Tina,

Try a seam with your walking foot and then measure it to see if it is a 1/4".

I am not sure that I would use a walking foot for all my piecing -- it runs a lot slower than I would like, and since it has moving parts, it will wear. However, it will help with matching seams, especially on long runs. You may find that it is the perfect solution.

Dayle

Okay, taking on board your advice, I thought I would treat myself to a 1/4" foot for my machine, especially as the walking foot was very expensive and I don't want to wear it out. Now the only problem seems to be that they don't make one for my machine :(, it's an Elna 2300.

The Walking Foot was originally known as the Matching Foot. It matched seams of plaid and directional fabric. I use it for piecing all the time. My seams match without any problem and I sew slower. I always keep an eye out for used feet that fit my machine. I have several of the ones I use a lot.

I have never seen a second hand Walking Foot for sale,. but DH bought me a new for for Christmas last year, it was £45:shock:!!!

I have tried e:mailing Elna to see if they know of a 1/4" foot that will fit, to save wear and tear on the walking foot.

When sewing clothing, the seams are subjected to a lot of pulling and tugging.....so the seam allowance needed to be wider and sometimes finished. But in a finished quilt, the seams don't get the pulling and are all secured by the actual quilting, so a smaller seam allowance works fine. If you already have a walking foot, then you can mark your machine bed (there are many ways) for 1/4" seam. The walking foot will be your best friend, specially for those long seams. I don't sew without it if I can.

Over this side of the pond some quilters have a geraric foot which it states fit any machine. The foot fits where the normal foot holder fits . Now the other arm in a geraric foot is a straight bar which goes above the screw for the needle. If I remember correctly berninas will not fit this foot. Try an amazon search will be back.

Looked on Amazon you have a selection although brother is popular. For 10$ try it.

If that's the 'Distinctive' one, they won't ship to the UK. Thanks for looking though!

There are a million quilters in this world who do not worry about exact 1/4" seams. It is important that you use the same measurement (same foot) for all your seams in a single quilt, especially if you are using a pattern. If your pattern has a zillion little pieces then a 1/4" foot could be very important. If you pieces are bigger it doesn't matter. So, your 5x7 foot quilt comes out 4'11"x6'10". Who cares? Many do, many don't. Many of us use a foot that is close and many of us don't even do that. Have you ever noticed that the deliberately "wonky" quits are often very exciting and beautiful? Everything doesn't have to be "exactly" anything. Just enjoy what you are doing and don't sweat the little stuff. Now, how do I post this anonomously so I don't get shot down by the would-be quilt police. Actually, I love you all, I just think a little relaxation wouldn't hurt.

Completely LOVE the idea of being relaxed (dare I even say slapdash) about quilting! Mind you, I think that will come with time. Being so very new I have discovered that in order to follow a pattern (for instance nine patch, which is what I have tried, and a friendship star) it does need to be accurate both in terms of cutting and sewing. My background is in dressmaking, where 'ease' and pulling the fabric about a bit can overcome most things :). A nine patch that 'works' to me is a thing of beauty, and the ones that are wonky kind of jump out at me (for now).

You can easily set up a seam guide with a stack of tape that ends before the foot starts to set your quarter inch seam (or scant quarter inch - 1 to 2 threads smaller than 1/4 inch). Hopefully the picture attached correctly. I use that especially when using my walking foot as it is definitely wider than 1/4 inch.

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned regarding your original question about fraying of the seams - just don't be tempted to throw the top into the wash before you've layered and quilted it. Otherwise you will end up with a mess on the back.

Cheers, K