Do I need another ruler? Beginner cutting help...
 

Hello everyone!

I've been quilting for a couple of years, mostly using pre-cut friendly patterns, and I am about to make...my first wedding quilt!:eek: It's a surprise for two of my oldest friends, using a cute HST design.

Now, I've got some fat quarters that I want to cut into 5" squares, but my largest ruler is 12" square. Is there a way that I can use this ruler to cut the squares efficiently, or do I need to get myself a nice long ruler so that I can easily cut 5" strips from the FQ and sub-divide them?

In the past I have cut 5" squares from yardage using my 12" ruler and the odd mistake (often at the corners), but as this is a special quilt with some slightly pricey fabric, I want to get it right first time.

Any advice? Is there a knack to using the ruler I already have for this, or do I need to bite the bullet and buy another?

Thank you!

Woodmouse

Fold the fabric in half and the cut the 5 inch width. Open the fold and you will have a strip to cut to size needed.

Be sure the "fold" of the fabric is straight. Then place the ruler so it straight on the fold. This will prevent a "V" notch in the strip of fabric after you cut.

I place that fold on a line on the cutting mat for reference to make sure it's straight.

Yes, do what Rhonda said and you will be fine. However, at some point in your quilting life you will likely go buy a longer ruler anyway (I love my 6x24 ruler). So, if you anticipate many more years of quilting and you have the money for the purchase, then go treat yourself to a new ruler!

Hi both,

Thank you very much for your answers. I can't believe I didn't think of folding the fabric! I will try out Rhonda's method on some of my ordinary stash. If I can't get the hang of it I will wait until next month and treat myself to that ruler. I reckon it counts as a housewarming present under the 'home-making' umbrella, right? :D

I think you would be surprised at how many of us have a multitude of rulers and many of them will do the same think. Counting rulers and templates I know that I have over 25. Anything that makes cutting easier and faster is my moto.

I would suggest a hst square up ruler. It will save you frustration and time.
There are several great ones. I personally like the Clearly Slotted Trimmers. Block Lock is another good one.
How to use them are on youtube and many quilt tutorial videos.

I can't tell you how many times I reach for my Bloc Loc rulers. They are fantastic for HST's (half square triangles)
I usually balk at buying a new ruler but those were a game changer for me. They give you an accurate block.

Oooh, I shall have to look into Bloc Loc! I got a 'HST ruler' free with a magazine that I haven't looked at yet - basically a ruler with a diagonal slot for you to draw your centre line. How do you all get a perfect centre line?

I came on to say THANK YOU for your tips and encouragement - I am now the proud owner of my first stack of 12 perfect 5" squares cut from a fat quarter.

I mostly use a 6x12" ruler for all my rotary cutting. Folding and cutting works great with a sharp blade. You will do just fine with what you have.

I have vision issues and wish someone had told me this sooner, I use a piece of 1/4" Quilter's Tape (just narrow masking tape) to mark repeat cut lines on my rulers.

Is super fast and easy to mark the top, if you spend an extra couple of seconds and put the tape on the bottom, it can also be just a tiny bit of stabilizing influence as well.

Good tip Iceblossom! I quilt/cut/iron sitting down, and am always in favour of ideas to make quilting more accessible. The 'push button' machines were a game changer for me - no more pedal!

I also have a limited selection of rulers - I have a 3"x18" (my first ruler), a 12.5" square and a 6.5" x 24". I do most of my cutting with the last two and can do pretty much anything I want with them (including the string quilt I posted on the last VQW thread). I also have a "Scrap Saver" mini ruler thing that helps with HSTs and QSTs but I have no recollection of where, when, or why I bought it. I found it in the bottom of my regular sewing box when I was looking for elastic for masks earlier in the pandemic. It has markings for alternate 1/8ths" but not 1/4s" so it's only really useful with certain-sized blocks.
I can certainly see the appeal of having the perfect ruler for everything, but at present my quilting budget is pretty limited so I'll save my pennies (and dollars) for fabric. :-)

I think the two most used ruler in my collection are the 6 X 24 inch and 6.5 inch square on. These I use all the time. Over the years I have added others, but those two are the ones most used. They are big enough but not too big. If I could only have 2, these are it. Of course, by now, I have a whole tote bag full. Most I do use on occasion, some I haven't used much at all.

Hmm, I think I will have to invest in a 6 x 24 or similar at some point, but for now, my 12.5" square is doing the job, thanks to tips from Rhonda and everyone else. I am in the same boat that I would rather my quilting pennies went on fabric! I'm also very much a novice quilter, so this and my other large pieces are sent to my local long-arm. She does an amazing job, but it can be pricey... It's definitely not too expensive for the skill involved, but still, not cheap!

Many pattern directions are made with the assumption that you have a 6 or 6.5x24" ruler -- it is very versatile. I began quilting when I was still quite young but right before the rotary revolution and learned a lot before the specialty rulers were invented. It was a common magazine article or the entire purpose of books to teach us different ways to get our desired results. I found I prefer the 6.5" width as it allows me to easily cut 6" finished alternate blocks. It is a really justifiable/needed expense in my book. With that and the square you have you can go far. I do like a 2.5" of some sort as well but that can wait.

I do love me my tools and I love having a wide variety of sizes of rectangles and squares, but find I very rarely use specialty rulers -- mostly because I don't remember how to use them and can't find the directions. But it is pretty amazing what I can do with a couple of angles and a grid! I do believe in things like acrylic templates if you have to cut something like fan or wedding ring or other odd blocks.

My most often used ruler is my 6 1/2 *24. (Just like IceBlossom) It spans the wof easily and would make short work if cutting.

I also suggest you get a square up ruler also. My personal favorite is the Creative Grids 4in1.

You may also want to look up some alternate methods of making HSTs other than the 2 at a time method. There are others that are faster - my favorite is the "strip" method, but you need the CG ruler! You can also make perfect ones on the bias once you know The tube technique, just have a care while ironing.

I bought the new size ruler from Creative Grids. It's 12 1/2 " by 24". I love it. I can cut wide strips from yardage with no V at all at the fold. Have a layer cake cut in no time. It is very big and you may think at first look it is bowed but it will lay flat when cutting. It's been my best ruler purchase in a long time. My favorite rulers are Quilters Select for basic sizes. Missouri Star for template rulers, and Creative Grids for specialty rulers.

I use one of those suction things you can buy for bath tubs to hold on to. I put that on my 6 x 24 inch ruler and it does not slip around when I am cutting. I also have some little round rubber thing on the back of my rulers . These thing really help. Donna Jordan who has a fabric store in Oregon uses a weight that you exercise with and puts that at the end of her ruler to keep it from moving. