Scant Quarter-Inch Seam

A scant quarter-inch seam is a seam allowance that falls just a thread or two shy of a true ¼ inch. Because fabric folds and thread take up space when seam allowances are pressed to one side, sewing a precise ¼-inch seam consistently produces blocks that finish slightly smaller than their intended measurements. Sewing scant compensates for this: the tiny reduction means your pressed, folded seams land right at the true ¼-inch mark. Achieving accurate scant seams is one of the most important skills for precise quilting, and most quilters test their machine's quarter-inch foot with a sample before starting a project.