is to cut scraps of graph paper, adhere them to your pieces and feed them through the machine.