Quilty Confession: I Didn't Read the Manual

So, I have a confession to make. I've had my sewing machine for nearly ten years, and I didn't know until COVID-19 kept me home all the time that I could move my needle position. Yup, that's right. I've spent years sewing with it wondering how to get a 1/4" seam, and all I had to do was move my needle position.

I have a Janome DC2011. It's a decent machine and easy to use. I do have dreams of a fancy machine with a larger throat space, but it's going to be a lot of penny-saving before that happens. In March, I participated in the GE Designs quilt along with the Elvira pattern (and someday I will quilt that project and share it). I really wanted the project to come out well, so I started doing a bit of research on my machine. I wasn't able to find a lot of information on my specific model, but I did take a little time to read the manual for the first time. And there I discovered you CAN move the needle position on my machine.

Since this discovery, my piecing has been MUCH improved. I use the 1/4" Foot (O), and if I don't move my needle position, the seam allowance is larger than 1/4". I had often wondered why my piecing wasn't as good as it should have been, and now I know why. I was not using my tools to their advantage.

To figure out what my needle position needed to be, I used Pat Sloan's tips for testing your seam allowance where you take three 2.5" squares and sew them together and measure the center square. I admit that I don't check this EVERY time I sew, but I do check it every couple of projects now.

I have definitely learned my lesson. From now on, I'm going to read the manual! :)