Hello Sewing Friends! Today I'm popping in to show you how to use this handy seam guide tool for all your straight line quilting needs. Do you have one of these? If you have a walking foot you probably have one even if you have never used it. I'm going to teach you all about them so you can use one for your next quilting project.

What is a Seam Guide?

A seam guide, also called a sew guide or a guide bar, is a metal rod with a left or right "leg" on it that attaches to a walking foot to allow you to follow a line of reference that is up to 3-4 inches away from needle. It is typically used in straight line quilting and is a helpful tool since it removes the need for marking your quilt lines before stitching.

Below is a picture of my Bernina Walking foot attachment set. The two metal rods a the top are the right and left seam guides.

These guides attach to the walking foot by sliding the rod through a hole built into the top of the walking foot. You line up the screw plate holes with the holes on the side of the walking foot and then slide the rod through the holes of the screw plate, through the walking foot and out the other side. Then you tighten the screw to hold the seam guide in place.

How use a Seam Guide?

To set the seam guide, place a ruler under the sewing machine with the needle position on an inch line. Lower the presser foot so the ruler stays put. Then place the leg of the seam guide 1 or 2 inches away from the needle position depending on how wide apart you want your stitch lines to be, or how far away from a seam line you want to sew, and tighten the screw on the back

As you sew place the "leg" on the previous stitch line and keep it there guiding you to sew a parallel straight line as pictured below. For example, I'm quilting a pocket for a Garden Tiles Bag below with the lines 1 inch apart.

In the photo below I'm lining up the right seam guide with a seam so I can sew and even 2" away from it.

Projects where a Seam Guide is useful

I use a seam guide for quilting a quilt on my domestic sewing maching or quilting a small project. Here are a few small project suggestions for you to try using your new tool.

Hope that was helpful!! Let me know in the comments below if you have used a seam guide before and if you have any additional tips.

Check out these posts for more info about the sewing tools I love to use.

Happy Sewing!