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Old 02-09-2024, 06:51 AM
  #33  
WesternWilson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 423
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I had a beautiful sewing machine years ago, and found it was not suitable for quilting simply because when reaching the narrow 1/4" seam ends, the fabric was always pulled to the left. I noticed in a quilt class that others did not have this problem. It was all in the feed dog setup.

Some feed dogs are set too wide to control the entire run of a 1/4" seam. Some feed dogs are textured differently, such that they grab the fabric more effectively.

I sold my beautiful machine after trying out some machines my classmates brought to class. And bought one that does not pull at seam ends. Note that when sewing really tiny pieces, where the fabric pieces are simply too small to be held properly by the feed dogs and presser foot, a stiletto can really help.

Other things that can cause issues with straight seams: using a stitch plate with a big needle hole (ie a zigzag hole...try to use a single stitch needle plate for straight stitched seams), poor presser foot pressure, dull needles, poor tension.
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