Scant 1/4"
 

Hey guys, I've got a question.

Has anyone been able to find a true scant 1/4" presser foot? I thought I had a scant quarter foot but discovered the hard way that it's a true quarter and not a scant. I've tried using tape and if I have to, I'll go back to it, reluctantly because the edges gum up over time. Right now, I'm measuring out a scant on my fabric, drawing a line and then sewing over it, which is working but it's going to slow things down to a snail's pace. Thankful I put an adapter on my machine so I can use the snap-on feet, high shank presser feet, I've discovered, can get expensive.

if you can't move your needle at least one click to the right then marking the machine bed is your best bet.
one method i've heard about often is placing a stack of sticky notes into the correct position.
that shouldn't result in any sticky residue on you seam edge.

if you are using a vintage machine consider one of these:

https://www.joann.com/dritz-seam-gui...c/1923531.html

I didn't even know there was a scant 1/4" foot. I just sew a couple of threads inside of the quarter inch by using my 1/4" foot. PatricJ gave you some excellent ideas to get that measurement.

The quest for the perfect seam is what ultimately led me to my current style of cutting/sewing large and trimming down to size.

I did very well when I started by being extremely precise and picky but it was time consuming and tension creating. I ended up always double checking my units and trimming threads/hairs here and there and then I just decided, well if I'm going to do this step anyway, I'm going to do it with enough fabric to actually cut instead of threads. So after a couple decades of being obsessive, I've started loosening up a tiny bit (I am still far from an improvisational quilter) and find that for me my finishes are actually more exact now, it is faster for me, and is more fun to not have to worry all the time.

What I've found is since I'm typically using strip piecing techniques that I don't waste much fabric at all by cutting large, that 1/4" or so extra per piece is the 2" left at the end of the strip. I don't think I've ever had to cut more than one extra row of pieces to make up for my work style.

Sure there are things I have to be aware of. Not everything cuts large and trims down so well, sometimes you have to be very exact with one piece so you can be a bit free-er with the piece you attach (I use this idea for flying geese). I still maintain our seam allowances is one of the most important parts to our success -- but I've found a bit of a way around it!

umm...I stitch on a number of different machines.....what I do is cut some test pieces...say 2.5 inch squares...stitch them up..maybe 3 or 4 in a row....then press and measure....if they are good as to the final measure...I just keep on stitching them up using the same mark that I did for the test pieces. however, if the finished pieced object is slightly smaller, I will try again...this time just lining up my fabric just inside (to the left) of the 1/4 inch mark on the foot and test and measure again. this will often give me the proper finished size as the seam is actually a bit smaller, adding extra fabric to the square. It really doesn't matter what your seam is actually...what matters is how big do your pieces end up ...if it is supposed to be a finished 2 inches square...that is what it should end up as. Some of my machines, I don't even have a quarter inch foot for but can find mark on the foot, or the throat plate or stack of sticky notes to line up my stitching with to get the right finished size. There are actually other viarables in if your finished size ends up being right...such as the thread you are using, thicker thread takes up more fabric in the fold when you press your seams, how you line up your ruler when you cut the pieces. ( do you place your ruler to the inside or outside or right on the edge of the fabric) and even how square you are sitting to the needle position of your machine...sitting so you are just to one side of the needle an distort your view of needle placement.

I usually quilt the same way you do, most of the time, but found out quick that doing it with a Double Wedding Ring won't work, I lost a half an inch on one of my arcs. So it's the scant or nothing at all, lol.

Yeah, sometimes you just can't get around it. DWR is a whole lot of challenges, some people find it easier just to applique down the arcs onto whole cloth instead of trying to piece it in. One thing I've found is that templates/patterns for just one size unit rarely are truly correct -- typically your end pieces will be trimmed a bit. That's why a lot of the pieces have one center for multiple parts and then a L and R for the enders. Sometimes it isn't us who is off!

With arcs though, it can be a surprising difference on which piece you have on top. I have to mark my seams and center points/hatch marks carefully to get the desired results. I used to pinch press but now I use pencil on the back side and will cut a template so I can draw that seam to follow it if I need to.

The other thing that gets confusing is the disappearing nature of the seam allowances and where you actually want stuff to line up versus how it looks like it should end up....

Everything that sewingpup mentioned influences the final outcome.

Depending on the machine and presser foot one is using - sometimes one just has to learn how to aim and go from there. I found that using an index card with the lines was helpful in "getting my bearings" -

A bit like driving down the road. Eventually (hopefully) - one learns where one is in relation to the other cars and objects.

I've learned
To stick to one machine/one foot for the entire quilt.

A 1/4" foot and a quilting foot for a 1/4" seam are not the same. At least for the feet I have purchased, a foot labeled 1/4" is a true 1/4", and a quilting foot for a 1/4" sem is a scant 1/4"

If I really need to be exact I do try to oversize the block units, and then trim them down.

I was going to suggest using 50 wt or higher thread weight, but I see it has already been noted. If I get lazy and use the 40 wt that is already threaded on my machine, it does make a difference no matter how careful I follow the ¼ " mark.

Also the placement of the light in your machine can make a difference. My 25+yo machine throws a little line of shadow just to the right of the foot. I guess when it was manufactured they never thought it would make any difference. And if you were sewing clothes or anything else with a wider seam and more tolerance for tiny errors, it wouldn't. I see that some of the newer machines designed for quilters have an LED light bar. When you have an auxiliary light to eliminate the shadow, you get much better results.

My fiance has asked multiple times why I am torturing myself so soon with a DWR, because IceBlossom is right, they offer up a whole new set of challenges to overcome but that's exactly the reason why I chose it. I've pretty much got the 'Y' seams down for a machine pieced Grandmother's Flower Garden, it was logical, at least to me, to start working on a DWR.

Up until now, I've been quite terrified of arcs and circles, but the more I work it, the more confident I'm becoming, I don't want to be limited to straight seams. My curved seams leave a lot to be desired, but they're starting to smooth out, now I just have to nail down the scant quarter.

As for thread, in case others ask, I'm using Aurifil, 50wt and a Microtex needle, 80/12.

My lighting does need a lot of work, someone took the light assembly from my machine before I got it, so I'm using an LED light bar that started out nice and bright, but has now turned yellow on me for some reason, that's the second one, too.

You ladies are giving me some awesome ideas, thank you and keep them coming, please!

I do the same thing. I can't be bothered with that.

Use thin thread in top and bobbin and forget about the scant. Biggest bunch of tom foolery every thrown out there in the quilting world. Just my opinion in case anyone asks. LOL

Like many I struggled finding 1/4" mostly because I was lining up fabric with edge of foot. It was never right and many blocks were undersized! I always use 50 WT thread but it still happened. I kept thinking I'd get it right with practice ! I recently made a Lori Holt quilt and with all those seams accuracy is a must. My light bulb moment came when I lined my fabric up as usual and moved my needle over 2 clicks. Every block was exact. Maybe it's my eyes or how I sit but once I decided to quit trying to conform to the machine and let it conform to me it was a breeze.

Some 50wt threads are not thin piecing thread.

I am blessed to be able to move my sewing machine over a bit and that works for me on the machine I am currently using. I do a quick measurement if I change machines to insure I have that scant 1/4" seam allowance when necessary and use a 1/4" foot otherwise.