bearisgray

In my experience - SOME 'quilting type cottons' have shrunk drastically. Which is ONE of the reasons why some of us wash the fabrics first.

To me, handling a washed fabric is like seeing a person without make-up. I know what I actually have to work with.When it's washed, I have a much better idea of what I'm actually working with and how the fabric will behave down the line after it's incorporated into another item.

wendiq

I have the Janome 6600 and move the needle over to 5.7 for my quarter inch using the quarter inch foot......Every machine is different....that's why we should always sew a "sample seam".

solstice3

I detest the SCANT!!!! can it be outlawed?

kerriy

The teating with 3 - 1 1/2" strips is a great testing method.

2 other things I have found:

(1) If you dont' prewash, sometimes when you press, the block shrinks up a smidge more leaving you short! annoying.

(2) Check the thickness of your fabric. If I have two cottons, one more silky slim, and one more bulky thick. the thick ones can make you short. so, on those your scant has to be scantier! Then with silky slimmer ones, that same scant can leave you with a bit too large of block, annoying too.

It is truly a project by project deal. I do obsess a bit and square as I go. The more pieces in a block, the more checking I do as it grows. But, in the end I get square quilts with blocks pretty even! So it is worth it to me.

coopah

Good idea, but can you see the engineer's face when you tell him/her to make a "scant" 1/4" foot for a sewing machine? The engineers I know would either laugh so hard they couldn't stand up, or skyrocket to the clouds! Scant is what keeps us humble. Just sayin'

BTW, I bought the Kitchen Aide dough hook with the silicone added to get all the dough out of the bottom of the bowl. Guess what? It's not perfect, either, so guess we are on our own with some of this stuff.

Termi

gigi712, I feel your pain. I'm new at piecing and self taught and have a Janome 6500. I've spent I don't know how much on quarter inch feet. I kept thinking one would work better than the other. They're fine when just piecing two pieces of fabric together. But........ when there's bulk in the seam you're sewing, the fabric skids out of control because the 1/4" foot doesn't cover all the feed dogs. So, what works for me now is using the seam guide that came with the machine, using a full size regular foot that covers all the feed dogs and moving the needle to where I need it to be. If you have an accufeed foot with a 1/4" guide, that should work good for you. Good luck!

JReadman

Lynda ~ what is the Yahoo group that you mentioned? I have had the 7700 for a few months & would be interested in getting some tips on how to use it more efficiently.

sandy l

If we're voting, you got my vote!!

gigi712

JRedman, I have the 1/4" foot with flange and the accufeed will attach to it, however, I can't get my presser foot all the way down if that makes any sense.

Ok, everybody. I think I've hit my 'spot'. I know it sounds awful, but it's a good thang for me!!!! It's between 3.8 and 3.9, both work equally as well. Thanks everyone!!! Now to see if I can remember it next time I turn my machine on. Methinks I need a big marks a lot pen and write it down in big letters and post it in front of my machine. Will that work? Nah, but I can say I gave it a try. Thanks again, everyone. You've literally saved me from the looney bin today. Who knows about tomorrow? They keep a van on stand-by for me. r

omaluvs2quilt

I have the 6600 also. If you're using the accufeed 1/4" foot, are you engaging the accufeed in the uppermost position (extra high), locking it in and then dropping the foot when fully engaged? I use this foot for all my piecing. I find it gives me much more accurate seams. I know all our machines are a little different, but for a scant 1/4" I use the 5.9 setting. I still do a test piecing strip each time I start a quilt just to be sure. Different pressing techniques can also change the size of your blocks slightly.

You can also save your setting by using the memory buttons. Just push the blue "m" with the arrows at the top and the red "m" at the bottom and it will save it for the next time. Best of luck!