All the good advice given has obviously helped. I am curious about this DWR quilt using HSTs, is there a pattern or pic to see?

The best ruler will be dependent on your cutting set up. For years, I did all my cutting on what is now a “vintage” 18x 24 mat made by Dritz on the floor, but now that puts too much strain on my aging body. So I now use a 13x 13 mat on my ironing board. I typically use my 6x 12 as my primary ruler and a 15 x 15 for everything too big for that. I only use my 6x 24 for trimming quilt edges on that trusty 18x 24 mat. I have a couple of small rulers that I use for measuring more than cutting. My only speciality ruler is the Bonnie Hunter Essential Triangle tool. When I recently needed a tool to trim flying geese, I added tape marks on a small ruler.

Thank you everybody for all of your help. My favourite ruler is my creative grids 12.5 inch - no slipping, and lovely clear markings. I may have to invest in their 12.5 x 24 one day. I'm not quite at the level of more complex patterns yet, but the only speciality ruler I have got my eye on is one for 'Storm at Sea'. I cut sitting down at a large desk with an A1 board. I've just got my sewing room set up so that I can have my table and machine in front of me, and my iron just to one side - so handy :)

I've also learnt why it's so annoying if the shop hasn't cut your fat quarter straight - more wasted edges!

Sorry Gay, I didn't explain very well. I'm not doing a 'wedding ring' quilt, only a quilt for *a* wedding. I'm not the biggest fan of DWR as a pattern, and I knew those curves would be too much for me for such a special occasion! I am making 'Sealed With A Kiss' from Christa Watson. You can find a picture at https://christaquilts.com/2017/12/15...and-rejection/, and it's in her book 'Piece and Quilt with Precuts'.

The bloc loc ruler concept is great, especially for HSTs. To save your pennies, you can improvise your own locking ruler. To make a locking HST ruler, all you need a ruler ruler that is at least as large as the finished squares you will be making. You can make a locking edge with either post it notes or painters tape. Post it notes work well for smaller sizes, where the length of the post it note is longer then the diagonal of the HST - I find about 3 sheets is a good thickness; peel them off the pad as one unit. Painters tape works well for larger sizes - stack up a bunch of strips longer than the length you need until you get the desired thickness. Then put ruler on top of the the stack and use your rotary cutter to cut through the stack and get a really straight cut. Then put the stack of post it notes or painters tape onto your ruler on the appropriate diagonal line.

Locking rulers rely on having the both seam allowance pressed to one side, so that there is a high side and and a low side of the seam. Take your ruler and slide the tape up to the seam on the low side. As the tape it hits the seam, it will lock in place. One great thing about this is that the if the seam has a bit of a bend to it (possibly from imperfect pressing), the tape will straighten out the seam, so that you end up with square with a straight diagonal as you trim. See if the ruler feels level or if it wobbles a bit. If it wobbles, try adjusting the height of the tape/post-it note stack.

I love making my HSTs slightly oversized and then trimming down with my improvised locking ruler, as it gives me perfect squares with the seams running exactly corner to corner. Not everybody loves trimming down HSTs; trying it out with an improvised ruler lets you try it out the locking way very inexpensively.

Here's a good video showing the bloc lock HST ruler being used.

You might want to consider doing 8 at a time HSTs. I am not sure what size your finished HST is supposed to be but if you are shooting for a 4 1/2 inch HST (4 inch finished) you would start out with a 10 inch square. Layer cakes work great for this. You will end up with eight - 4 1/2 inch HSTs with only a few seams. Just look up any video on how to do that. Your ruler can cut these squares and you can also square them up with the same ruler. Enjoy the process!

Wow Platyhiker! Thank you for taking the time to write such a thorough answer - I'm definitely trying this! I'm also guilty of the 'wobbly seam' on occasion (despite having watched many videos I think it's practice practice practice I need now), so that's an added bonus. I will absolutely try this and report back. It's going to be a great use of the 8" ruler I have but never used since I bought the 12"...


Yes, luckily my pattern has me cutting oversized squares - phew! I need to trim to 4 and 5/8". I am definitely marking the ruler for that one.

LaRae, normally I would be absolutely with you there (have done 4 before, but not 8). However I'm following the pattern religiously this project, and it calls for two at a time. I'm enjoying this part of the process anyway - dealing with the fabric is one of my favourite parts of any project, and I'm enjoying the rhythm of it. But in future, absolutely!

A must have for me is the 12 inch square slotted ruler. Game changer for cutting accurate strips!

I always cut using two rulers. My big 24 x 6 and my smaller 6 x 12. I would be lost without them!