I drew my seam line for several quilts until the size became a habit.

I had the same problem and finally solved it this way. I first got some wide painters tape....mine happens to be green. I drew 3 lines on this with a fine pen. One line is in the center and on each side of that line I drew another that is 1/4" away. I now use my open toe foot so I can see my fabric. I don't watch the needle it will go up and down. I line my fabric up with the 1/4" mark on the tape. I do Not use pins....I find they distort the fabric. I keep my eye on the 1/4" mark that is to the right of the needle and the 1/4" line that my fabric lines up to. This has worked for me the best. I also purchased a template from here....http://www.newleafstitches.com/ this is great for angles. I find the template was great, but did not like to have to remove it to change the bobbin. With the tape I sliced it on each side of the bobbin cover to make it easier to change the bobbin. Hope this helps.

Moisture and heat tend to cause shrinkage in some cottons. (Another reason why I think washing fabric before cutting it is helpful.)

Thanks, Silver Needle. I do have her book and it has helped a great deal but I didn't know there was a video. Will check that out.

Exactly my thoughts. Get her book on precision machine piecing. Take her workshop if you can. Helped me immensely, and I've said it a thousand times: Her workshop was hands-down the best quilting class I have ever taken.

One of the best investments of time I've made is the Donna Poster video on piecing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--vIltDWpl0

bkay

Quiltybarb, don't be afraid to post yours! I went into a slump for several years because of a problem I had with one of my quilts. I decided to just learn from the experience and started something new. After I had that new top finished, I was able to go back to the problem quilt and figure out what I could do to complete it (a gift planned for a good friend). I'll also say that fellow quilters in the small groups I joined were also very supportive. Remember that there's a range of quilting, and only some of us are aiming for quilt show quality. A quilt doesn't need to near perfection to be appreciated.

The quarter inch foot with a flange always hooks on my pins and twists my fabric so I don't use it. I cant see the edge of my foot and the edge of my fabric at the same time so I only use my skinny straight foot with a single hole throat plate. I starch my fabric before cutting and use my accuquilt cutting machine where possible if i want a perfect block. For those bias HST, I always cut larger and trim to size when done after pressing. For perfect points, I use a drop of elmer's school glue. If I am making a miniature quilt where the pieces are like 1/2" squares, I measure the fabric and mark the sewing lines and ignore the seam allowances altogether.