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  1. #1
    Cat n bull's Avatar Cat n bull is online now Senior Member
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    Default How important is a 1/4" seam?

    I recently read a person's account of her first quilting classes, and she said the teacher measured all their seam allowances and if it was not a precise 1/4" they ripped it out and re-did.

    I understand the feet on any given machine may be off by 1/8" or so, but as long as you are consistant with ALL your seams, making sure they are the same, does making it 1/4" REALLY matter that much?

    I honestly don't know if my foot I normally use is a precise 1/4", I never gave it much thought before.
    Cathryn

  2. #2
    coffeebreak's Avatar coffeebreak is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    Good question. I have noticed on my press foots and marking on the plate of the machine...1/4 is not what it shows to be! I literally had to measure from needle to ...... wherever and choose a foot that had that measurement. THe quilt 1/4" foot isn't 1/4" but my all purpose foot has a perfect side to needle of 1/4" so I just have the fabric follow the edge of the pressure foot. I'd say on the other problem...as long as they are very near, why wouldn't they be okay? As long as you are persistant in that measurement. Maybe the teacher is trying to teach them structure or persistance. I have found sometimes in cutting thesquare out, that I have to cut them a slight 1/8" bigger than I want them to be because when I sew the exact measruements together...they are all off and crooked but that scant 1/8" literally saves the day!

  3. #3
    Denis's Avatar Denis is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    Cathryn,
    First I have to say that teacher is a bit tooooo much! Can I use the word "anal" safely on this forum? LOL I think a teacher like that would have deterred me from continuing on with quilting.

    A 1/4" seam allowance is important, but that comes with practice and familiarity with your machine and experience.

    The reason why it is important is that each piece you sew together has to match the length of the next piece and so forth. For example, if I'm sewing two 2.5" squares together then join those to a 4.5" strip, I need to make sure my seam allowance is correct. My 2 original squares once sewn together should measure 4.5". If my seam allowance is greater, the squares will be too small and i would have to stretch them to fit my 4.5" strip. If my seam allowance is smalller, I would have to stretch my 4.5" strip to make it all fit. Mind you fabric does have some play in it so it can be stretched, but if you repeat this with every seam in your quilt, you will run into many problems as each strip or round you sew, the problem worsens exponentially. I've seen this many times, even on my own earlier works.

    To test if your foot is 1/4", take a piece of paper and draw 2 lines 1/4" away from each other; use a very sharp pencil to do this. Set your paper under your needle. Bring your needle down on the left line, lower your foot and take a look at where your foot lays in proportion to the line on the right side. If it is off, move your needle to the left or right if it has this function. Also check and see if the 1/4" on your needle plate is in line with the edge of your foot. Dont' depend solely on your presser foot. Use the needle plate mark as well. After 10 yrs of quilting, I just figured this out and it helps me out alot more.

  4. #4
    Cat n bull's Avatar Cat n bull is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    Quote Originally Posted by Denis View Post
    Cathryn,
    First I have to say that teacher is a bit tooooo much! Can I use the word "anal" safely on this forum? LOL I think a teacher like that would have deterred me from continuing on with quilting.

    A 1/4" seam allowance is important, but that comes with practice and familiarity with your machine and experience.

    The reason why it is important is that each piece you sew together has to match the length of the next piece and so forth. For example, if I'm sewing two 2.5" squares together then join those to a 4.5" strip, I need to make sure my seam allowance is correct. My 2 original squares once sewn together should measure 4.5". If my seam allowance is greater, the squares will be too small and i would have to stretch them to fit my 4.5" strip. If my seam allowance is smalller, I would have to stretch my 4.5" strip to make it all fit. Mind you fabric does have some play in it so it can be stretched, but if you repeat this with every seam in your quilt, you will run into many problems as each strip or round you sew, the problem worsens exponentially. I've seen this many times, even on my own earlier works.

    To test if your foot is 1/4", take a piece of paper and draw 2 lines 1/4" away from each other; use a very sharp pencil to do this. Set your paper under your needle. Bring your needle down on the left line, lower your foot and take a look at where your foot lays in proportion to the line on the right side. If it is off, move your needle to the left or right if it has this function. Also check and see if the 1/4" on your needle plate is in line with the edge of your foot. Dont' depend solely on your presser foot. Use the needle plate mark as well. After 10 yrs of quilting, I just figured this out and it helps me out alot more.
    That's a good idea for testing the foot width! I have a lot of flexibility in adjusting my needle left or right, it would be easy to figure it out once then make sure I always set my needle to the same spot.

    As far as the lining up goes- I normally don't measure and cut everything out first. For example, if I needed multiple 4.5" strips at a certain width, I would cut LONG strips the width they needed to be and cut them into individual pieces as I went along. So as long as the seam allowance is CONSISTANT, it wouldn't matter if every square ended up a bit more or less, as long as they ALL are the same more or less.

