Prism99

That works for certain types of patterns. It doesn't work for more complex patterns.

tymia

I'm fair"ly new to quilting, what is the difference between a scant 1/4" and a 1/4"?

JustAbitCrazy

A scant 1/4" is just a thread or two short of a full size 1/4", to accomodate what is lost when the seam is folded to one side, with the thread thickness inside. If you sew a full quarter inch seam, you'll lose a bit more in that folded seam with the thread inside, and your block will finish smaller than it should. If you sew the scant quarter inch seam, then what is lost is lost in the seam allowance, not in the remainder of the piece. Make sense? It may sound insignificant to be concerned about a thread width, but it isn't. If you are off just a 32nd of an inch, and repeat that 32 times over the width or length of a quilt top, your top is now a full inch off. If your quilt top was constructed of only equal sized squares all over, it wouldn't matter in matching up the seams as long as your seam allowance size was consistent--it would just mean your quilt top would not end up exactly the expected size. But for any other pattern, involving pieces which are not squares, (triangles, rectangles, etc.) and with unequal numbers of seams vertically and horizontally within individual blocks and over the entire quilt top, all those minor inaccuracies add up and make seam matching impossible or just very difficult.

fireworkslover

I too bought a 1/4" foot and later found it wasn't accurate. So now I put a section of multiple layers of masking tape at the scant 1/4" location. It takes a bit of retraining myself when I use this, but it's worth it in the end. I started doing this when exchanging blocks with others, to ensure my blocks would be accurate. If I'm making all the blocks myself, it's not such a big deal, however once you learn how to sew a scant 1/4", why not do it all the time.

trolleystation

I agree with LoriS's comment. If you can pssibly move your needle, do so. I made several four patch units
using a different needle position until I found the exact one to give me a scant 1/4 inch. I think that we all forget that when we fold the material at a seam we lose just the tiniest amount of width on the square.

Fortyniner

I am a beginner but I have been following this message board for a couple of months and have just finished my first lapsize quilt top. I too have had difficulty in achieving a consistent 1/4" seam even with a 1/4" foot. After reading all of the advice here, I ordered a new 1/4" foot with a guide on the right hand side. Then I tested it by sewing together 3 pieces of 2 1/4" fabric and measuring the 3 blocks. My results were less than the expected size. I have a machine that will allow me to move the needle several spaces to the right or the left on a straight stitch, so I moved the needle one space to the right and tested my fabric again. Voila!! The fabric measured 6" exactly. If I were a little younger, I would have danced with joy. I have a reminder set by my machine telling me to reset the needle position. I also reduce the stitch length, so doing both makes it easier to remember. My question is- am I using a regular or a scant 1/4" inch?

quilting in my60s

Here's my 2 cents worth: I read somewhere on QB to let the bottom fabric just peak out when piecing because fabric always seems to slip a bit so I guess whatever works. I pin, pin, pin so fabric doesn't slip and if you have a speed set on your machine that helps to set it on slow.

MargeD

I use my 1/4" foot on my machine and tend to sew just inside for a scant 1/4" seam, or at the very least I wind up with a 1/4" seam - that works.

Prism99

Fortyniner, I am confused by your mention of sizes.

As far as I can figure out, 3 strips of 2-1/4" fabric sewn together with scant 1/4" seam should measure a total of 5-3/4" after sewing two seams.

A more common method is to cut 3 strips 2.5" wide and aim for a measurement of 6.5" exactly after sewing two seams (not 6" because there is an unsewn seam to left and right that add up to .5").

Edit: Regarding your question, you want to *sew* a scant 1/4" seam so that after pressing, the fabric taken up by the seam (including turn-of-cloth) is *exactly* 1/4". If you think about it, we all draw block patterns based on exact *finished* 1/4" seams. In order to achieve the exact finish, we need to sew a "scant" seam to allow for turn-of-cloth and space taken up by the sewing thread.

FroggyinTexas

Yes! Forget the term "scant 1/4 inch seam." Some misguided soul who wanted to take the fun out quilting made that up to see how many people would stress out over one thread width. Use your 1/4 inch seam foot or other guide and keep your seams uniform--or not--depending on what degree of perfection you require.

Scant 1/4 inch seam my right foot!! froggyintexas