A new idea for thick layered seams
 

I needed to do an accurate 3/8" seam in a Quilt As You Go quilt that I am assembling.

I put a line of painters tape on my sewing machine bed to mark a 3/8" line and then added a second strip on top of it to make it have an edge. Then I thought, what am I thinking. I really needed something taller, as what I was seaming was two quilt sandwiches back to back. In total I was handling 4 layers of fabric with some seams in them, and 2 layers of quilt batting. I would be needing to do numerous seams and just the thought of keeping it lined up with the tape line was tiring, because it would be slow going and time consuming.

Then I had a light bulb moment.

I got out one of my cutting rulers a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and lining up the edge of the ruler with the above painters tape that marked off the 3/8", I then taped down the other three sides of the cutting ruler with painters tape to my sewing machine bed. It created a lip of about 1/4" high for me to run my quilt sandwich against. I've had a perfect 3/8" seam ever since. I don't have to try to keep it against a small ledge of tape and keep trying to keep it straight. I just butt the pinned together sandwich up against the taped down ruler and sew. Couldn't be easier! Fast and accurate.

Doing a 1/4" isn't hard as my sewing foot makes a perfect 1/4" seam and I don't need any markings except when doing diagonal sewing for snowballs or HST etc. and then I have 1/4" marking tape already down my sewing table bed that is easy to eyeball with the fabric point. But with the 3/8" seams I'm definitely going to keep the taped ruler idea handy.

I have the magnetic guide... like a little fence for your seam edges.

A new idea...
 

Great idea for anyone without a magnet edge!

Some machines, including my Bernina have a place on the bed of the machine to screw in a metal "seam guide" which can be adjusted to the width of seam you want. The edge is about 1/4 inch high. But the ruler is a good idea and less expensive than my accessory seam guide that was pretty expensive. I don't do other than a 1/4 inch seam often except for when I stitch my backings together. If I am using 44" fabric to make a large backing, I usually just stitch the selvages together using about a 1.25-inch seam and then trim the part containing the actual selvage off using a scissors as it is easier to trim it that way instead of using a rotary cutter and trying to trim the edge straight before stitching it together. I never thought of using this attachment when doing that wide seam. That is a great Idea! It will make it easier as the amount of fabric being handled can pull the seam off.

I bought the Ideal Seam Guide package at a quilt show. The guide will not stay in place at all. I bought a new backing for it and still it moves all over the place. The next time I was at a quilt show the vendor was there. I asked the man who demos and sell its and he looked at it and said I needed a new backing. It was new. He never tried it on his machine to see if it would stay in place. Mostly just gave me the what do you want me to do about it look. Maybe he used stiicker stuff on the one he was using. One quilter next to me at his booth said mine never stayed put either but his does doesn't it?

Here is a video on the technique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lPuSRx7BTU

I would caution that the ruler should be firmly attached to the machine so it can’t slip under the needle. I would assume that if the plastic ruler ends up under the needle you will get to replace your needle, your ruler and possibly your sewing machine.

I use the same. There is also one that I posted a link to in the scant 1/4" thread that works will computerized machines that you might not want to use a magnet on. They work great.

I used double stick tape, the really strong stuff, to keep mine in place. The down side is that it does leave sticky stuff on the machine so I mostly gave up on it and just use my mechanical machines and the magnet guide.

I watched the video you found. I wouldn't use it for just single or double fabric. You would always be getting it sliding under the ruler as the ruler doesn't fit completely flat because of the plate and machine bed, as he did at first. He had to do it awful slow as well to control the fabric, basically one stitch at a time. Though someone who sew regularly would most certainly go faster, it would still be a fight to keep it from sliding under the ruler.

That's why I only use a tape line when sewing thinner fabric pieces. I use the marked tape that has measurements on the lines.

For thicker sandwiches the ruler idea works great. The sandwich is as tall as the ruler, so it can't slide under it.

I'm used to having acrylic templates next to my needle as I do machine quilting. In this case, the ruler is firmly taped down. But I have when desired, do machine quilting using a straight template ruler to quilt grid lines with it being hand held next to the needle foot.

That's what gave me the idea to do this. Only in this case, I taped it down as I didn't need to lay it on top of any fabric. Figures that there would be a youtube somewhere...LOL.

You can also use a post-it note pad.