here are a few things that i found to help me i just bought a 1/4 seam foot it has a guide bar on the side of it and makes perfect 1/4 in seams, second i use heavy starch when ironing my material , it seems to make it less flimsy to me , and also easier to cut, also when you are pressing your seams make sure you are pressing them the right way and not stetching the material while you are pressing it by using a back and forth ironong method