[QUOTE=athomenow;4617624]Well I have the 1/4 inch foot with the quide and still sometimes I find things aren't fitting together. I think if I agonize over it, the fun of doing the quilt in the first place is gone. Who but you will really know when things are a little off? Most people have no idea that it's not just perfect and wouldn't care if they knew. The warmth and love you put into it is the important part. Relax and have fun! This isn't suppose to drive you crazy.

There is an old saying to look at your quilt for mistakes while riding on a horse galloping along at break neck speed. If you still see the mistakes then you might want to change something. Otherwise, no one but you will notice. My DD will grab my block or top and run to other side of the room and ask me if I can see it then. Most times what doesn't match up that far away is a big difference. But if it is within a hair, go with it and Don't sweat the small stuff.

the story of my life....no matter how hard i try my blocks r never the correct demens
 

I know exactly how u feel.....i dont get it.....so aggravating

I have done all of the above and STILL been off. I think my problem is not paying attention to the natural stretch of the fabric. It does make a difference.

Searching frantically for my gun! Actually, I had that thought just a little earlier today!

Dear Wishful Thinking, I have the same problem, often! I try very hard to measure and cut accurately. I have a 1/4" foot too. But then when I sew my blocks together and start adding sashing, they never match perfectly, which drives me crazy. I always have to go back, unsew and resew to get them to line up correctly. When I've asked others why this is happening, they tell me when they cut and sew, it just all falls together right, if you've cut and sewn accurately. I am actually glad to read your post because it makes me feel more normal.
Sometimes I get so discouraged, I just put it all in a box and put it away until I can handle working on it again.
You are not alone and we who struggle also feel your pain!!!

Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful, helpful replies. That's why I posted. I know I can always count on help and comfort from the wonderful quilters on this board! A day has passed and I feel better. I'll have to do some ripping and resewing, but I'll eventually get it right. The pattern I'm doing is Spaghetti Junction by Heather Mulder Peterson and I'd post a link but I don't know how to do that. Anyway, I have to match up some narrow strips from block to block so just squaring up won't work. The problem is my lack of a consistent seam allowance. Somewhere along the way I started sewing a scant (very) quarter inch as opposed to just a quarter inch. I could kick myself. Why would I do that?! If I'd just stayed consistent I'd have been fine. Another lesson learned. In the future, I hope I'll remember to measure my units and stay consistent. I need advice now on a substitute hand work project, but will make another post for that. Thanks again!

Also that 1/4 " foot is essential and than be sure to square up your squares as you make them
so they will all be the same size. Things will get better and I bet all of us would help you if we were
in the same place. Tomorrow will be a better day. We live and learn from each other.

I have a 1/4 inch foot and still found it difficult to get an accurate seam. I tried putting about 5 layers of masking tape together, measuring 1/4 inch from the needle and put the masking tape down. That has worked the best for me because it gives me a real barrier to keep fabric in place.

Scant quarter inch
 

I do the same- use scant 1/4" and it works out so much better on my Janome.

For my Singer 385J my 1/4 foot was $16, my other one was $24. I don't think this is cheap, what did you pay for yours, and where did you find it?

Seems like that thought is popping up more now that its Fall and most of us have started quilting more. Today was bad, but much better than Wednesday.

Very well said.. I'm in your boat!

i have a qtr inch foot love it for my machine

Hi wishful thinking. I think It is harder to see quarter inch seams when we are hand piecing then when we sew on machine. My fingers wander around when I hand piece too. I put a few pins in there and off I go. Good luck!

i have a qtr ihch foot for my macine couldnt sew with out it

I think learning to sew a 1/4 inch seam is in the same category as learning how to drive in the proper lane on the road.

Many of the "modern" machines have a presser foot that "works" instead of buying a special foot - I've found using a piece of graph paper that has the 1/4 inch grids is helpful in "calibrating" where to line up the fabric.

