I never really believed that until tonight. I started this strip at a sew day using my take to class machine. I made another strip tonight using different machine. I switch machines a lot finishing up projects. I think I found out why I keep pulling my hair out trying to figure out what went wrong with my blocks! Look at the difference in the strips. All the fabric pieces are cut exactly the same size, sewn together exactly the same way using a 1/4" quilting foot made for each machine. I learned a major lesson. One machine makes a perfect scant 1/4" seam the other measures 1/4" seam but appears to be a thread width bigger. A scant 1/4" does make a big difference!

Tease: One machine used is a vintage Singer 301.

Thank you for sharing this very illustrative example of how a thread or two difference multiplied across a strip makes such a difference. Now I guess you get to do some reverse sewing huh?
I'm sorry you have to redo this strip, but you have provided all of us a good lesson. ;)

I'll have to make both over. I'm saving these two to show and be examined at guild. It's for a miniature quilt so it's not much fabric involved. The 301 made the perfect scant 1/4" seam. From now on my expensive Brother will be used for machine quilting not piecing.

Ouch! Thanks for the lesson.

Wow...thank you so much for showing this...I never knew that machines could be that different. I have two machines..but rarely use the second one..only piecing with the one..I would have never noticed it. Thanks bunches

I've wondered about that! Now tell me what you're going to do with all the new hair growth? :lol: :lol:

Thanks for the visual.

Thanks for the illustration.

(I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!! - jumping up and down)

It can also be different with different presser feet.

Same thing can happen using different rulers - or what part of the line one uses as a guide.

That is also a good illustration for the benefit of doing a "test run" to make sure that the assembled pieces end up being the expected size.

I use an adjustable foot on my 301 and the needle is adjustable on the 319
I mark 1/4 lines on paper the put the paper under the foot and adjust accordingly until I have the correct distance...

Great example! Thanks for showing us. :)

Wonderful example. For several years I taught at a convention where we used (in each class or event) the same model machine and the appropriate 1/4" foot that came with the machine and the same 1/4" button on the machine. None adjusted the same. We spent time at the beginning of the class calibrating the stitch width. So....proved that all machines and feet were not the same.
Therefore, some rules (if I can use that term) Always calibrate or adjust your seam allowance before beginning the sewing and make a test piece to be sure and then USE THE SAME machine for the entire project and never assume the measurement will continue throughout the projejct. For accurate work it is necessary to check and correct as the project goes along.
I took a class with Sally Collins recently. She is consider to be the master of accurate minitiature piecing. She said that the work is only as good as the last seam sewed. So make a section and then measure it and correct if necessary.

all 3 of my 1/4" feet require moving of the needle..
same machine,
different settings to get the right seam allowance.
i have the Janome 6600.

i also have the jem, which the snap on feet are interchangable, and it requires a different setting!
i try to start and finish piecing on the same machine..
or try to remember to check the seam allowance every time i start the machine up!

Sooooooo, what you are telling me is:
In these two sets of blocks you have 8 seams each.
The longer set 'seam' is the width of a thread larger than the smaller set.
So laying 8 pieces of thread side by side is how much bigger the larger set is than the smaller set?
This was an excellent visual. It will be burned in my mind forever because you showed it to me this way.
Thank-you. All of the examples and information in this post and the responses is very helpful to me.

Thank you--I'd have never thought of this. You've saved lots of us time and aggravation (and hair-pulling!).

I DID THE SAME EXACT THING - sewed on one machine at class and then followed up on another machine at home.

UGGGHHHH had to undo both 6 FOOT sections I finished.

I also learned the hard way with log cabin blocks. Half made on one machine the other on a different machine. I now tell all my students when you start a quilt on one machine, make ALL the blocks on THAT machine.
Out of three machines I use, I get a different seam allowance when attaching binding with my walking foot.

You are so right. I also found out all rulers are not the same. I try to use the same ruler for a quilt. This helps explain why all blocks we receive in exchanges are not always the same size. It can be very frustrating, can't it.

Well now I know that I am not crazy. I told the shop where I purchased my machine that the 1/4 inch foot does not sew 1/4 inch seams. They told me that I was crazy and it definitely does. Hmmmmm thanks for letting me know that I was right.

great tip.

I participate in block exchanges and was always frustrated that MY blocks weren't coming out to the right size, couldn't really get them square, ect. I finally decided to select blocks that I could piece a little large and use the 12 1/2" square ruler.

Since then I am happier, still struggle to get the exchange blocks to go together, but have learned to add sashing, accept the blocks as they were intended, a gracious act of generosity and community and put them together and enjoy my quilts.

I didn't know about the adjustable foot for the 301. I'll have to look for one. I have a Janome Gem but haven't seen the face plate with foot. I'll have to look for one of those too. I have the foot with guide.

