It is frustrating, isn't it. You could buy a 1/4 foot. Or, measure 1/4 inch away from your needle and place a stack of sticky notes to use as a guide. If you do a search on this board, you'll find some great tips. Alot of us have the same problem!

The easiest thing for me was to buy a 1/4 inch foot.
Good luck.

Get ready for a flood of advice. :lol:

You're going to hear about special 1/4" feet for your machine, various other gadgets and gizmos guaranteed to guide you to the "sweet spot" and keep you there, plus any number of other tips and techniques for getting and staying on that straight and narrow seam line.

every bit of advice you'll get will be valid and useful because the person who shares it will have found that particular foot, gizmo, gadget, tip or technique to have worked well for her/him.

all of it will have work for somebody, but nothing works for every person or on every machine. (oh yeah ... machines have "issues" and quirks just like people do. every time i switch from one machine to another, i have to take some time "learning how to sew" all over again. annoying, but necessary.)

there's one very important thing i've recently realized we usually leave out when this subject comes up. it is, i think, the single most important thing of all. once you pick the thing(s) that work for you ... haul out a stack of scraps and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

don't get discouraged. before you know it, you'll be zinging through them quarter-inchers like a pro - and giving advice to the next person who asks. :mrgreen:

I discovered a magnetic Quilter's Seam Guide by Dritz Quilting it was less then $2.00 @ joann's. All you do is measure where you want it and it will "stick" in to place. it gives you a wall to keep your fabric aginst while you sew. It is working great for me and the added plus is it is adjustable to what ever seam allowance you want.

Happy quilting.
G

Using a 1/4" foot w/ guide is like having the angels descend from the heavens as the clouds part and a heavenly chorus signs Ode To Joy.

Are you using a quilting foot? I checked on the web - there is a one quarter inch quilting foot available for your machine. Some quilting feet even have a vertical guide attached at the exact one quarter spot.

If you are not using a quilting foot, does your machine have a clear wide foot that has lines on it?If so you could place your tape in front and behind the foot so you can line up your piece and see what you are doing.

I found when I was starting that speed was my enemy. I am sure others will have more recommendations but my best suggestion is

Take a deep breath, take it slow and enjoy. Good Luck.

When I found the 1/4 foot with guide that fit my machine I was in piecing heaven. It's a no brainer, the guide does all the work. One thing to remember in piecing is not let the bottom few stitches veer from a straight line.

I didn't see a 1/4 foot in your list. That will be the name of the foot you are needing.

http://www.sewforless.com/item/1_4_P...ide_SA185/1936
This is what it looks like. but again i agree with Patrice. I have too machines i use and both give me a different size finish they are close as i am getting to know my machines and practice really helps you get to know your machine. A 1/4 inch foot will help you but they are not always perfect. Don't give up it does get way easier
Dawn

Well I am going to throw a spanner in the works.. I have a quarter inch foot...and used it religiously...until I realised this is why my blocks are always a fraction short... the foot is tooo exact, and everyone mentioned the scant 1/4" and by the time you lose those couple of thread widths it all adds up SOOOOOOO resorted to taping across the throat plate as a guide, it has taken me time, but I think I am getting the hang of it :D Like Patrice says, practice makes perfect...eventually :lol:

All these ladies have great advice. I would like to add a couple of things though...I found that unless I'm in a swap, I really don't care if my blocks are exactly 12.5" square or what ever the size of block I need. I realized that if I fed my fabric under the foot exactly the same way on each piece, all my blocks came out the same size....be that 12.25 or whatever and all came together as a top.

If you really feel you have to have your blocks exact....Cut 3 strips of fabric 2.5" wide by 6.5" long. Measure 1/4" away from your needle, stick down some tape and sew the strips together. Press and measure the square....is it 6.5" square? If not, adjust your guide and try again. Once you have your guide tape where it needs to be, do a couple more to get the hang of it and you should be set to go.

One more thing, using leaders & enders really helps you start and stop in a straight line (as Bellaboo mentioned). Leaders & enders are scrap pieces of fabric you sew first, then sew your piece then sew onto another scrap (leave the ending scrap as it will be your leader for the next piece).
Hope this helps.

Another thing to remember is most needles let you shift posiyion. You may have to switch to a slotted foot. The index card trick mentioned elsewhere on the board will help you find the best spot.

The picture of feet that you posted I expect is what came in your box. Brother lists a quarter inch quilters foot on their web site for that machine

the part number is SA185. Here is one on Ebay - in case you want to see what it looks like.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brother-1-4-SA18...arms=72%3A1205|66%3A3|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1| 294%3A100

I got the 1/4" foot for my brother and it works great for small piecing...
but when doing strips or borders when speed is a factor, well heck! I'm all over the place...
Hence my strip question last weekend...
And I still don't know if I am getting a "true SCANT 1/4" seam"
Kirsten

If you can't find a 1/4" foot you can mover your needle to the right.

Put on your regular foot, take a small ruler and place under the foot with the edge of the ruler at the edge of the foot. Put the presser foot down and move your needle a notch or 2 to the right, lower it by hand and see if it hits the 1/4" mark. Just keep moving it a notch or two until you have it coming down on the 1/4" mark. Just make a note of the position so that you can go back to that position any time you need too.

