- I'd like to thank Proven for sponsoring this video.
Do you have a problem with your 1/4-inch seam?
Are your blocks wonky or out of square?
And what is a scant 1/4-inch anyways?
In today's quilting tutorial, we are diving in
to one of the most important skills in quilting,
mastering your 1/4-inch seam,
how to find it, how to make it,
and when and why it's important.
So stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
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Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.
I give you tips, tricks, and strategies
to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
And if you like what you see,
please click that Subscribe button.
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If you are brand new to sewing,
a seam allowance is simply the distance between your seam
and the edge of your fabric.
And over time, the term a 1/4-inch seam allowance
has just been abbreviated to a 1/4-inch seam.
In quilting, we use a 1/4-inch as a standard,
in upholstery, they use a half an inch,
and in garment making, they use 5/8
or a half an inch depending on the maker.
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You may have asked yourself,
"Why do quilters use a 1/4-inch seam?"
So go back 150 years ago
when quilting cotton became affordable
and people started making quilt tops with their scraps.
They would use templates to mark the sew lines
and cut out the fabric by hand.
The seams didn't need to be large
because you weren't making any alterations like clothing.
Plus, as they hand-quilted,
the fewer layers that the needle and thread
had to pass through,
the easier it was to manage.
Then as block patterns began to be circulated
in magazines and newspapers
and with the arrival of the sewing machine,
a standard seam allowance was needed.
Instead of tracing templates,
they now used the edge of the block and measured in,
and the quarter of an inch became the standard.
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If you're like me and came from garment sewing,
sewing that 1/4-inch seam is harder
than shifting your fabric to the left.
First, you need to know where the 1/4-inch mark is
on your machine.
Most modern machines have the 1/4-inch
marked on the stitch plate,
but some of the older ones like this one does not.
So you'll need to take a gauge like this one
or this one or this one
and locate it.
On this machine, it's just at the edge of the feed dogs.
There's not a lot of fabric in a quarter of an inch,
which makes it hard
for the right side of the presser foot and feed dogs
to engage with the fabric,
which will make a natural tendency with your machine
to pull to the left.
So on this machine,
I solve the issue by moving my needle over a click
and making a ledge of painter's tape.
This puts a little bit more fabric underneath the foot
and gives me the results I want.
Now, on my new Bernina, this is much, much easier.
I have marks on the stitch plate.
I have marks on the sewing table.
This is a 1/4-inch foot
and this is a 1/4-inch foot with a guide.
I use painters tape here too
'cause it helps me sew straight.
I use four to five layers
and place it along the 1/4-inch mark
and bump my block up against it.
I have more pointers on how to sew straight in this video
because a seam has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
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So you sewed exactly on the 1/4-inch mark
but your finished blocks are small.
How did that happen?
Now, there's two main reasons for this.
A beginner mistake is not pressing your seams properly.
Maybe you do something like this.
Maybe you get a little swish going too.
Though swishing feels like it's doing the job,
take a look at how much fabric is left in the fold,
and the block is also no longer square.
Learning to press my fabrics well and not swish
led to the single biggest improvement in my results.
First, you set the seam.
Roll the fabric over and then finger press.
Then use a hot iron and press.
I often let go of the iron so I don't swish,
and I don't use steam.
Look at the difference in the results.
Now, I have already made a video about this technique,
and for a fuller explanation, you can check that out.
The second mistake that quilters often make
is not measuring the 1/4-inch from the right spot.
You might think that we measure it here
from the back of the fabrics,
but that is just the starting point.
We need to measure it from here, on the front.
So take three strips of fabric of the same width,
sew them together,
then press open with a good ironing technique.
Then measure the distance between the seams.
Then move your guide accordingly.
Personally, I occasionally get it right on the first try,
but normally it takes me two or three tries
and sometimes four or five.
This is an important step that you should do
every time you start or switch projects
because as we roll these pieces open,
this fold takes up space.
How much space depends on the thickness of the fabric
and the threads in the seam.
I sewed these two pieces of fabric
using the exact same marks on my sewing machine
and this one is bang on,
but you can see this one is just slightly smaller.
