Seam Guide for the Featherweight

       ========================================

       H.  Seam Guide

       ========================================


From: Shelley440

Subject: Various posts
2)  Seam guides.  One of my machines has a throat plate with the markings
including a quarter inch mark.  How lucky I am.  The others do not.  I am
told that the original ones did not have the markings but when the throat
plates are sometimes replaced - they were replaced with the marked ones.  I
am not worried that this plate is not original as I am just happy to have
that quarter inch mark.  (My 1941 model has a marked throat plate that is an
obvious replacement)  You might have guessed that this is on the machine that
I use for all of my piecing.
----------------------------
From:  (Amy Lobsiger)
Subject: FW Chatter
Hi Featherweighters (ahh, I feel much thinner after typing that...),

Just wanted to share an "aha" experience I had while trying to locate my
seam guide for my FW while sewing at a friend's house.  I had bought one of
those Dritz magnetic seam guides and couldn't find it so I sat there
pondering what I was going to do for the endless evening of sewing that
stretch ahead of me...well, I went to my friend's refrigerator and got one
of those business card sized magnets (from a local pizza place), cut a bit
of a pattern piece out of a magazine I brought along to get the 1/4" seam
and put the magnet down as a seam guide.  It worked very well because it's
a bit longer than the Dritz magnet and helped me line up the fabric better
as it was going under the presser foot.  The refrigerator magnet was also
weaker than the Dritz so that I felt better about putting the magnet on the
machine and not scratching the finish.
----------------------------
From: LyndaQults
Subject: quarter inch seam and other misc stuff

First, some hints that have worked for me.  earlier this year, I was
fortunate enough to take a Sharyn Craig workshop.  She sat down at
everyone's machine with a 6 in onmigrid ruler and baggie of 1 1/4"Long   3/8"
wide strips of DR SCHOLLs(sp?) white foot and shoe cushions.  NOT moleskin,
its sold at the same place in the store but this stuff is white and sold in
pieces about 3"x4" for about 3.50.  (she cuts it up with an old rotary blade
and I would guess that she gets at least 75 pieces out of each package.)
anyway,  she sat at each machine (regardless of the make) and with the fly
wheel slowly put the needle down right on to the 1/4" mark of the ruler, then
making sure that she had the edge of the ruler square to the machine, she put
the presser foot down to hold the ruler.  then she peeled the dr scholls
strip and carefully put it down at the rt edge of the ruler.  It works like
magic, it doesn't mark the machine, it can be easily removed and after the
initial investment, its virtually painless to remove when you don't need it.
 I don't have to watch my seams like a hawk any more.  Its wonderful.
-----------------------
From: Calypsew
Subject: Zen and the Art of Featherweight Maintenance

I have to echo Lynda's comments from yesterday...I too have a seam guide
strip on my throat plate and find that it, in conjunction with the very
narrow original foot make a perfect scant quarter inch seam.  Marsha
McCloskey showed me how to position it, she uses graph paper trimmed along
one line and lowers the needle into the paper at the quarter inch line.  Then
she positions the masking tape along the trimmed edge of the paper.  If you
only stick tape on the throat plate, which is steel I don't see how you can
lower the value of your machine...but you could improve the accuracy of your
blocks.  Mine is neatly trimmed with an exacto knife so that I can remove the
throat plate often to remove the lint that builds up.  I really like the idea
of using the Dr. Scholls cushions.
----------------------------
From: dshrader
Subject:  Seam Guide

This is a note to Kim Mehalick regarding the masking tape on the plate to
keep a 1/4" seam.  There is a product in the sewing/fabric stores over
there where the gadgets are that is a magnetic seam allowance.  I forget
what it's called, but it is magnetic and therefore will fit anywhere on your
sewing machine.  I use it all the time and it's wonderful.  It has a ridge
that's about 1/4" high and can move anywhere you need it to.  I use it for
my 1/4" seams on quilting and last night I was sewing curtains and used
it for the one inch seam.  The last time I saw it in the store I think it was
on a tan/orange cardboard.  Check into it -- it's wonderful.
----------------------------