1/4" seams, why & how? Please help!
 

So I am very new to quilting and having this seam problem. I have finished my 1st quilt which is bassinet size- 20" x 30" approx. On it, I didn't really understand where 1/4" was on my machine & so I actually ended up with about 3/8"- 1/2" seams. After re-cutting a few pieces, I made it work. Now, on my 2nd I'm trying to do 1/4"seams & they tend to want to pull out. Is there a reason I can't just re-figure my cut sizes & use a bit wider seam? Any suggestions to fix this? Thanks to all for any help!:confused:

You would have to really change your sizes if the block is anything but plain squares. Even then you may have to. I don't understand why your seams are pulling out at 1/4". Is your stitch length too long? Are you using regular quilting cotton? If you can, post pictures of your seams (from the wrong side) that show the stitch and the seam allowance.

I'm guessing nearly 99% of the quilting world uses a 1/4" seam and so far, I haven't heard of any problems with seams pulling out. Your quilting experience will be a lot simpler if you can figure out what the problem is and try to use 1/4" (and better yet, scant 1/4") seams.

since quilt patterns always use 1/4" seams (some even scant *less than* 1/4" seams) it is important to find & learn to use your 1/4" seam- some patterns don't go together well when you try to increase the seam allowance- can mean re-drafting the whole pattern. take a ruler with a 1/4" mark- put your needle down- with the foot up- place the ruler 1/4" mark even with the needle- then put a piece of masking tape (or something) along the edge of the ruler- marking the 1/4" --- I have one machine that seemed like the feed dogs were crooked or something- I took a stack of about 6 post-it colored tabs (they are about 3/4" wide by 1 1/2" long) stacked together- placed those along my ruler edge & taped them down so I had an edge to put my fabric against. then you need to do a little practicing- cut some strips of fabric 1 1/2" wide by 6" long- take 3 of them and sew them together along the long edge- then measure- the center strip should measure 1" wide. the whole piece should measure 3 1/2" wide. if not- look at your seams- determine why & try again- practice until you have good consistent 1/4" seams. not sure what you mean by your 1/4" seams wanting to 'pull out'--- if the stitches are coming out- you need to backstitch at the beginning & end to lock your stitches- if you mean the fabric is pulling *skewed* at the end of a seam- you need to slow down, pause & re-align the fabrics- sometimes it is necessary to use a pointy tool (some use the end of their seam ripper) to hold the fabric close to the end as it travels under the foot.

ckcowl has given you excellent advice. The only thing I would add is to shorten your stitch length - increase the number of stitches/inch - and you should have less issues with your seams 'pulling out'.

Great advice above. I agree with the tape on the machine and shortening your stitch length. Without seeing pictures of where the stitching is coming out, I'll guess it could be at the beginning and the end of your sewing. Try Leaders and Enders (as Bonnie Hunter calls them) or Spiders (as Marianne Fons calls them)! That's where you start to sew on a scrap piece of fabric and continue on (without out cutting) to the good fabric you need to sew. I use LOTS of spiders...they're all over when I'm sewing.

The WHY? I think you can call the '1/4" seam' a Standard - like 8 ounces is a 'standard cup' measurement. Imagine the difficulty of making a cake using different sized 'cups'. What would happen if the instructions said '1/2 a coffee cup'...Would I use the 8 ounces, 12 ounces or the 20 ounce mug?

There's LOTS of practice ahead of you! Enjoy it ALL!

Nan - IN

All good advice. It took awhile for me to get my 1/4 seams right too

Go here:
http://customgraph.com/SG/piart.php?art=229

Print out this graph paper it is 1/4" size. After printing, double check with your ruler just in case there is some scaling issues with your printer.

Take the paper and bring your needle down on any line on the graph paper. Look at where the next line is to the right. That is where your 1/4" is on your sewing machine. Now do what CK Cowl advised and put down masking tape. Take a very find sharpy marker and also mark a little line on your presser foot so you know where the fabric needs to go under your presser foot as well, to maintain the 1/4" seam allowance.

The whys have been explained by previous posters. You really want to master a 1/4" seam allowance so you can make any pattern you come across without having to redraft or be concerned about bulk. If you seams are coming out you need to shorten your stitch length. You can do this!

All the above info is excellent, especially the need to master the 1/4" seam before proceeding. In this case, as in most cases, "practice makes perfect".

In addition, many quilters use a separate foot ... a 1/4" foot ... to ensure an accurate seam. You may want to get one for your machine too.

All the best in your quilting.

