Scant 1/4" or full 1/4" seam allowance?
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Utah
Posts: 2,093
I teach a Beginning Piecing Workshop regularly. I teach my students that all seams in piecing are a scant 1/4". And, that everyone finds their scant 1/4" seam differently. I have them sew on a 1/4" graph paper to see where the edge of the paper hits when they are sewing just to the right side of the line on the graph paper. When I sit down to my machine, I bump the needle bar position over one notch to the right, and guide the edge of my fabric just inside the feed dogs. 2 students in my current class, bump their seam allowance over 2 notches, but have to use the regular presser foot instead of a quarter-inch foot. Some can do great with guiding the fabric along the quarter-inch foot, but most can't see the right side edge of that foot. Here's a picture of sewing on graph paper to find that scant 1/4".
#13
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 166
I'm a firm believer in pressing/flattening the heck out of a seam, so seldom need a 'scant' 1/4" seam. If I'm making HSTs or QSTs, I try to start with larger pieces of fabric, then stitch and trim to size. If I'm given a square that's not cut quite right (as in an exchange), I may use a 'scant' 1/4" seam on it, to compensate.
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: SW, MI
Posts: 827
#15
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 141
Donnai--My LQS owner told me to set my needle position one notch to the right and that would be a scant 1/4 inch. I never really checked it, but that is what I do now. It works out--I've also gotten pretty good at squeezing and stretching ( I know, that is a no no, but I do it anyway).
#18
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Central Wisconsin
Posts: 47
Thank you all for your ideas! There are so many good ideas here, I'm going to try all of them and see what works for me. I never thought that I may be cutting my fabric too small in the first place. I knew I'd get lots of help from this Board! Romanojg, I'm going to be making a sampler too, finishing at 6", so I really need to be accurate.
#19
I agree with Buckeye Rose and Paper Princess. There is SO MUCH discussion about 1/4" seams and the answer is in the measurement of the pieces being sewn together! Several things figure into this..the weight of the fabric, the thread you are using, etc. Don't dwell on the seam, but do make sure your pieces, when sewn together, are the correct measurement.
#20
Truly, unless you are swapping blocks, what does it matter? If you use your 1/4" on all the blocks, they should be all the same. Simple. Do not over think a fairly easy process!
If you are swapping blocks, measure like crazy until you finish with the desired size.
If you are swapping blocks, measure like crazy until you finish with the desired size.
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