I generally have my machine set for 10-12 stitches per inch for all basic sewing/ piecing. I may increase that to 14-16 for paper piecing and I lengthen the stitch length when sewing fleece, minkie, knits or heavy fabrics to 8-10 stitches. These stitch lengths give me a nice, secure seam and since I use my built in thread cutter the machine takes a ( lock stitch) when it cuts, so it doesn't matter how long my seam or stitch is. I've never heard of anyone adjusting stitch length for every seam they stitch-- seems like an awful lot of work.