J Miller, you are a genius. All these years (at least 60) of seeing those little doo-dads in my sewing machine junk, I never knew what that thing was for. And have thought that the holes in the bed of the machine were for oiling the underparts.....learn something new every day. Woohoo.

Be careful using the screw on guides with your FW. The can mar the finish. YOu should use felt protectors or something as you will cry if you damage your machine.

i made a guide using several layers of red electric tape. i set needle on 1/4" line of drafting ruler and mark the line on the tape and the carefully slice thin strip til i have a clean, straight edge. care is taken to not scratch the needle plate. i want no adhesive of any kind on the black enamal portion of my machine deck. so, red tape is only adhered to needle plate which can have adhesive cleaned off if needed. over the years the adhesive becomes gummy or otherwise nasty & i remove all and repeat the process.

hi joe, i usually agree w all you share. but here we diverge. i have the seam guide that came w my machine. it was my grmothers. i never saw her use it, & now i don't use it. like her, i sew over pins. esp w delicate, intricate piecing. she made my play clothes on it, i have used it for clothing, household accessories and now quilt piecing. but sewing over pins, they get snagged by the seam guide. i tried using it. tried pulling pins as i went along.it's just easier to go my own way and skip the seam guide. and my seams are a scant 1/4" when i check them once in a while.

note: regarding the use of scant 1/4" seams. read about a new thread being carried in nancys notions catalog. it is thin, 2-ply 50 wt. sounds similar to aurifil thread. they said because the thread is so thin, it sits into fabric better resulting in less bulk to the seams and that it negates the need for "scant" 1/4" seam allowances. i am a new user of aurifil...plan to test the theory on some scraps.

"sewing over pins"

Well, that's yer problem right there! hehe

I can't get my FW to sew bindings on either, none of them want to do it. I bring one of my full size machines when I want sew bindings away from home. I particularly like my old Pfaff 1222E or Bernina 1031 for bindings.
I have the foot that you're talking about, I snap the guide off and its much better for me.
Sharon in Texas

roguequilter,

You are correct about sewing with pins and the fabric guide. I have problems with that too. However the OP's question was about scant 1/4" seams and I don't remember any mention of pins. With pins, fabric guides are a pain.
Or is it; with fabric guides pins are a pain ..... beats me.

Joe

Sharon in Texas,

There are special 1/4" feet out there that do not have the side board guide. I think I might even have one or two. The problem is, I can't sew a straight seam to save my life without a guide of some sort. You should see my straight line quilting, LOL , it's anything but straight.

Joe

You can buy a graduated needle plate for the Featherweight (also fits on the 301). It is marked for 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", etc.

Don't let Cathy see that! I use mine a lot. I suggest you also try the ruffler - genius attachment, IMO, and the narrow hemmer isn't far behind. Joe, did you get the hang of it? I recall you asking last year how to use it.

Another one I use a lot with ZZ machines is the button foot: Hate sewing buttons? Your machine can do them in under a minute from go to whoa.