Sewing Machines Harmony: The Importance of the Sewing Foot

When you first start quilting, you don’t realize how important it is to have the right foot. I thought that the foot on my machine was a 1/4″ foot …. when in fact it had a 3/8″ seam allowance. The difference may not seem significant, but when you are making log cabin blocks or other projects that require a lot piecing your finished blocks will be smaller.

The foot on the left was already on my machine, a Bernina. The foot on the right I purchased with a handy guide at the side.

Below are the stitches that show the difference ….the right seam is exactly 1/4″ allowance and the left seam is 3/8″. It’s a pretty big difference, huh?

The point is that many machines have a foot that has a 3/8″ allowance and not 1/4″, as most people believe. If you don’t use the correct foot, you may end up with small seams and blocks when you are making a pattern which calls for 1/4″ seam allowance. This is something I’ve learned from experience.

P.S. P.S. On my machine, I could bump the needle position from an O to a 2, and it was exact 1/4″. Make sure to measure your needle settings before you attempt it.

When you first start quilting, you don’t realize how important it is to have the right foot. I thought that the foot on my machine was a 1/4″ foot …. when in fact it had a 3/8″ seam allowance. The difference may not seem significant, but when you are making log cabin blocks or other projects that…

When you first start quilting, you don’t realize how important it is to have the right foot. I thought that the foot on my machine was a 1/4″ foot …. when in fact it had a 3/8″ seam allowance. The difference may not seem significant, but when you are making log cabin blocks or other projects that…