A Neat Trick for Insuring a Quarter-Inch Seam

I have a quarter-inch quilting presser foot for my sewing machine but I don't really like it. It is the type that has a guide attached to it:

It's not always accurate since the guide is a bit flexible. Also, the guide catches on exposed threads and can unravel them. This is particularly frustrating if I'm working with a fabric that frays easily. The other challenge with this presser foot is if I'm trying to sew across the center of a piece of fabric, like when sewing diagonally on a charm square to make half square triangles. I have to swap out presser feet.

A few weeks ago I learned about the Qtools Sewing Edge. It's a removable strip that you can put on your sewing machine to act as a guide for your fabric so that you'll get a nice quarter-inch seam (or scant quarter-inch depending upon where you place it). I thought it was a clever tool since it had a natural stickiness and could be easily moved. It reminded me of those car dashboard sticky pads that used to be popular before phones used bluetooth technology. That's when I realized that my husband had one that he didn't use anymore so I asked him if I could have it. Here's what I'm talking about:

I used my rotary cutter to square up the left edge (it had the slightest curve to it) but decided that it was a bit big for my sewing machine so I cut a small strip off the top like this:

I then positioned it on my sewing machine and tested my seam allowance on a scrap of fabric and voila! A perfect scant quarter inch seam!

I might end up making this into 2 strips - a small one to be placed on just the metal plate and one that will go on the white plastic part. I can't access the drawer that holds my presser feet unless I lift up the mat.

If you have one of these lying around definitely try this trick, you won't regret it!