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Old 07-14-2017, 07:11 PM
  #4  
Prism99
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
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As toverly mentioned, whether it makes a difference or not depends on the pattern.

I achieve and maintain a scant 1/4" seam by using a physical guide on the bed of my machine using molefoam. My preference is for molefoam *padding* because it is thicker, but I have also used regular molefoam. Molefoam is found in the foot section of pharmacies. It has an adhesive backing and is used by hikers to protect their feet from blisters. If the molefoam is thin, I layer it. Molefoam padding is thick enough that I don't need to layer.

What I do is cut the molefoam using my ruler and rotary scissors into thin strips (about 1/4" thick wide, but the width doesn't actually matter).

I take a strip to my sewing machine along with my favorite ruler that has thin lines. (You can use a notecard with 1/4" lines instead, if you like.) I place the ruler underneath the presser foot and lower my needle so that the needle is just touching the ruler to the *right* of the 1/4" line nearest the right edge of the ruler.

I lower the presser foot to keep the ruler in place, then check to make sure that the ruler is running straight from front to back on the bed of my machine. Once I am satisfied with the ruler's placement, and the needle is touching just to the right of the thin line on my ruler (if your ruler's lines are thick, place the needle on the line but towards the line's right side), I peel the adhesive backing off my strip of molefoam and carefully lay it down on the bed of my machine, butting it against the edge of the ruler. If your ruler slips or moves on you, you can use painter's tape to tape it down to the bed of the machine to keep it in place while you do this. If you are using a note card instead of a ruler, you will have the needle touching the bottom line on the card.

Because I have an insert to keep the bed of my machine flat with its desk, and I need to remove the insert sometimes to reach the bobbin, I use scissors to cut the moleskin where the insert meets the desk. I like my strip of molefoam to be quite long, extending both in front of and in back of the presser foot.

When sewing seams, I simply butt the cut edges up to the molefoam (be careful you don't push so hard the seams go up and over! -- they just need to be touching the molefoam) and I get straight, even, accurate scant 1/4" seams every time.

Here is a link to the molefoam padding I like the best, but be aware there is molefoam that is thinner than this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EPQG2G/
A single pack will last quite a long time, as there are several sheets in a pack and each sheet can be cut into strips. It does wear out as you sew, so I simply replace it whenever it starts looking worn and shabby.
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