Thread: Does anyone use a ruler foot to FMQ with DSM?

I ran across a tut on how to attach a Janome ruler foot to a Bernina 880 to do FMQ with rulers on a DSM. I have a much more basic bernina-350pe- and I am hoping someone has experience with this! Would love to try a curved cross hatch, etc! . Thoughts?

http://freemotionquiltingadventures....-tutorial.html

Thank you for the info peaceandjoy. I watched Lisa Callie's long video...she did demo ruler work on a 300 series machine! She just used the open toe and closed toe feet with bat grippers....never heard of these grippers before! Almost makes it look easy! Ha. I may give it a try....but those small practice sandwiches are oh-so-different than quilting a quilt! At least for me! Thanks again!

Here's a link to another product that has been discussed. http://accentsindesign.com/fineline.html I think there are links on the home page, but if not, there are youtube vids for these rulers, too.

These rulers have pegs on them that are used as handles, so may be easier to maneuver than the batt scooters that Paula reid carries.

Amy (freemotionquiltingadventures) uses her domestic machine with a ruler foot and has videos on her site of her using them. She is a member of QB.

I bought the Handi Quilter Versa Tool to use with my Juki TL2010q. It's small and has a straight edge, and curved edges. It will take practice to get the hang of holding the ruler still and moving the quilt, but I was happy with the little bit I did try it.

The FMQ feet on the Juki are very thin and slid under the ruler. I searched for a taller ruler foot, but found they were very expensive. I came across a site that said they would modify my existing foot for $35, but when I contacted them, they said they discontinued doing that and only sold the ready made ones for $75. I almost talked myself into buying one, but their website was down to be revamped. Upon further searching, I came across a couple of blogs that showed how to modify my own. I didn't save the links (stupid, I know), but I had a picture and took my foot and the picture to Home Depot and found stuff to try and modify it myself. What I ended up with was a nylon spacers and superglue. The cylinder was the perfect size. The only thing I don't care for is the center is smaller than I'd like, so the visibility when you stop/start is harder. But I am still glad I did it. I just need more practice to get it just right. Oh, cost me under $3.00 to modify it.

Here are some links:

http://www.handiquilter.com/shop/pro...ndi-versatool/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loB238ld_Vg

Here is a before/after pic of the foot

Very impressive! Your foot appears to be thinner than mine, so I am hoping I can make this work without modifications....but I have your idea bookmarked in case! I am away from home, and am looking forward to experimenting a bit when I return! Thank you!

I guess I should weigh in on this topic since I opened the whole wonderful can of worms of doing ruler work on domestic machines in the first place.

First, I am not a Bernina user and the tute was done by a Bernina educator, Reneah Rafferty.

The tutorial on my blog that Jill refers to indicates that you can use the Janome foot on the 77 adapter shank. From there, I think the rest is just fooling your machine (if computerized) into thinking it's got a different foot on and getting the needle into the center of the ruler toe by moving the needle position. You also may need to adjust the presser foot pressure. (The Janome foot is height adjustable also) I do not know if this will work on all Berninas.

I have seen the video that Lisa Calle shot of Terri Lucas doing ruler work on several Berninas. They used regular free motion feet. I have never recommended that you do ruler work with a regular FMQ foot. It can be done, but I don't want to be responsible if the ruler slips over or under the foot. It will certainly break the needle and can throw the machine out of time. If you use a regular FMQ foot, make sure to go slowly.

Ruler work is a slower process than regular free motion and the extra care needed for doing it without a ruler foot might drive a person batty.

There are a few 3rd party ruler feet now available--- for Berninas, both that I know of use the 77 adapter. Parrs Reel Ruler is out of the UK and is a hopping style foot. It is not a 1/4 type foot (ie a 1/4 inch from the needle to the outside of the foot) which can be an issue for line spacing. They did this so it works with their own line of rulers better. Westalee from Australia has developed a true 1/4 inch ruler foot (and their own line of rulers for it, but you can use it with other rulers) and they will have an American manufacturer too, so the price might be more reasonable once that is finalized. I am waiting for my sample to come in the mail so I can try it.

Also, the new Bernina long arm machine has a ruler foot and the long arm is also supposed to use FM feet from regular Berninas, so I assume that means the ruler foot can be used on a regular Bernina.

Of course, you can modify your own foot as above!

Ruler work is such a great technique and I hope everybody can source a foot for their machine and give it a whirl. There are several videos on ruler work on this youtube playlist.