Like Rryder, i hope to work on my ruler quilting skills this year. When i first got my sitdown longarm i couldnt ever see myself wanting/needing to try ruler work, but after watching some online classes and buying a few basic rulers i definitely now see ruler work as a skill i need to develop! Like many other quilting items, rulers can be quite an investment but i tend to continue to purchase them on an “as needed” basis.
After quilting for 25+ years some stuff just plain wears out. Most of my rulers and cutting mats were purchased in the first few years and they are showing their age (like me!). With retirement on the horizon i am working on replacing some well worn items.
My cutting mats were getting pretty pathetic, so that was a priority. I have quite a few mats in various sizes and intended to replace them one at a time. but... i have been eyeing the Cutterpillar systems since they first came out! Well, there were some great pre-holiday sales online - and the 40% off from the manufacturer sorta kinda pushed me over the edge! Because the price was so much more reasonable, i made the “go big or go home” purchase of the Ultra (biggest they offer) - and me and my aging eyes are very happy with it!!! I also took advantage of the great sale by purchasing a replacement mat, glass overlay, and carrying bag!
Creative Grids rulers are my favorites (used Olfa for years). I am very curious to investigate the non- stick needles someone mentioned, as i use fusible batting almost exclusively. Even though i have a number of rotary cutters i would like to look into an ergonomic one as also mentioned by someone here.