If you were saying the seam seems to veer off at the end, the way to keep a perfectly straight seam at the end is to put your finger against the left edge of the foot and the seam will stay straight. A Command refill strip makes the perfect seam guide, it comes right off with no residue to deal with. It took me a long time to get the 1/4" seam consistent but it is very important when following a pattern.

The larger seam allowances for clothing ( 5/8" ) were to help with the fabric pulling loose at the seam when under stress. For quilts, the 1/4" seam allowance is plenty for one main reason - since the three layers are all quilted together all over the quilt, the individual pieces or layers are not under any stress from pulling. When you pull on the edge of a quilt, you pull all three layers at the same time. I've been sewing clothes since I was 9 years old (learned for 4-H) and I know how hard it is to get the 1/4" seam burned into your brain. Practice is your best friend when making quilts - use scraps and make lots of little things like potholders, dog beds, and such. Your 1/4" seams will get much better, as will your piecing and quilting. Then when you make something to show off, you can be assured that you did it right!

Getting free he foot for your machine would help you a lot. Wouldn't be without mine for anything

All great advice, practice and it will start to come naturally. At first it seemed like such a small seam after being used to garment construction, but now it just seems like the norm to me.

Without more information, it is difficult to know what you mean by the 'seam is pulling out'? Do you mean that the stitiches are pulling out at the end of a seam? It could be either your stitch length as mentioned previously or it could be your tension.

To test the tension, sew a seam and leave a thread tail long enough to grasp with your fingers. Try pulling on ONE of the threads - top or bottom. If the thread easily pulls out, then you need to adjust your tension.

Ema, listen to these ladies. They are very knowledgeable and will help you. If you do what they say and practice, you will become very good at this. I'm not trying to be bossy, but I know how hard it is to get a 1/4 inch seam.

Can you clarify? What is the foot you're talking about?

I know many, if not most, will not agree with me, BUT since you are a beginner, it is consistency that counts the most. You are probably using patterns and designs that are not too complex. Pick a seam allowance, for example width of the sewing foot on tour machine, and stick with it. If all your seams are consistent, your pieces should fit just fine. As you get more experienced, you will get to the elusive 1/4" seam. Up until recently, I had a machine on which 1/4" seam was impossible due to the position of the feed dogs, and I still made some awesome quilts including Bargellos. Good luck!

IF your machine is not computerized, I really like these magnetic seam guides. I put it next to the presser foot but sticking out more towards me than even with it. It really helps. Plus, it is important you keep your eye on the material as it feeds into the presser foot rather than watch the needle.

Only true if she's doing squares. For example, if she did a simple rail fence block and used the original dimensions to cut, the blocks would not turn out square because of using different seam allowances. Anything more complicated (even if it's still a very simple block) would not go together correctly without using the seam allowance that is considered in the instructions. Now if she knew the finished dimensions of each part of a block and then added the 1" to use a 1/2" seam allowance, that would work. However, that doesn't seem like something a beginner would want to tackle.

I'm a total beginner at using a sewing machine let alone quilting, however, I came across this advice a week or three ago and it's made a huge difference to my accuracy.

All the above advice is good, but if you buy a quarter inch foot for your machine, your problemd will be 99 percent solved. If you don't live near a sewing machine place, look on Amazon. froggyintexas

http://www.quiltdesignnw.com/quiltin...t-patterns.htm
Scroll down to find - 1/4" Seam Allowance Guide...
Download, print and practice! Keep close to your machine for reference.

I found a different foot along with a magnetic guide which I put in front of the foot tokeep seam & material straight. I've only used it on scrap pieces to test but it seems to be working consistently. As for them pulling out, it was a stitch length too long, atleast shortening it seems to have fixed that. Thank you all! I am learning to use every little knob on my machine while trying to adjust anyway. My only sewing bckground prior to starting this is a class in high school 20+ years ago. Thanks again!

I have been quilting for a little over a year or more and these women and men are so kind about sharing their sewing tips and advise. The answers they have given have been a great help, their ideas are wonderful. You couldn't have asked a better bunch of people . I have learned so much. Thank you and kuddos to all of the great people here at the QB.

Try reduce your stitch length. The length you would use on clothing or projects with a larger seam will not be close enough for piecing a quilt. I use a 2.0 on my pfaff. Small enough to hold well, but not to small to rip out when I need to.

