mjsylvstr

Please explain just what you mean by "RULER WORK". thanks..........

momsbusy

I really like stitch in the ditch and straight line quilting. Sometimes I use it for stabilization, but I like the look. Check out Jacquie Gering's walking foot classes on Craftsy. There's a large variety of looks that you can get without freemotion quilting.

carolynjo

I cannot, cannot do SITD. I, too, make it look like a drunken soldier has quilted it, so FMQ is much easier for me.

Dina

I really prefer SITD for most things. I find it easier and I like my quilt top to do most of the "talking." But most quilters here don't really care for it. Good thing there is room for all of us in the hobby...

Dina

Bree123

Ruler work is something that Long Arm quilters do. Because there are no feed dogs on a long arm machine to help guide the fabric in a straight line, they use "rulers" -- straight edge guides -- to sit on top of the quilt sandwich. They have a special foot on the long arm machines that can follow along the edge of the ruler, helping the quilter to Stitch in the Ditch or quilt in straight lines (2 of the most difficult things to do on a long arm machine).

Jingle

I love FMQ and seldom do straight stitch quilting.

Weezy Rider

Ruler work also uses shapes. I'm not up to ruler work yet, but I'm buying the circle, oval and a few other 1/4" templates.

I use them to mark on the quilt the same way an experienced user would sew on the quilt. I FMQ from there.

I don't like all over closely spaced quilting. I just finished the quilt before borders with a portion of a circle. The total effect looked like Robbing Peter to Pay Paul, and did put a circular pattern on the quilt (4" squares)but about 4 inches or more apart.

Tried to mark the border, wound up using a plate. The templates for cutting are useless for anything else. You can't get a marker in there. That's why I decided to buy the Ruler Work Templates.

MadQuilter

I like both. When I do a lot of FMQ I am now using the FMQ foot to do the stitch in the ditch, or I use it with a quilting ruler (one of those thick ones the foot rides against). Using the FMQ foot speeds up the process and I don't have to change feet.

RST

I find sitd and straight line quilting to be intensely boring to do, while I find fmq to be very zen and relaxing. I personally prefer fmq for appearance in many of the quilts I make, but that's probably because I put them together with the quilting stage foremost in my mind. There are some quilts that are best done with very linear work, or the almost invisible effect of sitd, but they just don't excite me, generally speaking. I'll do them, but it's never my first choice or joy.

mjsylvstr

Thank you, just never heard that expression..and been quilting for eons...thanks again.....one learns something new every day!!!!!