Also, for your stitching guides you don't want to move to get to your bobbin (I'm in that club!), you could draw a line on your machine bed or cut your tape pieces so you have one on the machine bed and a separate one on the bobbin cover - mine slides right off and on without messing up the tape (I couldn't stand to draw on my baby!).

When I started sewing (bought a cheap White at Joanns) I had horrible issues too w/that 1/4" seam. As a beginning quilter/sewer it was very frustrating. I too could watch the machine pull the fabric away from me. i always felt tired because I felt like I was fighting my machine to sew straight. I too tried lots of the same guide tricks (tape, sticky notes, stiletto, 1/4"foot). Anyhoo, I once borrowed my mom's nice Brother & suddenly had a perfect 1/4". Upon further investigation I found that the feed dogs mechinism, inside the machine worked slightly different.... My White, while moving up and down actually also rotated a right to left creating IMO a slight "pull" on the fabric which I found was throwing my 1/4" off. Whereas her Brother's feed dogs truly moved only up and down and front to back -- viola no "pull" & a great 1/4"!

I ended up ditching my White and buying cheap Brother and being happy ever since. i do love my 1/4" foot though.

When joining small pieces together I hold the ends (the side closest to myself) of the fabrics together with a stiletto, no slipping. I use a dull seam ripper as stiletto, works great.

Does the bobbin cover wiggle when you sew?? If it does then that can't be a good thing. I too tried everything imaginable to obtain that 1/4". I must have tried all the 1/4" feet known to man. Also tried the sticky notes. They would pull loose at the worse time. The problem with the 1/4" feet is that they don't cover all the feed dogs on the newer machines which makes it hard for the machine to pull the fabric through evenly. Especially if you're sewing over some bulk. That's when the fabric really goes wonky. I agree that you could try lessening the pressure on the foot. I have a seam guide that came with my machine so I use that and it's worked the best. I do have to remove it when I need to change the bobbin but I butt the seam guide right up against the foot so there's no re-measuring. I just make a note of where my needle position should be. Hope this helps.

Get a magnifying glass and give your foot and feed dogs a good look when they make contact. The foot may not be wide enough to cover the feed dogs completely. Some machines not made with quilting in mind do not come with a 1/4 foot so when you buy one that fits, it doesn't work as perfectly as the machines that make a 1/4 foot to match the feed dogs.

Thank you all so very much for all the help. It will be a few days until I can get back into my sewing room since we are in the process of packing and staging our house. I have printed out all the suggestions and placed the sheets in the harp of the machine so I dont loose them. I will also see if the shop can fit me in next month when I am in town. I use a shop that is approx 2 hours away due to their great customer service, so it will be awhile before i can address that suggestion.

My 301 does have markings in the throat plate which helps, but I also guide the material through with a seam ripper held down next to the 1/4" marking, so I can watch that I stay on the mark.

My feed dogs are far apart so I use a walking foot and move my needle over and that's how I get a 1/4" seam. That's the only way I can get one.

I agree with Quiltinginfla.......I use to get myself so upset about a perfect 1/4" seam...well I dont anymore....Ive learned getting a straight stitch is better....so when I do my 1/4" I just use my zigzag foot which is a 1/4" in width and it always comes out right.....and taking your time is also something you have to do until you get that look you want.....so play with your machines different feet and I bet you have one that will help you to achieve that look a straight line....happy sewing....Trish

Try using a header (small scrap of facric) run through the machine first and left attached and then begin sewing your block.