I put the presser foot down so the right edge of the presser foot is right on a line of the graph paper. Then I lower the needle until it punches a hole in the paper - if it hits on the next line to the left, YIPPEE! If not, then I need to adjust either the needle (if it's adjustable) or compensate on how I line the fabric up.

Then after I get things situated, sew consistently - if one has cut consistently, then at least what you're making should turn out to be the same size.

I feel your pain. It seems everything I make looks like ----. Sorry, but I get so frustrated. Some women just sew things together with no problems, and they always look so neat!!! Lord, give me patience!!

I've never heard of a 1/4 inch foot

Something that I found has helped me a lot is to starch my fabric before I cut it. This keeps triangles in shape especially. Now I don't even think about not using it.

i had trouble until i purchased a june tailor cutting grid thingy and the martigle(sp) cutter for people with akey hands.....so guess what , it was not the sewing it must have been the cutting. My first clue that it might be my cutting was when i purchased a laser cut kit for a placemat (at a quilt show) and it went together perfectly.

very early in my quilting career I would carefully measure each seam to make sure I had it right, only to find that I was using the wrong mark on the ruler (3/16) so the end result wasn't what it was meant to be

That would do it!

I was in a remedial math class at the local community college - one of the chapters was on measuring - I was stunned at how many people seemed to have been absent the day it was taught when they were younger!

We had questions like - which is bigger - 7/8 or 13/16 - and exercises on finding intervals on a measuring stick.

It's also interesting (sometimes entertaining) to eavesdrop at the measuring table in a fabric store.

This is something we all struggle with, one day this month i sumbled across this 1/4 inch foot. It is similar to the foot that came with my Babylock except for the bar. This foot is only .01 cents on amazon. I bought it as Brother and Babylocks feet are interchangable. I cant say enough good things about this foot. My seams are now very consistant.
I should add that the shipping was like 4.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-1-4-In...0412554&sr=8-1

I was told by someone whose name is escaping me at the moment, that that happens when you you don't stop the machine with the needle in the full *up* position. If it isn't, when it starts up again it pulls the thread from the bottom instead of the top because there is less resistance. Hope that helps.

..Wishfulthinking, I think the worst problem was the coffee grounds in the coffee! LOL
I finally gave up on the 1/4" thing and put my attachment on the machine that has a little edge that sticks up for the edge of my fabric to run against. It helps me so far. I also place a straight pin to hold two seams together along the row and then just ease the fabric in between pins. BUT....when things are a bit "off" I don't care any more. When it is all done it looks great to me and I love it. Don't fret...quilting is too fun! LOL

the more I quilt it seems the the more these pieces don't fit..........When I started doing this (over 15 yrs), my first few tops were "perfectly matched"........now sometimes I have to tug or squish to get them to meet at the end of that seam. I have found though, thru this struggle, that when You cut the pieces, always use the same ruler to line up that rotary cutter...strange but each ruler may be a "hair" different. Also when machine sewing, and I gather the same is true with hand piecing, that thread takes up a nano fraction of that fabric, but multiplied by a bunch, can really cause things to "not line up" at the end. I have come to the conclusion that my 1/4" seam must be one thread short of that measurement to get a "perfect" match, and even then sometimes that does not work. So, just meet it as best you can and go on, and tell yourself "This is not the hill I want to die on"!!!!!!

As an aside......and you did not have to pack for this move...wow, lucky you------had to pack for a house move several years ago and had to pack all that "junk" up.....now that was more of a challenge than a few seams that don't match perfectly...........

I am working on a "mystery quilt", and the first instruction sheet clearly stated and was highlighted, that the strips sewn together (3 pieces) needed to be 8 1/2". My daughter-in-law is doing the same quilt. On both of our strips, they were only 8 1/4", even though the fabric was exactly the specified width. We both have Viking machines. She ripped hers out and resewed on her daughter's $100 machine, and it was perfect! I had to rip mine out and do scant 1/4" seams. So we wondered if it's something with the Viking machine versus other brands. Anybody know?

