Hi people, I have been quilting for about 2 years, feel that i am still new to it. the worst the is that for some reason i can't keep my 1/4 steam straight. i have tried to put tape and still that doesn't seam to help. is there some kind of tool out there? i need help with this so that my quilts are just as lovely and beautiful as i see on the quiltboard. i will take any tips to help me with this.
thanks quilting people.

I keep a small piece of moleskin (Dr. Scholl's) at the 1/4" mark to help me keep straight.

There have been lots of suggestions. Some people use the Dr. Scholls cut in a strip, or I remember one person taped a pad of post-it notes 1/4" to the right of the needle. This would give you a tall, firm edge to keep your fabric against. Maybe this would help you develop an eye for that elusive scant 1/4".

I just bought the 1/4" foot for my feather weight machine and it has helped me a lot. My other machines have the 1/4" line on them and for some reason I do good with that. Go figure.

I have a 1/4" foot. It has a 'bar' on the right side of the foot. You hold your fabric right up to that 'bar'. I don't know what I did before I got it.

Here's a picture of the one I have:

Slow and steady wins the race IMHO. Some machines have 1/4" feet (Janmome does) that have a fence along the inside to line your fabric up against. Some have quilting bars that are adjustable so you can set it to the width of stitch you need. I also have a "Little Foot" quilting foot and as long as I eyeball the edge just right (it's see through) so that I can see the fabric edge under the foot or on the outside edge of the foot, I can get a perfect seam. I sew slowly to ensure even stitching...I just hate re-doing. Good Luck!

Put a piece of tape farther to the front of the pressure foot so the fabric doesn't go into the foot at an angle.
Also, look to see how you are sitting in relation to the direction the piece is going into the machine. If you are sitting at an angle, there is a tendeny for the fabric to also be going under the presure foot at an angle. If you are sewing a long piece....stop and readjust. The suggestions above are good but the tape down front helps as well.

Another option, provided you don't have a computerized sewing machine, is there is a magnetic guide that you can place on the bed of your machine. It's about 3/8 in. tall and it provides the same edge to line up that some of the 1/4 in. feet do but at a much cheaper price. Joann's has them for about $5 I think. If you have a computerized machine do not use this as magnets and computers do not play nicely together. Anything that has enough of a lip that you can help to guide your fabric will work. And as Holice says, putting a piece of tape further forward on the bed of your machine will help as well.

remember to also look ahead of the stitching not right where it is hitting the needle.

I have that one on my Janome, and just used it for the first time. It worked great.