1/4" Seam: Troubleshooting

[@Lady-Seawulf]

Great tip! I learned this trick a long time ago by trial and error, glad there's someone like you willing to share her tips & tricks on sewing.

[@annaschwarzwalder6069]

Thanks Gayle! Great Video, lots of information! I love Bernina of Naperville!

[@marilyng6744]

Thank you Gayle!

[@kayrigert6746]

Thank you for informative videos!!

[@troyjennenegibby9682]

love all your video's

[@jojorey6886]

I do not piece on my Bernina 790 because I get aggravated; yes, I use straight stitch plate, thread breaks and I feel like the foot is grinding on the feed dogs. I always thought it was because you have a 9mm spread of feed dogs and you’re trying to sew this tiny quarter inch on them. I gave up and use my Juki 2200TL and I like that better, it only sews straight stitch so feed dogs are more narrow. I liked the Juki so much better that I purchased the Juki J-150 QVP which is industrial and it sews quarter inch seams like a champ even though it’s a large heavy machine. I also FMQ on the Juki and I can straight stitch quilt without a walking foot because I can adjust the foot pressure and how the feed dogs move. Now I only use my Bernina if I want to do straight stitch walking foot quilting or a zig zag stitch. I paid a lot of money for the Bernina and I’m a little disappointed it doesn’t do quarter inch seams better, after all, it’s supposed to be for quilters.

[@BERNINAofNaperville]

Sounds to me like your ERNINA dealer should be adjusting and fixing your machine. This is not how a BERNINA stitches at all! Take to your local dealer with your complaints.

[@yc70jade]

I do the same as well. My Juki 2010TL will power through anything and is my piecer machine. It's accurate and fast. I use my 770 for decorative stitches and quilting with the dual feed.

[@esperansaloughran693]

Great video, will explore 97 foot with my real kaffe. Thx@

[@gabriellemadsen3971]

I too am a new owner of a Bernina 590 embroidery model having come from Janome and years of accurate stitching I have struggled to get good quarter inch seams as well thank you for confirming what I eventually did figure out and with the help of my husband, lol. Due to the feed dogs on the various feet including the 37D which is designed for a quarter inch piercing there is a limit to how accurate you can actually be just because there is so much moving going around if you don’t wanna go too fast then you can have a level of accuracy but otherwise it’s not accurate fast. It might be my machine but it does tend to bounce quite a bit despite being on a very stable surface And with a thick canvas carpet underneath for cushioning and stability. I may actually investigate a different sewing surface to see if that helps. I just received my walking foot and that certainly helps but it’s not very ideal to have to change the walking foot often on and it’s also not ideal to have to use a walking foot for quarter inch piecing, however, I will give it a good test and will edit this post to followup. I think it’s a given that with these kind of plates with the 9 mm opening there’s a limit to what you can expect with respect to the feed dogs being able to pull light cotton through. Workarounds are great and I think that if you don’t go too fast a quarter inch foot 37D is likely the best you can achieve when using the embroidery needle plate. In summary , and after trying the walking foot too; I believe like Gayle said, having a super solid worksurface is key as well 😄

[@BERNINAofNaperville]

With respect to you comment, this video is not a workaround. This is the best way to achieve accurate 1/4” seams. Your machine bouncing may be the table. Have you tried unique Sewing furniture? It’s made from solid wood and is truly heavy duty for high speed sewing.

[@gabriellemadsen3971]

@@BERNINAofNaperville Thank you Gayle and my apologies for my ‘workaround’ term 😁. Well my husband built my entire studio so we have a very solid ancient typing table underneath with solid pine countertop and secured with L brackets on two sides but I do have an even more solid surface which I can test, the trouble is, I like to go fast and have done that from years of production sewing. But I will explore a lower surface because I believe this is at least a half inch higher than I am used to sewing on that may also make a difference. Thank you so much for all of the videos that you’ve shared I have only watched a handful so far but they have certainly helped me learn and not be so intimidated or afraid to actually use this machine as I don’t live close to a dealer 😀

[@BERNINAofNaperville]

@@gabriellemadsen3971 the next time you have your machine serviced, bring up the vibration. It should t be doing that.

