sewingpup

umm...I stitch on a number of different machines.....what I do is cut some test pieces...say 2.5 inch squares...stitch them up..maybe 3 or 4 in a row....then press and measure....if they are good as to the final measure...I just keep on stitching them up using the same mark that I did for the test pieces. however, if the finished pieced object is slightly smaller, I will try again...this time just lining up my fabric just inside (to the left) of the 1/4 inch mark on the foot and test and measure again. this will often give me the proper finished size as the seam is actually a bit smaller, adding extra fabric to the square. It really doesn't matter what your seam is actually...what matters is how big do your pieces end up ...if it is supposed to be a finished 2 inches square...that is what it should end up as. Some of my machines, I don't even have a quarter inch foot for but can find mark on the foot, or the throat plate or stack of sticky notes to line up my stitching with to get the right finished size. There are actually other viarables in if your finished size ends up being right...such as the thread you are using, thicker thread takes up more fabric in the fold when you press your seams, how you line up your ruler when you cut the pieces. ( do you place your ruler to the inside or outside or right on the edge of the fabric) and even how square you are sitting to the needle position of your machine...sitting so you are just to one side of the needle an distort your view of needle placement.