littledentist

Hi everyone. Hope you're all safe and at the very least enjoying some quality sewing time. I have recently realized the impact of sewing without a dual feed or walking foot. Even with pinning, it's rare (if ever) that my strips (particularly if they have a lot of sewn pieces...or even not) are ever perfectly the same length at the end of sewing them. They could match together perfectly, then I pin them and make they're the same length and everything, and then once they're sewn, one is always longer (I forget which one, either the top or the bottom...not that it matters!). I have a Bernina 350 and I tried to use the walking foot which does help but it doesn't have a built in 1/4" seam guide. I don't even care that it's clunky bc once it's on, it's on. I think it's either time to upgrade my machine or maybe switch to a Janome with accufeed. Why doesn't Bernina (or anyone) make a walking foot with a 1/4" seam guide? I tried to make a makeshift guide but I just annoyed myself because it's not consistent. Would you agree that it's time to make a change? All thoughts welcome!

Rhonda K

I have the 1/4 inch guide, SITD, couching, and open toe foot for my WF. Brother and BL have the additional feet for them. Easy to change depending on the project.

There is a difference on machine feet. What foot are you using for piecing? Regular piecing probably doesn't need a WF for two pieces of fabric. It may have to do with where the feed dogs hit the foot also. We learned there are two different feet used on the Brother/BL machines that look alike. However, there is a small difference in the width of the foot.

GEMRM

I have a friend who has Bernina and gets the most wonderful accurate seams with it - perhaps it's a matter of adjustment or something? Maybe talk to some Bernina people or the dealer?

EasyPeezy

There's a trick to sewing long strips of fabric so they match from
beginning to end. I saw this on Youtube but can't find it.
Hope I can explain this.
You line your two strips together, put them under the presser foot, then
fold the strips partway (about 8-10 inches) hold on to the strips that way
(like you don't want to sew further than that point), sew those 8-10 inches
then stop and fold the fabric again and sew the next 8-10 inches, etc.
Clear as mud? That's how they sew on industrial machines.
If someone knows the video I'm talking about, please post the link.

Quiltah Mama

My Janome 8900 with accufeed has a 1/4 inch foot, SITD foot, which I use both alot. Actually, I owned my machine, bought if off CL, so no dealer instructions when I bought it. Anyway, I owned my machine a few years before seeing on a Youtube video that the accufeed had additional feet and were interchangable, talk about a lightbulb moment. I have both the mentioned above, and love them, infact, I find I sew with my accufeed more now.

ctrysass2012

Maybe you need to ease up on the pressure on your foot.

Jo Anne B.

I have recently purchased a walking foot for a 1972 Kenmore, while the foot is not marked or have the guide, what I did find is the measurement from the edge of the foot to the needle is scant 1/4 inch. Could your walking foot have this same feature?
For a short time I had the Vintage Bernina 830 record and purchased the walking foot ensemble which included 3 different feet, one being the 1/4 in foot. Is that an option?

quiltingshorttimer

Janome makes a 1/4" walking foot--since Janome makes Elna it fits on my Elna just fine. But you do have to move the needle over as otherwise it isn't a true 1/4"

Barb in Louisiana

Because the pulling part of the sewing machine is on the bottom, known as the feed dogs, the bottom fabric will almost always pull more through than the top...unless you have the even feed action. This can be from a walking foot, or several of the machines have it built in. I fight my baby Brother...WM inexpensive model... all the time. I have learned that on long, over 6 inch seams, I have to pin some. I, also, catch both pieces of fabric with my fingers, and gently force the bottom to wait for the top and I can still end up a 1/16 or 1/32 off at the end of a longer seam. Yep...it's back to pinning for me. I don't have an even feed foot for this little Brother and without the 1/4 inch foot, I wouldn't use it anyway.

I am going to try the fold method and see if that helps me. I can understand why folding the fabric could work. By the very action of folding the fabric up, you will be forcing the top to feed quicker and will be gently stretching the bottom, therefore helping to keep the seams even. This could be a very good tip.

sewingpup

Hi, on the Bernina walking foot that I have...there is a slight mark on the foot that I always assumed was the quarter inch mark...now the most important is that you accually measure and test that quarter inch seam....so...I will adjust how I line up my fabric based on what my actually measuring of the seam and test showed...so on some of my machines....I line up my fabric to the inside of the mark, sometimes right on the mark, and sometimes just to the outside of the mark....this actually can vary with the fabric and thread you are using as the thickness of the seam also has an effect....but that being said....I usually do all my piecing with my regular quarter inch foot for the blocks....then I switch to the walking foot for stitching the rows together as I find it really helps....and I hate to confess, but at that point....lining up the blocks and making sure I have a solid seam that is wide enough is more important then getting a perfect 1/4 inch seam....oh...and have actually measured from the needle to the 1/4 inch mark and just placed a piece of tape along the bed of my machine to show where I should line up my fabric....