My personal AH HA! moment

I tried to love it; I really did. The beloved #37 quarter inch foot. But in my construction of little girls clothes, I found myself turning more and more often to the #8 jeans foot. It held my fabrics very stable, and allowed me a teeny weeny zig zag that I used so often. The only problem is the occasional broken needle when I forgot and changed to a wider stitch.

But in a conversation with Stuart and Barbara at the Sewing Center, I figured it out. Or rather they figured it out. I sew on a Bernina Artista 200; it has the capability to sew a 9mm stitch. When I use the 1/4 inch foot, the right feed dogs do not grab the fabric, giving me a stitch that is less than perfect. Stuart's solution: use the #1 foot, move the needle position to the right until you get the 1/4 inch that you want, and THIS time the right edge of your fabric is over the feed dogs! WooHoo! Barbara added that I could put a piece of clear tape over the stitch plate, and when it is pierced by the needle I will have created my own straight stitch plate...mine seems to have disappeared and I broke way too many needles with it, anyway.

The more I learn, the more I understand how much I don't know!