New Notions: How to Use the Ideal Seam Gauge and Ideal Seam Guides | Shabby Fabrics 

Happy that you found us and that this tutorial has helped you! Thanks for your suggestion and comment! - Abby

We're happy you enjoy it! Thanks for your comment!! -Michelle

We are happy that you are enjoying our videos! Thank you for your comment! - Abby

We're happy this tutorial inspires you. Thanks for watching!! 💖 -Michelle

We're glad you like it!! Thank you for your comment. 💖 -Michelle

Thank you very much for this feedback! 💖 -Michelle

We're glad you enjoy this fun notion! 💖 -Michelle

We're happy you enjoyed this one. Thanks for your comment! 💖 -Michelle

Oh, wow! This has not been our experience with using them, but we will certainly keep an eye out. Thank you for the feedback. -Michelle

Glad you're enjoying it! Thanks for watching! -Michelle

Thank you very much for sharing your story with us. This has not been our experience, but we will definitely be more aware. Thank you. 💖 -Michelle

I use a lego with some double stick tape on the bottom. If you are sewing thick fabrics, like layers of denim, just stack two or more legos together. The long edge of the LEGO is parallel to the right side of the presser foot. If the sticky wears out, it’s easy to replace it. And you can transfer it from one machine to another as needed. Most often I have the legos situated just in front of the foot, but for wide seams, it can be situated to the side of the foot and it’s easy to build a guide that goes behind the foot if you need that. The height of the stacked legos makes a nice “wall” to guide your fabric through the machine. Hope this helps. Different things work for different people.

@@denveringram2304 Thanks for this idea. I got one lego at a flea market today and will try it. But since I already put out the $30 for the failed seam guide, why couldn’t I try the double stick tape on that?

@@meezcat3 you could. I like the Lego’s because it gives me thickness or height to butt my fabric against. If the guide you purchased gives you that, you should be golden. Or maybe you don’t need the height. I share your frustration for expensive notions that are dedicated to one thing that work poorly or for a limited time. I’ve seen sewing ledges built out of masking tape, painters tape, even duct tape. They work just fine and are made from items you already have on hand. Even a bunch of post it notes. These items have other uses in your home and if it turns out that they don’t work on your machine for a sewing purpose, at least they can serve another duty in your home. But if they do work at your sewing machine, you’ve gained functionality without adding expense. I try hard not to accumulate notions. I’m not a minimalist by any means. But I want things that can be used across a spectrum of uses and if some of those uses are away from sewing, I like it even better. I want my tools and notions to be used, handy, and be easy to store when not in use. Some things are specific to sewing, but I’m always looking for a way to extend a tool that I already have as opposed to buying something for one purpose. I just hate that you spent $30 for something that isn’t working for you. But you can’t know until you try, so I don’t fault you at all. Sometimes when an item is hyped up, I’m leery and look in other directions for an on-hand substitute. With the legos, I was successful at finding a cheap work around. If a notion is specific to one purpose, I have to get a lot of use out of it to make it feel worthwhile. Double stick tape is great, but last night I just used a loop of painters tape to adhere my Lego ledge to the bed of my coverstitch machine. It worked perfectly for me. All the best to you. I hope you find something that actually serves you well. Denver

@@denveringram1415 Thanks Denver. This tool was great in theory but it has the flaw. Maybe the tape will fix the flaw. I’ll also try the lego. I don’t go overboard on notions either. The 1/4 inch is hard to maintain without extreme concentration and I have had some gadgets over the many years (40 plus) of quilting promising success. I keep thinking the technology will catch up but this didn’t. Looking forward to trying your ideas!

We're glad this tutorial has inspired you. Thanks for watching! 💖 -Michelle

We're happy you like this one! 💖 -Michelle

We're glad you're enjoying this seam gauge! Thanks for commenting! -Michelle

Glad you enjoy it! Thank you for watching! -Michelle

Woohoo! We're glad you enjoyed this tutorial!! 💖 -Michelle

Maybe that will be a future notion we will have. Thank you for your comment! - Abby

We're glad you've been finding these videos helpful. For snowballs, have you seen our video on the Folded Corner Clipper Tool? www.shabbyfabrics.com/free-downloads-and-video/189/creative-grids-folded-corner-clipper-tool -Michelle

We're glad you enjoyed this tutorial. Thanks for watching!! 💖 -Michelle

That's good advice :) Thanks so much for watching. -Michelle

Great question! We use a scant 1/4" for cotton because of the thickness of the fabric when it is pressed to one side. Batik presses much flatter, so a regular 1/4" seam allowance is fine. On Flannel the fabric is a looser weave, and a full 1/4" (along with a reduced stitch length) needs to be taken here, even though the fabric is thicker. Hope this helps! -Michelle

Yes! You can use pins with this. Just make sure to pull them out before your pins hit the seam guide. Hope this helps. -Kristen

Hi Ellen - You can shop the Ideal Seam Gauges and Guide here: www.shabbyfabrics.com/search?sortOrder=6&q=ideal+seam 💖 -Michelle

Thank you very much for the feedback. We'll keep our eye on this. 💖 -Michelle

We are using the Panasonic 360° Freestyle Cordless Iron. You can shop it here on our website: www.shabbyfabrics.com/c5402/quilting-notions/panasonic-irons Hope this can help and thanks for your comment! - Abby