I haven't been on in awhile and boy did I get a shock on this forum..Thought I had posted guess I didn't I love learning new stuff.. You can probably Tweak your blocks..Which is give or take a little on each side at the points where each block meets..I did this with an ATTIC quilt..It works..you only rip out a little at the top or bottom or both top and bottom ..Hard to tell if it is off a little as long as your points meet. LOL!!! I am sending you a link of the attic quilt I made and believe me 75% of this quilt was tweaked... The Blocks should be 6 by 6 with 2 inch sashes..NOT!! in places but you cant tell unless you measure each block... Don't get discouraged..I have learned going SLOW when the 1/4 inch is important is the best way...Good Luck..I don't use the walking foot for this..Just make sure the foot is a 1/4 inch foot and go slowly..This is the Link... http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...ed-t23156.html

I just finished my 3rd quilt. They have been 40x60...I can see how much better (not perfect but better:)) I've become since my first one. I now use the 1/4 foot which I thought, before, would just be a hassle. Good luck on your quilting.

How do you think those wonderful blocks like Disappearing 9 Patch and 4-to-9 Patch were figured out? I firmly believe someone had a bunch of blocks that didn't quite match up, so they cut the finished blocks again and came up with these creative blocks. If I had that many blocks completed, I would not rip them apart (but it is a hand project!), I would try to be creative in cutting them up to create something totally different. Of course, there is always starching and blocking each block. I'm so sorry this happened to you, especially at this time. It is frustrating to us everything this happens! (((((hugs)))))

I love to quilt and enjoy so to buy fabric, plan, study what other quilters are doing. The one thing that does get to me,
is if they are off and do not match as they should. The key being me, instead of them. Then I get down on me &
lose some o my joy, but I stop and do a good deed or two ( clean a little, do something for some one) then i can get my self back to working on the blocks and matching, when finished it good, or ok, or great. Life is what it is.
Bless be God life is good.

I definitely feel your pain. I'm new at this and at first didn't realize how important the accurate seam allowance was. I
now use the post it note pads on the bed of my machine and move the needle over to achieve the 1/4" seam. However,
I'm wondering if it all depends on what block you're doing. If it's a simple block then the scant 1/4" will probably work but if it's a more complicated block where there are lots of bulky seams to iron, then maybe the seam allowance should be
closer to 3/8". I think it's a judgement call.

My best friend if my blocks don't fit quite right is the stilleto, you can also use it to hold your material next to the sewing machine needle. I love it. This is what mine looks like, there is different ones out there, that you can buy. http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/stiletto+awl.do

Hold onto the ends and start slowly. I'm talking about when your thread gets away from you when you start sewing

My walking foot has a true 1/4 inch edge, so I use it for all my piecing, and I am always pleased. I onluy have to watchout for stretch things like stretch denim, which I am using in some log cabin blocks right now.:)

[QUOTE=NellLaCaze;4617510]Be sure that you hold the tails of the thread when you are getting ready to start sewing. If I don't do that my needle comes undone, too.

On my first quilt, I didn't get the SCANT 1/4 inch thing... so many of my blocks didn't fit right... but I was told to go ahead and it would all work out... with the quilting and the pressing... and it did.. The next time I did a quilt.. I said to myself... scant is less then 1/4 meaning with the 1/4 inch foot you can't see the fabric, I also put masking tape several layers thick from the needle to be my quide.
In the end, as said by Debra "the warmth and love you put into it is the important part. "

If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one!

I bought the 1/4" foot with the small blade on the right side. I can put the edge of my fabric against it as the pieces go thru. I took it out after sewing and measured it, and amazingly it was just right. I don't know how I got good seams before this foot. On my featherweight, I used some "moleskin" . I cut a small 1/4" wide by about2" piece off and attached it to the bed of my machine. I was sure to measure the correct 1/4 " from the needle and it has worked for me for years.

I think there are many members of this board that fall into that category at one time in our quilting career. But if it is any consolation, quilting can hide a million boo boos. Good luck, smile, be happy and just keep on keeping on.