I always thought that I was sewing a true 1/4 in seam until I made a project where it HAD to be an truely exact scant 1/4 inch seam. My 1/4 inch was off just a tiny bit. Luckily I corrected it before I had a nightmare project. I use a 1/4 inch foot buy it wasn't exact, I have to move my needle position a little bit. Ckcowl has good advice. Work on it until you master the seam allowance. You will save yourself a lot of headaches later on. On the simpler patterns it is easier to fudge a little to make it work. But as you make more difficult patterns it becomes more an more important.

Your best bet is to buy an 1/4 inch foot for your machine if you can afford one, This makes the job so much easier. Being new I wouldn't use anything but cotton material until you get some experience quilting. I had never sewed anything until 3 years ago when I found quilting. I found the 1/4 inch seam a challenge until I got my 1/4 inch foot.Practice is your best friend.
Good luck with your next project each one gets better.

good morning ema521 , get your ruler out 1/4 inch is the first line on the ruler , hold your ruler up to your needle on your machine and take a piece of tape or cut a small piece of post note to mark your 1/4 inch the post note also helps to keep your material straight while you sew i hope this helps you

Be careful of those 1/4" feet with guide. Mine for my Babylock is worthless. If you get one, test it by sewing 3 strips together (1 1/2" width) press, then measure with a good ruler. That center strip should measure 1 inch in width consistently up and down the length of the strip.

Those command strips are really neat to help guide the fabric.

Someone on this board told me a while ago to use an index card. those lines are 1/4" apart.

If your seams are coming undone at the ends, are you clipping the threads too close? Also, If it does seam to be a problem for you, you could back stitch at the beginning and end of each seam.

One place that is really good to go to for videos on how to quilt is Missouri Star Quilt Company:
http://quiltingtutorials.com/basic-s...-quarter-inch/
http://quiltingtutorials.com/basic-s...th-fabric-wof/
http://quiltingtutorials.com/product...selvedge-edge/
http://quiltingtutorials.com/browse-...minology-bias/
http://quiltingtutorials.com/basic-s...traight-grain/
http://quiltingtutorials.com/all/bin...ewing-machine/
Have fun browsing through all of MSQC "how to" videos: http://quiltingtutorials.com/

See if you have some standard 3 X 5 index cards laying around the house. Minus the first line, the rest should be 1/4 inch apart, practice on the cards to give you practice. If yu do not have a 1/4 inch quilting foot, I would strongly advise trying to get one. And come back often for more suggestions!!

there is a great foot out there for most sewing machines. It is a 1/4 inch foot with a guide. This is a piece of metal that your fabric goes up against and voila you have a quarter inch seam but check your needle position first and make sure it is centered so that you have a quarter inch seam. Measure to be sure.

The best purchase I made for my machine was 1/4 inch foot with the guide. I also feel that when you start watching where your fabric is and not what the needle is doing you are on your way to great 1/4" seams. Quilting like everything else takes practice, practice, practice and have fun!

I agree with the others- get a 1/4 inch foot and measure from your needle to make sure it's not too big. Mine is so I have to compensate for a larger scant...

Welcome to the board! The ladies here and soo wonderful and never seem bothered by my questions. I'm new (again) to quilting after a 12 year lapse...

Any post indicating problem solved?

She posted above that problem is solved. Post #23.

As are the gentlemen on the board! :)

I believe a magnetic guide shouldn't be used with a computerised machine. Is that correct, folks?

Excellent suggestions. One response to "Why?" With quilting you are sewing together many relatively small pieces of fabric. Larger seam allowances lead to bulk - often in very difficult places - and a heavier quilt all around. 1/4, I believe, has evolved as a good compromise between a sturdy seam and an acceptable amount of bulk.

Ron, From Blue Mountains. I've wondered - do you, and the rest of the world, call it a 6 mm seam or do you, certainly outnumbered on this post in several ways :), adapt to the American antiquated system of inches?

Hi Maggieloe,

Australia commenced moving to the metric system in the late 60s. Now I'm only new to sewing and quilting, but so far everything I come across in sewing in Australia - even quilting rulers made in Australia - still use the imperial system. Often fabric will show both metric and imperial with the latter being the most prominent.

It's interesting how imperial still rules the sewing world as the US (I'm not criticising your country! :) ) must be close to the last country in the world not to have gone metric. (According to a Google search only the US, Liberia, Burma and the UK still use imperial although the UK is an Imperial-Metric society where metric is slowly becoming the norm.)

Here endeth the lesson. :)

I agree with "gale". I would say your stitches were too long. There are videos on 1/4 seam. if you use a sticky note, the sticky part is 1/4" line that up with your 1/4" mark on your machine. That should help. You can go to MISSOURI STAR QUILT COMPANY. They have a tute on the 1/4" seam.