katigirl

Nope it's not just you and you are right about slowing down and taking out the pins.

AnnieH

I love this thread. Feel much better now and made me chuckle loads. I'm going to try the sticky notepad thing today.
Annie

QuiltnNan

i don't sew straight very much. i'm working on my Dear Jane and it has 4.5" blocks, so i'm trying to be very slow and careful. still, the seams are not straight.

HollyDav

I feel much better after reading this thread :-) Thank you!

jitkaau

I find a stiletto helps with keeping the ends the same width as the rest of the seam. I have one that fits onto the end of my index finger, as well as a hand held one.

olebat

The adjustable seam guide of my vintage Singer 301 is slightly curved on the feed end. This really helps guide the fabric without snags. When I tried the note pad thing, the fabric kept catching on the pad. If I need to do it again, I'd look for the pad with the round edge. I've had good luck with the magnetic seam guides, but find that it helps to secure them with a piece of tape. One of the problems with attached seam guides is having to take them off to make HST, and other mid line stitches. The placement is easier if I take a sewn seam to measure, rather than using the index card. That's because I can't always remember if I have the guide set for a thread short of 1/4 or on the $. Even with the most diligent attempts, I still get wobbles. Most of the time, I view these wobbles as no threat to the quilt. If the meandering will be detrimental, I rip and correct. Detrimental could be too close to the raw edge, or sufficient to cause a domino effect with other piecing. Enjoy the process, but fret not the method.

sandy l

Me too. I've been blaming it on "it's a new machine (brand x) and I've been sewing on (brand y) for the last 25 yrs. Just not use to it yet"

mcar

Honestly, sewing a straight 1/4 inch seam had me crazy until last night...until I found and watched Judy Martin's video. After trying a square on my own and having to evaulate and correct I took time to find tape and place it correctly.I placed black tape at the 1/4 ' spot ( it does not appear correctly on the machine or when using the 1/4 foot) so the tape does help. I've used many ideas before, but this one seems to work. Give it a bit of study to see if it can work for you.
Judy Martin
http://www.judymartin.com/video-page.cfm
(sorry I could not make the web)

deedum

Thanks for that tip, I had fotten that. I need to get back to it.

deedum

I always have had an eye for a straight line, a straight picture frame. I can see from a block off if my line isn't 100% straight. That probably doesn't help my case. I have improved, but something I still got to watch.