    My machine has IDT, it really makes a nice even straight seam, I just don't know if it's EXACTLY 1/4"! Almost ALL of my garment making is done on the serger, I only use my sewing maching for basting and some seams the serger will hack up.( I do use it for other things too-this is just for most garment seams) I make my seam allowances 1/2" on the patterns I make to allow for fitting, then cut them all down for the final pattern.

    I guess I need to start pre-measuring more! I HATE the cutting process and get really sick of it, so starting to sew with the basic starting pieces keeps me excited about things. It is SO DIFFERENT for me to have to have things so precise! I have been sewing for 23 years, and quilting definitley needs to be handled differently than making things to wear!

    As far as that teacher goes, I am too stubborn to be deterred by that kind of nit-pickiness, I would most likely just ignore it.
    Cathryn

  5. #5
    Ginny B's Avatar Ginny B is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    What a great idea!! I'm going to check my machines out today.

    Thanks.
    Ginny B

  6. #6
    toggpine's Avatar toggpine is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    Holy Cow! I'd never get anything done if I cut my pieces as I sewed along! It just goes to show how different all of our styles are!

    I am with Denis. That 1/4" seam is pretty important. It will become more so as you get to more intricate patterns. I'm not sure that the "quilt police" method of learning would work for me either. After having to rip a few of my own seams because things didn't match up, I have made the effort to make them as close to 1/4" and consistent as possible.

    Sometimes I have noticed that after switching from a zigzag or another decorative stitch with an adjustable width, I don't always get the needle back to the home position. It is worth a double check every time you sit down to sew that al of your dials are where they should be. This is especially true if you have little ones in the house. Those twisty & turny things are somethimes just too much temptation!

  7. #7
    Cat n bull's Avatar Cat n bull is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    Quote Originally Posted by toggpine View Post
    Holy Cow! I'd never get anything done if I cut my pieces as I sewed along! It just goes to show how different all of our styles are!

    I am with Denis. That 1/4" seam is pretty important. It will become more so as you get to more intricate patterns. I'm not sure that the "quilt police" method of learning would work for me either. After having to rip a few of my own seams because things didn't match up, I have made the effort to make them as close to 1/4" and consistent as possible.

    Sometimes I have noticed that after switching from a zigzag or another decorative stitch with an adjustable width, I don't always get the needle back to the home position. It is worth a double check every time you sit down to sew that al of your dials are where they should be. This is especially true if you have little ones in the house. Those twisty & turny things are somethimes just too much temptation!
    I think I got cutting burn out. I used to make dance costumes and for a routine that had 20+ kids in it the cutting could take an entire week- I had one that took close to 40 hours and that was WITH my husband helping me! Now I dread cutting large scale-it is VERY hard for me to stay interested and focused.

    I am going to have to give myself time to switch 23 years of garment sewing mentality to quilting mentality-I am going to stick with SIMPLE patterns and designs so I don't get discouraged.

    My machine automatically sets the needle into the stitches' default setting-makes it a no-brainer! I really love my machine and am looking forward to spending some quality time with it and put the serger away!

    I am even BUYING my daughter's senior prom dress!
    Cathryn

  8. #8
    bakermom is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    A 1/4" seam is important, because a little bit off at each seam can add up to a lot. For a more intricate block you could run into serious issues. That said, you are correctthat consistancy is important too. It is one of those things that comes with practice.
    As far as that teacher, I think that would discourage many potential quilters. sometimes the best way to teach is to let someone make a mistake then show how to correct it. If a seam is off by a lot, sure redo it. A thread or two, no way. As an adult student, i would not tolerate that.

  9. #9
    KatiesQuiltingCorner's Avatar KatiesQuiltingCorner is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    A 1/4 seam can be really important when sewing certain block units together. If your seam is too big then your other pieces won't fit, if it's too long you'll have too much to sew onto the sides and then trim. You cut out all your pieces for a block assuming that your 1/4 seam is correct.

    This comes into play especially with triangle points too. You'll whack em right off if you aren't careful about your seam allowance!

    If you're just sewing squares or strips of fabric together it might not be as important but I think every quilter should pay attention to it and get into the habit of measuring. Not only does the machine make a difference in your seam allowance but your piecing thread can also change it. Too bulky and thick and it will throw it off. I've started piecing with a 50 wt Aurifil thread to try and keep my seams as accurate as possible and I've noticed a big difference.
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  10. #10
    Cat n bull's Avatar Cat n bull is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: How important is a 1/4" seam?

    Quote Originally Posted by KatiesQuiltingCorner View Post
    Not only does the machine make a difference in your seam allowance but your piecing thread can also change it. Too bulky and thick and it will throw it off. I've started piecing with a 50 wt Aurifil thread to try and keep my seams as accurate as possible and I've noticed a big difference.
    I have heard of Aurifil thread recommended a lot-Aurifil is the brand name? ANd also what kind/size needles do you use in your machine? I found some sharps-can't remember the size.
    Last edited by Cat n bull; February 13th, 2012 at 03:46 PM. Reason: spelling OOPS!
    Cathryn

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