If you don't have the 1/4" foot, sometimes you can use a regular foot, move the needle all the way to the right, and either the edge of the foot will be 1/4" or the first groove that marks the seam allowances will be the 1/4". Use a ruler to help you. Find the best way for you, and do it.

I used to have an old cranky machine. The needle didn't move. So I actually drew a line on the machine. Had to do it. Made that machine do what it wasn't necessarily made to do... it got crankier... But then I got a new machine, learned how to sew all over again, and now... it's wonderful.

Most importantly take your time. Practice. It'll come.

If you are watching your needle go up & down, STOP. You should be watching a little in front to keep things straight & in line. Just like driving a car, you don't watch just in front of the hood but out in front some.

All these are great ideas. I have a 1/4 quilting foot for my machine and love it (I do have to watch myself as I like to go too fast too!!! LOL)
I also have found some help from a 1/4 inch masking tape called "Quilters Masking Tape" that I tape to the edge of the material and then sew as close to it as I can. I did this with my hand piecing too. You can also tape it to the machine when you find the true 1/4 inch from your needle!!!

I pretty much do o.k. with my seam allowances matching. I'm assuming they are a scant 1/4", but whether they are or not, they are all the same size and that works for me. I've heard that if you stick a hunk of a Post-It Notes pad to your machine exactly where you want your seam allowance width to be, i.e. a 1/4" from the needle, your fabric butts up against the pad and maintains the width. You would need about a 1/2 of a pad of Post-It Notes (sticky side toward the needle), enough to where it's thick enough to keep the fabric in line. I have not tried it and am aware that it might even get in the way of the presser foot. I have used painter's tape for really wide allowances (as in home decorating), but had to be very careful not to let the fabric stray beyond the edge of the tape, so I think the Post-It Note pad idea would work better than the tape.

This is what helps me Painters tape.....I cut out a section and take an eighth of a layer and put it everywhere....

Hi Mainer,
I finally learned that I can adjust my needle position. Amazing! Then I practice the stitching on some extra fabric and measure it to be sure it is 1/4 inch. I have a 1/4 inch foot but measuring first insures accuracy.

Good luck from a former Mainer.

judee

This is what I do, As long as I sew each block the same it works just fine. I just use the edge of my foot on the edge of the fabric.

Ah, so it's not just me and I use a Brother as well. For some reason it will "kick" the fabric out from under the foot and I end up sewing right off the edge of the seam. I did see a hint on sewing with strips and it was to let the strip feed over the finger of the opposite hand that is feeding it into the machine. BY lifting the end every so slightly, it seems to feed in better but I still have the problem with it "kicking" the line of stitching out.

I've also used the masking tape as a guide and it worked quite well. I've bought two seem guides and neither seem to do the job. And I'm in Maine as well so maybe our hands are frozen from this horrible winter????

Before I bought a 1/4" foot for my granddaughter's machine I taped a stack of those plastice cards that you get from credit card offers to her machine. This seemed to help.

My vote goes to the Guidelines 4 Quilting Prep tool. Looks pretty useless, but will assure you of the correct seam allowance with any foot. It tests the position of the needle with relationship to the foot you have on. You can set the needle or change the foot till you are comfortable that you can control the flow of fabric with those guidelines. Remember that the smaller foot doesn't hold your fabric as steady as a larger foot. I have 1/4" feet for all my machines, but since purchasing the Prep tool. I use the normal sewing foot, make the necessary needle adjustments and have better accuracy.

You might want to order your attachments on-line. Sears Kenmore attachments are generic, and they fit my Viking machine. A lot less expensive than Viking attachments. No shipping charge, if you pick up your purchase at your local Sears.

www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02006701000P

Because I mostly hand piece, I still mark all of my seams with a pencil. I make sure I use the same ruler each time, because some will vary a little. And as we all know a little bit adds up to a lot over time. If you only use a machine to piece, a 1/4 inch foot works great. I just go sew slow.

I love all the advice. After many years I still have a hard time sewing a straight line. I have the 1/4 foot,have tried tape and every thing else. I have gone slow,fast and inbetween.
It does matter...but I can't cry over it. Once every thing is together and hand tied you have to look hard to see my problem.
I keep telling myself to sew often,practice makes perfect.
chrissy b

Roberta, I'm wondering if the pressure of your presser foot is tight enough. There is an adjustment screw somewhere at the top of your machine that allows you to tighten the pressure. Perhaps you could try tightening a little to see if that will hold your fabric in place better.

Christina, here's one more suggestion. Someone earlier mentioned "spotting." First go at a comfortable speed for you. Instead of watching where the needle goes up and down, keep your eyes focosed on the EDGE of the fabric that is against the 1/4 inch mark on your machine (or the presser foot or wherever the mark is). I find that if I do this, it allows me to travel a little faster. Also, the hint about holding the fabric up a little with the opposite hand works well.

That is what I do, too. I use masking tape. I have a roll of that colored 1/4" seam tape you can buy for quilting, so I just figured out where 1/4 " was on my machine, then I put two or three layers of it on the machine. This creates a little bit of a lip I can butt my fabric up against while I sew. It was the best thing I ever did for my quilting! Was trying to post a pic, but my computer doesn't like my camera today! Sorry

I found this video:
http://my.allpeoplequilt.com/bettert...id=13752299001