[@GayleHallAZ]

Have you tried increasing your presser foot pressure as well? I own a Bernina Artista 200E upgraded to a 730, a Pfaff Creative Performance, and a Babylock Ellisimo with all four upgrades. I achieve a very accurate scant 1/4” seam on all three machines because I took the time to test, measure, and adjust my needle position and presser foot pressure in order to do so. I wrote down my adjustments for each machine and keep them in my sewing journal, which is dedicated to sewing information only. I do all my piecing on either my Bernina or my Pfaff, depending on the type of piecing I’m doing. Both are very accurate. My Babylock is also very accurate, but it’s the largest and heaviest of the three, and I like to sew and quilt out in the family room to be more accessible. Another tip for quickly converting your zig-zag plate to a single needle plate is to use a small piece of clear packing tape over the wide space in the plate once you’ve determined the needle position required for accuracy. Remember that moving your needle position may result in needle breakage if you switch to the straight stitch plate. I use an alcohol swab on the needle after puncturing the tape multiple times (no thread) to remove any stickiness from the glue on the tape.

[@gabriellemadsen3971]

Following up we double checked and there was a bit of a bow in the desktop so we gave it a fix and placed an old rotary cutting mat with some levelling and it’s really beautiful now. Woo hoo thank you so much for all your feedback Gayle and all of your work and experience much appreciated !

[@HunterDeuling]

Think the #97D rocks. But would like to know why you prefer the #97 over #97D

[@BERNINAofNaperville]

Sometimes the dual feed mechanism in the back is too much for the little flappy seams

[@gouachegirl6115]

@@BERNINAofNaperville Interesting. Is this why the B 570QE comes with both a 1C AND a 1D foot? Because in some situations, like with seams that are on the more narrow side, it doesn’t work as well?

[@BERNINAofNaperville]

@@gouachegirl6115 I wouldn’t say that. Sometimes the dual feed is not necessary.

[@massimobernardini7877]

Good evening I own two bernina m,achines one is the 720 with 5.5 MM wide opening the next is the 590 plus with 9 MM opening of curse for piecing i prefere the 720 the 1/4 "is more accurate then using the 590, but the question i want to ask is this, the stich plate for the 590 the one marked with orange straight stitch has more gap between the feeding dog compare the purple plate that is used to 5MM that one has less space and the stitching is more accurate, can you please tell me why this difference between the two plates? i tought the straigth plate would have less gap but in reality is the opposite thank you so much

[@BERNINAofNaperville]

The straight stitch for your B 720 is a different because the feed dogs are closer together and the design is different for that purpose.

[@massimobernardini7877]

@@BERNINAofNaperville sorry for my question but iI'm talking abut the plates for the B590 not for the 720 thk

[@BERNINAofNaperville]

@@massimobernardini7877 and that is what I am referring to. The B 590 straight stitch plate is a different plate than the on for the B 720. The B 590 has wider feed dogs so therefore the needle plate will be different looking.

[@massimobernardini7877]

@@BERNINAofNaperville I did not formulate the question well I am referring only to the needle plates for the 9 mm machine the straight stitch needle plate has more space between the feeddog, and the 5.5mm needle plate has less space between the feeddog why there is this diffrents? would be better the opposite for a perfect piecing? thk you

[@BERNINAofNaperville]

@@massimobernardini7877 I have no idea how to answer this question. It seems as though the manufacturing on the 5.5mm plate has a different tolerance for the feed dogs. However, that has nothing to die with piercing the seam. The straight stitch is about the hole opening rather than the clearance of the feed dogs. If you are concerned about the inconsistency with the feed dog clearance, contact BERNINA directly. We are simply a local Chicagoland Dealer.

[@katywuste9054]

The little ghost plaster…. 😄