Scant 1/4" seam allowances - info and tutorials

Scant 1/4" seam allowances cause a lot of frustration to sewers. Below, Ive collected some information and tutorials on why and how to do them accurately. Good Luck

How to find it on your machine



Jinny Beyer Tutorial

Video tutorial

Scant Rant!

Pat Sloan, how to test your seam allowance

So here's a question. When you are sewing for yourself, if a block is a bit smaller than the target size, as long as all your blocks are sewn the same, won't they all match? Is it really that big of a deal? I don't think I have ever measured a quilt to see if it is exactly the size the pattern said it would be. I never cut the border fabric until I have my own measurements to work from.

I do realize it could cause a problem in a swap but I don't see that it is worth obsessing over when I quilt for myself. I want to sew to relax, not drive myself crazy.

Many moons ago I had a machine with an adjustable seam gauge where she put that blue strip. I have never seen another like it. I loved that feature.

TxMary, Ive just stitched all those batik blocks together, I didnt know you are supposed to do a scant seam at all times, news to me so my blocks arent 12 1/2" but they are all the same size and fitted together just fine. I dont care, any quilt police who want to come by will get laid out and fed to the Tassie devils. Like you I dont cut borders etc until the top is together and Im not going to fuss when I make more blocks, then they wouldnt be the same size! Like you, I want to enjoy myself, not get stressed.

Also, if all seams are supposed to be a scant 1/4" then why not make the 1/4" feet scant so we dont have to fuss over this?? Market them as scant 1/4", how hard is that?

Sewn, in my first quilting class, the instructor said for anyone who didn't have a 1/4 foot to tape a stack of post-it notes where that blue strip is in the picture above. Then you keep your fabric next to the stack and you will have a perfect 1/4" seam. Using a stack keeps your fabric from moving over a taped line.

Sometimes an exact 1/4" seam allowance is essential. Sometimes it is not. I tend to paper piece where things have to be really exacting, like the fireworks quilt I am working on. What I did not understand at first was that the "scant" part means allowing for the width taken up by the seam, about 1/32". My teacher had us measure after each seam to be sure we got it all exact at the end. don't measure the allowance, measure the body of the piece.

OMG OMG OMG found the adjustable gauge and it fits my new machine. Dh has to find a screw that is a teeny shade longer than the original to get it on the bed. Y ou have no idea what this means to me. With the essential tremors and the hand injury, even seams have been my biggest challenge after learning how to use scissors again. Almost like learning to feed myself again.

Can't wait to get it put together and give it all a whirl

So pleased for you Sewn, thats wonderful news, hope its as easy as pie for you

I happened to be looking through a scrap quilt book from the library last night and she was talking about scant 1/4" seams and why they are necessary etc. She said to cut two 2" squares, pop them together and stitch your scant 1/4" seam. Then carefully press the seam open and now measure your block, it should be 2" x 3 1/2" if its bigger then you seam is too narrow, if its smaller then your seam is too wide and needs to be narrower. Its an easy way to test your scant seam. Made sense to me, sounds easy and might save a lot of hair pulling.

Thanks! I like to learn and see new things for my work
kany