Welcome to the new Vine Lines Creative #techniquetuesday. I’ve created a new Facebook group for you, with daily prompts. Please do come and join us, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Our first technique tutorial is how to check your ¼” seam.
One of the first things you learn in quilting is that the ¼” seam is paramount. It is used as the standard in all patterns except for some foundation piecing projects which use a smaller 1/8″ seam. Quarter inch feet are available for the majority of sewing machines however they can loosen over time so it’s important to check you are sewing with an accurate seam. If your seam is slightly out, it may not matter terribly when sewing one 6½” block but if you multiply that by the amount of blocks needed for a queen sized quilt, your final measurements will be way out.
Here’s a tutorial to help you to ensure your ¼” seam is accurate.
Step One
Cut three rectangles 2½” x 6½” – I used two different colours but it really doesn’t matter.
Step Two
Stitch the rectangles together, pressing seams to the side.
Step Three
Measure the resulting square. It should measure EXACTLY 6½” square.
If the piece is narrower than 6½”, then your seam is greater than ¼” and you need to move your marker a little to the left OR move your needle a little to the right, or move .If the piece is wider than 6½” then your seam is smaller than ¼” and you need to move your marker a little to the right OR move your needle a little to the left.
Please jump into our new Facebook group and let me know if you found this tutorial helpful.
Leave a Reply