I tried everything to get straight seams. Measured, marked, basting, pinning, etc. One day while sewing, I finished quilting a small quilt, and went to start strata for the next quilt. I was shocked to see my seams perfectly straight! That's when I noticed that I had forgotten to reset my machine speed to normal after I had it at half speed for the walking foot. Who knew that by sewing slower, my stitches would be nice and straight?! (I learned to sew on an industrial machine, so I thought home machines were slow.) If you haven't tried this, give it a shot, it works for me.

I took a class with John Flynn where, because of the pattern, we had to be able to consistently cut to 1/32 of an inch and consistently sew a scant quarter seam accurate to 1/32 of an inch. I was one of two people out of 30 in the class who could do it - I don't mean to sound conceited here - and would be happy to tell you my tricks.

Regarding sewing the seam, I took a generic blind hem foot, set the wheel to a scant quarter inch (a scant quarter inch means 1/4 inch minus one thread width), taped the wheel down with masking tape, and fed the fabric through, letting the feed dogs take it, not pushing it, and watching that it was lined up against the little stop on the foot. I measured it with a metal measuring guide, and that is important. Here's the measuring device:

http://www.joann.com/dritz-measuring...ring+&start=11

This device is much more accurate than many rulers and almost all plastic tapes. It is metal and does not stretch.

Here's a picture of a Viking blind hem foot. The generic ones are fine, though.

http://www.shopjoya.com/p-25715-blin...A#.Ustz7vRDsuc

I also used a Singer Featherweight in this class. It enables precision piecing because of the feed dogs. However, I have used this trick since on many machines and I consistently get an exact quarter inch seam. On my slant stitch machines, I use the 1/4 inch foot, that is, the after-market foot that is made for that purpose. And yes, I do measure the sewn seam with the measuring device I've shown.

In a situation where it is hard to feed the fabric, I wear a trolley needle on my right hand, second finger. The needle and band should be on the underside of your finger.

http://www.hsn.com/products/trolley-...7-001b2166c2c0

In quilting, it's always the smallest details that make the difference. I am fortunate to have studied with some really great quilting teachers, also.

I hope that any of you who try this method will post and tell us your results.

Cricket

I have this same problem. After some analysis, I discovered that I am releasing the fabric as I near the end of a seam. I guess I'm afraid that I'll sew my hand under the needle.

If that is the case for you: When you near the end of the seam, make sure your left hand is guiding the fabric on the left side of the needle and your right hand is below the presser foot as you end the seam. The left hand should keep the fabric straight while going under the needle even if you release the fabric with your right hand.

It takes a little time, but with practice you will maintain even feeding of the fabric to the end of the seam.

You tell your niece to do exactly what I used to do - and my 1/4 inch seam was awful.

Then I figured out that the needle doesn't go anywhere but up and down, so I needed to watch how I was feeding the fabric through the presser foot. I also purchased a 1/4" foot. Those two adjustments improved my 1/4" soon greatly.

Just shows that the technique that works the best for you is the best technique to use!

The 1/4" foot with the bar on the right side did not give me a consistent 1/4" seam. Try one without it so that you can see the fabric line up with the edge of the 1/4" foot. I found the 1/4" foot with bar not only did not guide the fabric, it hid the edge of the fabric from me.

I don't worry about scant 1/4" - scant is too undefined to know if I've ever achieved it and life is too short for me to worry about it!

I've only been quilting since July but I remember reading early on the trick of never looking at the needle only at the fabric, the guide or whatever. Thankfully it was a habit I picked up early. I find that if my eye does wander to the needle, I become sort of hypnotised and mistakes happen then.

YAT cricket!

thanks for posting that!

aileen

I have been sewing all my life--well, since age 4 or so. :) I made my own clothes and my kids' clothes, pieced a few quilts, made pillows and...you get the picture. I took a few years off from sewing, then decided to take up quilting again. When I read that tip about not watching the needle, I literally laughed and said out loud, "Who in the world would watch their needle?" The next time I sat down to sew it suddenly occurred to me that I was doing just that! Instead of focusing on my guide, I was trying to watch both my guide AND MY NEEDLE! I have two eyes, but they cannot focus on two things at once--and since realizing what I was trying to do, I have been able, with practice, to break (mostly) this habit. It sounds like a silly tip, but it isn't--Don't watch your needle; it only goes up and down. Focus on your guide.

My feed dogs give me fits... they are ok, except at the very beginning, and the very end of my seams... ARGGGGGGHHHHHH