Tips & Tricks Tuesdays:Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt....and A 1/4" Presser Foot

10:59:00 PM

Welcome to Tips and Tricks Tuesdays, where I post a tip, trick, or tutorial -

MacGyverButton

and today, instead of ME hosting T&T, Stacey at The Tilted Quilt is!!

Once you're done here, head on over to her blog, where, you can read her tips on paper piecing (which are FABULOUS by the way!!), and if you have one of the above to share, link up with her!!

Today I'm doing a product review of sorts (unsolicited) to link up with Stacey. I received this presser foot for Christmas from my husband:
 It's a low shank clip-on 1/4" presser foot with guide - specifically made for quilting.

The guide protrudes off of the foot, downward, so it stays in contact with your machine plate while you sew:
the idea is this: the guide is used as just that, a guide, for your fabric so as to ensure perfect 1/4" seams.

I LOVE IT.

I have been quilting with a 1/4" plastic quilting foot and I honestly am having troubles getting used to having a see-through foot. I sewed for 20 years on an old 1975 Brother Pacesetter - with metal everything - and with this new machine I have, which I *love*, it came with a plastic quilting foot.

Anyway - here are the pros and cons (personal opinions, again):

Pros:

  1. once you adjust your needle position so that the space between the needle entering and the inside edge of the guide is 1/4" (use a quilting ruler to make sure), your seams are flawless. Perfect 1/4" seams, every time.
  2. the fabric flows nicely under the presser foot, and doesn't really ever catch.
  3. because the guide extends past the foot, you have plenty of stitches in advance to make sure you're lined up.
  4. clips on and off of my shank easily (I'm quilting on a Singer 9960)
Cons:
  1. can't use it for piecing/sewing seams larger than 1/4" - the guide gets in the way
  2. can't use it for curved piecing - or at least I had a heck of a time trying to do it with a set-in circle and this foot.
  3. I've only ever seen this foot online - and although I love buying my fabrics online, I'm always a little leery of purchasing equipment there.
  4. this particular foot only fits clip-on low-shank machines - there are no adapter pieces included in the packaging for machines with other types of shank attachment - it's clip-on or nothin'.

Despite the cons, I would totally recommend it. Especially for those whom are just starting out - to me, it almost feels a little like cheating, BUT, then the perfectionist in me takes over and loves the foot all the more.

Now, head over to Stacey's blog at: The Tilted Quilt to see what kind of tip, trick or tutorial she's got for you, and link up with her!

You Might Also Like

2 comments

  1. I love my ¼" feet (I have several - one or two came with my sewing machine and the other….? probably picked it up as a spare) and use it on just about everything. I find it is awesome for doing ¼" topstitching, too; I just let the guide ride in the ditch. I have used it for curves, too, with great success on drunkards path or single arc curves, but not on something like an inset circle (because an inset circle sounds scary and I won't sew one - you can't make me!). I prefer using it to my curvemaster foot, which I've never mastered myself actually.

    It's murder with pins, though. Because of the guide, you have to remove your pins earlier than you would without the guide. I usually forget and end up with bent pins. :(

    ReplyDelete

I ♥ to hear from you!

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment or for asking me a question. Rather email me? Reach out at sewathomemummy@gmail.com.

I like to email everyone back when they've commented - so if you're a no-reply blogger, make sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can share the love back atcha!