The longer strip was sewn with the Singer 301. It is the exact size it is suppose to be. The 301 had Connecting Threads thread in top and bobbin and the seam is scant under 1/4" showing all the ruler line. The Brother1500 was used for the shorter strip. Bottom Line thread was used in the bobbin and Connecting Threads thread in the top. The seam measures 1/4" but covers the ruler line.

Each strip has 37 sewn seams.

WOW!!! that is a real eye opener... Thank you for posting about this and for the picture too :D:D:D

I wonder about the difference in needle position between my 3 machines using the same exact 1/4" foot... 2 are adjustable, but they may still not be "exactly" the same when repositioned slightly for scant 1/4" seams :roll:

Off to check this out :wink:

Hi - I have a friend that gave us instructions to test your 1/4" stitch before sewing. I'll see if she can email it to me to share. You wouldn't think a 1/4" varies but your example shows differently. Thanks for sharing. Tracy

This is how i was taught:
http://quilting.about.com/od/machine..._allowance.htm

Also remember that these things will affect your seam allowance:
1.thinkness of your thread ,especially is you have alot of seams. i use a scant 1/4,if i remember!
2. cutting precise
3. Pressing the seams

all three will affect your seam allowance.

here is a bit on scant 1/4"
http://www.sewaquilt.com/machine-piecing.html

someone once told me that index cards,the ones that have lines on one side, are in 1/4" increments. if you sew on the blanck side, and flip it over, it should be on the line.
i have not tried this myself..but worth a shot,if i had an index card!

Oh so true,as my sister and i found out wokin with 2 machines on same quilt.Can't be done...
Pinner

I have the foot with the side bar and still have to adjust my needle one click over to get the right seam width. I have the QC1000 Brother. I am however setting up an old Kenmore,need to find 1 more screw to hold it in the cabinet, and I am thinking about maybe piecing on that . Don't know yet.

I discovered this 2 years ago working on placemats. Bought a new light weight Baby Lock Maria and took it to class and completed one placemat. Finished up the other 3 at home on my Pfaff and my Pfaff mats are noticeably larger. A friend told me I needed to buy a 1/4 inch foot so I did and evidently it matches the 1/4 inch Pfaff foot as I can now go between the two machines without a problem but what I did was sew a seam on each machine and measured before I started our mystery quilt at class. This time I was able to go between the two machines with ease. I agee, the tiniest bit difference can make a pretty big difference in the outcome so when going between machines, measure, compare and know what you're working with. If you can't go between the two, you can still use the travel machine and complete the top or project at home with it. Not ideal since many of us have much better machines at home than what we travel with. Glad you caught it when you did.

I have to move the needle position to 4.5 on both my janome and brother. That is when I use cotton 50wt thread. However using something like bottom line, or a thinner piecing thread there is less lost in the seam. Alot depends on the thickness of the material, the thread, and how well pressed the seam is, not just the 1/4 inch foot.

I agree. It isn't just the machines...it can be the difference between the 1/4 feet that you use.
In fact, I stopped using a 1/4 foot because it never gave me a true scant 1/4 seam. I now use a vintage sewing machine that will move the needle both to the right and the left and the first thing I do before sewing is to use my little metal ruler to line the needle up up on the scant 1/4 inch line. (It only takes a couple of minutes.)

Another problem with getting a good scant 1/4 seam could be the thread. If (because of using different machines) you use different threads, one thread could be just a bit thicker than another thread. Some of my projects get put on hold where I pull the thread off of the machine to do some repair work with a different thread. After awhile, I forget what thread I was using on my quilting project. When I put thread back on the machine, I run a sample seam on some scraps to check out my 1/4 seam just to make sure I'm doing the same width as I did in my earlier blocks.

Yeah I have 2 machines too. 1 for home and 1 for taking places. I learned if I start on 1 to keep going on that 1.
Lessoned learned. Thanks for posting that. :thumbup:

I do the same thing too. I do not trust the "markings" on the feet nor the manufacturer's word on the width of the 1/4" feet. I either move the needle, or if that is not an option on the particular machine I note where the actual 1/4" is and go by that measure.
You are right, all 1/4"s are not the same!!

WOW the things I learn on this forum..... thank you very much.

That is certainly an eye opener. Thanks for the info.

This is the BEST thread yet to improve our accuracy and let us retain our hair! A big BIG B I G thank you to BellaBoo!

What does the Singer 301 looks like?

JJ wrote: "I use an adjustable foot on my 301 "

Hi JJ. I am very interested in your adjustable foot for the 301. Do you know where you got it or who the manufacture is? I definitely want one for my 301. :-P

Thank you for your help.

you can also use 3 x 5 index cards as the lines are 1/4 inch apart

thanks for sharing your pictures with us, you did all of us a great job by showing us

Wow! What a big difference! Thanks for sharing.
Kind Regards,
MaryAnna