marsee

I can never decide where to gauge the seam allowance when sewing the binding on the quilt with a walking foot. Too wide or too narrow. I've asked at a quilt shop that ordered the foot for me and they haven'y been any help. I'm stressed every time I do the binding. :( Help, please.

patricej

if you can adjust the needle position on your machine, your stress can end in just a few minutes.

use scraps for this. line the edge of the fabric up with the edge of the foot. sew a line long enough for you to measure the seam allowance. using this line of stitching as your starting point, move your needle to the left or right. move it one click at a time until you find the 1/4" setting.

if you do that, and always move the needle to that position, while lining the fabric up with the foot, you will get consistent 1/4" seams whenever you use your walking foot.

don't forget to (1) write down the needle position; stick it on a piece of paper or paint it somewhere on your walking foot; and (2) put the needle back where it belongs for your other feet.

marsee

How simple and I thank you so much! Can't wait to get back to the machine and try my new instructions from you. Why didn't I ask sooner!! :P

Steve

I found it a bit frustrating at first. Mine is a small machine, which doesn't adjust other than in two needle positions. When it got off kilter a bit I'd just put in needle down, lift the foot and adjust. Going slow and eyeballing it did the job and the quilt was no worse for wear when all was said and done.

Once again a lesson in patience. :D

marsee

Thanks to you too, Steve. My eyeballing just hasn't done it for me so far and I think of getting the binding done with DREAD!I cut 2 1/2 in binding and a buddy suggested a tad more to that measurement. Maybe that will help me, too. I'm dismayed that the foot doesn't had any marks to help gauge the seams.

jumperfamily

I'm glad you asked this question! I was struggling with the exact problem yesterday and didn't think to ask anyone!

It is so frustrating when the binding doesn't end up perfect after I've spent so many hours on the quilt. It was the first time I'd tried using the walking foot for binding and had determined in my heart I wouldn't do it again. Now I will. :D

patricej

for those who can't adjust their needle positions to fix the problem, try this:

using your ruler, draw a straight line on a piece of paper.
then use the ruler to cut the paper 1/4" from the line (imitation seam allowance).
take the paper to your machine. stick the needle into the center of the line and line up the paper so it's feeding straight into the machine.
make a mark on the machine bed at the edge of the paper.
aline your fabric with that mark when feeding it into the machine.

Boo

Patrice has offered very good suggestions. To take that just one step further, I use a few layers of masking tape to mark the quarter inch, so the fabric can ride along side it. If I am using 2.5" strips for binding, though, I mark a 3/8" seam allowance. To me it is very important to fill your binding with quilt, otherwise it will wear out quickly and not be as neat looking.