Would someone please tell me how to keep my seams straight. No one told me, but I found that I shouldn't look at my needle, but at the width of the seam. BUT, I still have wavy seams. I try very hard to concentrate on keeping everything in line. Help!

Do you have a 1/4 inch foot for your machine? Also, there are guards you can put on your machine so your fabric go along it and help keep it straight. Some people use several layers of painters tape or sticky notes on the machine to help guide the fabric.

It is a bit like driving a car... you don't look right in front of the hood of the car you are driving but you look where you are going, farther down the road.

I line up my seam, then watch for my seam width a good 2 or even 3 inches in front of the needle. Extend your guide if you need to by using a piece of tape.

Hope this helps a bit.

Does your machine have seam markings? If not,put a piece of tape or a stack of post-it notes at the 1/4 inch mark. Then line up your fabric as far ahead of the needle as you can.

I see quiltingcandy and Dena beat me to it. What they said. . .

I started with a stack of sticky notes stuck at 1/4 inch for a seam guide.

I highly recommend the 1/4 foot. I also love the idea of using a stack of sticky notes.

what i have found with one of the ladies i quilt with..

she started out the seam,tight against the 1/4" foot bar..by the time she got to the end of the seam, it was wide..like she relaxed and just let it go.

i don't watch the needle, i watch where the seam is or the right edge of what i am sewing..

what kind of machine do you have? and are you using the 1/4" foot? are you able to move your needle to the left or right to find the 1/4"?

I watch the 1/4" mark where the machine is stitching.

I used masking tape to mark the 1/4 in on my machine. I layer the tape from front to back and it really helped me. You can use painters tape too. I can't afford to purchase extra feet so I do what have too.

1/4 inch foot

There are many good suggestions here (smile). Just keep working at it and soon it will be second nature. The key is to be sure you always have fun while you are creating.

Relax and take a few deep breaths before you start. Try to keep your mind on tracking your fabric a couple of inches in front of the foot. Even with a 1/4" foot you may want to put tape or sticky notes so you can line up the fabric ahead of the foot. Use leaders and enders so you start and end blocks accurately. When you chain piece, remember that the first few stitches and the last few stitches need to be right on target since they make the difference between perfect points and not perfect ones.

I find that my biggest enemy is letting my mind wander (especially with long seams) or (when chain piecing) trying to get the next piece in right and ignoring the one I am finishing. I have to stop and give myself a shake when this happens.

I use blue painters tape on one machine, and a strip of moleskin padding on another. Both work for me. Like the posts say above, look ahead and your eyes will be trained to 'see' and 'guide' your fabric in a straight lined 1/4 inch seam. I tried the Angler 2 guide and frustratingly took it off and taped it to the back of a cabinet door. Have another one in the package not opened up that I wanted to use for my other machine. Should have stuck to the tape method I have been using for years.

I use the 1/4 inch foot and it helps me the most. The little metal guide on the foot helps me keep my fabric where it should be.

I don't have a fancy dancy machine. I have a regular sears sewing machine. I pin, and follow my pressure foot and line on the plate. Works pretty good for me

I pay attention to a specific spot that assures 1/4" seam (or close to that) AND I go relatively slow. That way I can make small adjustments as I go.

Cut you fabric on grain in a straight line and do not push or pull it under the needle when sewing. Also avoid all drag as the fabric approaches and passes under the presser foot. Let the feed dogs do their job and they will pull it in a straight line with no help from you at all. ;)

Ditto blue painters tape. Try a piece about 12"-15" long and keeping your quilt edge along it. Also try holding the quilt edges both before and after the needle - can't wander as easily. I hold my right hand on the part behind the needle and my left on the part in front of the needle

I use my #37 foot and a stack of tape at the seam edge as otherwise my seam will wiggle.

I watch the fabric in front of the foot rather than the needle.

cheers, K

Gee, I'm amazed at how many nice quilters there are out in this world and on this blog. Thank you all for the tips on how I can manage a straight seam. I have a Brother sewing machine (no fancy dancy for me) and yes, I do have a 1/4 presser foot. I'm going to use the sticky notes and also the tip to look ahead a couple of inches. Wish me luck and thank you so much for all the good advice.

I took a fine point permanent marker and marked a line on my machine. This plus all these other suggestions help me a lot.

The only way I learned to have straight seams was to sew slow. It will help to mark 1/4" seam line and follow the line. It's easy to wobble off a few threads and that will distort the block shape.

I think it's so funny that I did the same thing as you, Beverly. Eventually the bottom one lost it stickiness and I had to discard it and use the one above it that had fresh glue.

Get some paper with lines on it and practice sewing without thread on the line until you feel comfortable with it. This way you can practice without wasting anything. It works!