It's just got a little bit of white there,
which can be the difference
between your blocks coming out perfect or coming out small.
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A scant 1/4-inch seam is just inside the measure
for the regular 1/4-inch seam,
so it's a couple of threads smaller.
Some quilters just prefer not to make a tester piece
and use a scant 1/4-inch all the time.
It's a shortcut that will deliver good results
most of the time,
like when your blocks are assembled in a simple grid
or when your blocks have the same number of seams
in both directions.
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There are many techniques where a 1/4-inch seam
is just not important.
In paper piecing, you have lines to sew on.
So if you trim it a little bit bigger
or it's slightly wonky,
it's not going to matter.
When you sew two or eight at a time half-square triangles
or the one or four at a time flying geese,
you are sewing on a marked line.
Then your cuts are just separating the pieces.
So again, a 1/4-inch seam here doesn't matter.
In snowballed corners, you're also sewing on the line.
How you cut the seam allowance
doesn't affect the size of the block.
The seams on the back of the quilt.
It's more important that it is a straight seam
than the width of it.
It can be anywhere from a quarter of an inch
to a half an inch.
And finally, you do not need to be accurate
when you're making improv blocks.
You might be thinking, "Duh, Karen
obviously you don't need to be accurate here,"
but they are also a great activity
after you've had to be precise.
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There are times where you do need to be very accurate.
Sampler blocks run from the simple to challenging
to simply diabolical,
and to make it all fit and your points line up
takes accuracy in your 1/4-inch seam.
Compound blocks are blocks that are made up of other blocks
and those blocks can also be made up of other blocks
and that can also mean different shapes of blocks,
and if your seam allowance is not accurate,
they're not going to end up the size that you need
to fit them all together.
In general, the larger the block,
the more forgiving they are,
and the reverse of that is also true.
The smaller the pieces, the less forgiving they are.
When you're sewing at this small scale,
there is no wiggle room.
Thread widths matter
and an accurate 1/4-inch seam
was how it all came together.
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There are plenty of tools out there
to help you with your 1/4-inch seam.
First, there are patchwork presser feet.
This foot is a 1/4-inch wide.
This one has a notch at the quarter inch.
Some might even have a guide.
There are ledges that you can buy
to help set the quarter inch
and to help you sew straight.
This one came with my presser foot.
There are plexiglass rulers that you can stick on,
and my personal favourite is just making a ledge
out of masking tape.
I like that the masking tape is also multipurpose
and I can use it on all of my machines.
There is marking tape
that not only helps you with your 1/4-inch seam,
also helps you with the centre line
when you're making HSTs.
There are gauges to help you measure
the seam allowance from your needle.
There are 1/4-inch clips
with markings that you can align
with the marks on your sewing machine.
And there are paper piece patterns
so that you don't need to worry
about the seam allowance at all.
Just follow the lines.
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A quarter of an inch is a quarter of an inch,
which you can sew on any machine.
When quilters say that it's different on different machines,
what they're really meaning
is the reference points on each machine
gives different results.
If you test, measure, and adjust like I've outlined before,
you can achieve a perfect 1/4-inch on any machine.
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Sewing a 1/4-inch seam takes skill,
and like all skills, it takes time to master them.
Make it a habit to do a practise block before you start.
You can do it by making bonus blocks out of your scraps.
And if you miss the mark, you don't need to worry.
You get to adjust and try again.
You will find as you practise and experiment
with different quilting techniques
that the tools you use will change.
And as your skills improve,
you won't need that latest and greatest gauge anymore
because you'll already know what works for you.
(upbeat music continues)
Come join me on my next cruise to Iceland.
In June 2024,
we will board the new Celebrity ship Apex in Southampton
for an 11-night voyage to Ireland, Iceland, and Scotland.
We will see glacial lagoons, volcanoes,
and black sand beaches.
While at sea, you can join me and Kate Matthews
for some Bernina sewing classes.
I can hardly wait.
This one has been on my bucket list.
If you would like more information on this cruise,
just go to my website, Just Get It Done Quilts,
and request a brochure.
If you found this quilting tutorial helpful,
check out my tips and tricks playlist.
Take care and I'll see you next time.
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