Originally Posted by mjmarsh

I always use the same machine, same foot throughout a project. I also have a little ruler with a hole for the needle that indicates 1/4". I place the ruler down under the needle, drop the needle into the hole, make sure the ruler is very straight, drop the presser foot to keep the ruler straight and then place a thick strip of masking tape (or comparable) along the edge of this ruler. Finally, I move my needle one click to the right. This only takes a few seconds and my seams are much more consistent that relying just on the 1/4" foot.

Originally Posted by Patches1900

Yes, and even buying a special 1/4" foot for my machine didn't make for an accurate 1/4" seam I still have to move the needle 2 clicks to the right which means I have to use the zigzag needleplate for straight stitching - this aggravates me because I'm not getting the best stitch quality as a would with straight stitch needleplate - aaargh!