1/4" is not the same on all machines.
05-24-2010, 06:24 AM
#61
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: AZ and CT
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Originally Posted by puck116
Originally Posted by BellaBoo
I'll have to make both over. I'm saving these two to show and be examined at guild. It's for a miniature quilt so it's not much fabric involved. The 301 made the perfect scant 1/4" seam. From now on my expensive Brother will be used for machine quilting not piecing.
05-24-2010, 06:55 AM
#62
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 65
I learned years ago when sewing blocks together made by different quilters for a charity donation that all 1/4" are different. No 2 blocks measured the same. Some I had to remove fabric when squaring up some I took apart and restitched and others had to have a narrow border. It was very frustrating. I've also learned to never use the lines on a cutting mat for accurate measuring and cutting. I've measured several of mine and had as much as 3/4" difference by the time I got to the end of the mat. Now I only use the lines to line up straight of grain.
05-24-2010, 09:41 AM
#63
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Brigham City, UT
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I have learned not all rulers are the same either. When I taught first grade we learned to measure with rulers sent by the curriculum publishers. Identical to the color but, the first and last inch were the least accurate. Usually they are a little bit longer than the other inches. Example 1-2 might be 1 1/8, but between 2-3 would be exactly correct. When I measure I begin with 3 inches and cut on 10, this exactly 7" piece. Does this make sense? I wish I could find a wide metal tape measure the retracts. The ones carpenters use is bowed.
05-24-2010, 10:12 AM
#64
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,281
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. We probably all expect a "scant 1/4" to be the same on every machine, but this is dramatic proof that it isn't. Back to the old tape on the plate method. I appreciate things like this so much from all of you - I've learned so much in the short time I've been here.
05-24-2010, 11:17 AM
#66
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Muscatine, Iowa by way of West Virginia, Washington State, and Montana
Posts: 1,130
Originally Posted by BellaBoo
I never really believed that until tonight. I started this strip at a sew day using my take to class machine. I made another strip tonight using different machine. I switch machines a lot finishing up projects. I think I found out why I keep pulling my hair out trying to figure out what went wrong with my blocks! Look at the difference in the strips. All the fabric pieces are cut exactly the same size, sewn together exactly the same way using a 1/4" quilting foot made for each machine. I learned a major lesson. One machine makes a perfect scant 1/4" seam the other measures 1/4" seam but appears to be a thread width bigger. A scant 1/4" does make a big difference!
Tease: One machine used is a vintage Singer 301.
Tease: One machine used is a vintage Singer 301.
05-25-2010, 11:17 AM
#69
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Cumming GA (formerly, NJ)
Posts: 162
Originally Posted by dsb38327
Sooooooo, what you are telling me is:
In these two sets of blocks you have 8 seams each.
The longer set 'seam' is the width of a thread larger than the smaller set.
So laying 8 pieces of thread side by side is how much bigger the larger set is than the smaller set?
This was an excellent visual. It will be burned in my mind forever because you showed it to me this way.
Thank-you. All of the examples and information in this post and the responses is very helpful to me.
In these two sets of blocks you have 8 seams each.
The longer set 'seam' is the width of a thread larger than the smaller set.
So laying 8 pieces of thread side by side is how much bigger the larger set is than the smaller set?
This was an excellent visual. It will be burned in my mind forever because you showed it to me this way.
Thank-you. All of the examples and information in this post and the responses is very helpful to me.
05-25-2010, 08:50 PM
#70
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: North Fork Ca
Posts: 8,234
If you check your 1/4 inch seam with three strips of 2 1/2 in fabric, you will know what line to use as a 1/4 inch guide on both machines. My favorite rule though is to always use the same machine for piecing. Thanx for the lesson
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