Geez, guys. My Pfaff 1/4" foot works great!!

BethMI

I use mostly my 630 for piecing. I do use the number 37 foot and a straight stitch plate. However, I found that I can move my needle one notch to the right and get a truer scant quarter inch. I wouldn't move the needle anymore than that with the straight stitch plate. Each machine can differ just a little so you have to try things out.

Thanks, Judy. It helps so much to get tips from everyone. I'm still learning how to use my new Bernina. I love it, but I'm not completely comfortable with it yet. Hopefully, with alot of practice.....

Judy, I just bought a straight stitch plate. You just have to remember to change it when you want to do decorative stitches or you will break a needle. It is supposed to help with the nesting when you begin your stitches, although if you hold on to your threads at the outset, that shouldn't happen and the fabric doesn't get pushed down inside when sewing something with points. Judy in AZ

Alot of really good info here--I'm going to get a straight stitch plate to use with my #37 foot.

I have both the 37 and 57 and I love them both. I use the 37 for straight piecing and the 57 for curved piecing (like the Bernina video suggests that's on this site) and a few other applications. I have no trouble getting the exact 1/4" with both feet. You might want to take it back and ask them to look at it. It might be defective. I use the straight stitch plate with these two feet. I even do zig zag stitches with this set up up to 1.0 mm wide. I've even used the 57 for applique this way, running the guide along the edge of the applique--it worked fantastically. Hope you can get this solved. It's a good foot for lots of things.

littleflower wrote:
Teri, that's the ONLY difference between the 37 and the 57.

And the problem is that the 57 is LESS accurate than the 37, because the fence is not snugged right up against the edge of the foot.

Thanks for posting your photos. That's how I use the 37, too.

Anne in Vancouver

I just finished posting photos on my blog about that quarter inch foot. The biggest difference I see between the #37 and the #57 is the guide on the edge of the foot, which should aid in keeping things accurate.

Teri

Getting the seam guide is a good idea. Dunno why I never thought of that. But still, I think the #57 should do what it's supposed to.

Am I getting grumpy about this?

Anne in Vancouver

I usually use the #37 foot and the straight stitch plate. I discovered a little mark on the front of the plate that is a quarter inch. I guide the fabric just a little to the left of that mark and I get a scant quarter.

I use a 37 foot and find that it gives a sharp 1/4" seam. I use it for topstitching as well as piecing quilting. Just make sure to not have fabric exposed on the right edge of the presser foot. Since I have had success with the 37, I didn't feel the need to get the 57.

The plastic seam guide that comes with your machine can be helpful if you are wanting to "speed piece" long strips, etc. But I basically am just careful as I let my fabric feed under the foot and as I sew.

The straight stitch plate is also great for when piecing especially for 9mm machines.

I just went to Bernina's website for some information on the foot. They recommend this for difficult fabric in use with the straight stitch plate. It's just like the 37 with a seam guide. I'll post some pictures tomorrow for you.

Two things 1) it took me a couple of quilts to really get the hang of using this foot so that I was more accurate in using it and 2) this is one of my all time favorite feet for sewing, I switch between this, the open toed embroidery foot (#24) and the walking foot for everything I do in the process of quilt making.

I'll add this based on Judy's comment on quilting - it took me about 150 hours before I was really comfortable at my machine quilting, it took about another 50+ hours before I was really consistent in my stitches. There's a moment somewhere in there where things just click and machine quilting just makes sense.

Happy Quilting!
Teri

As I understand it, the #57 foot cannot be used with the 9mm feed dogs. I had to take mine back and exchange it for a #37. I'm not too happy to hear that these special feet aren't very good. I'm spending all my time working on my machine quilting (not doing very well, either!) and haven't done any piecing on my new Bernina to use my #37 foot. I guess there's just no miracle machine--except my little trusty Featherweight!!!

Seam guides are great! You can adjust them to get the exact size seam you want, and then just zip strips of fabric through as fast as you can go--no watching the side of a foot to make sure it stays consistent, the guide does all the work for you.

Pat in Rockport, TX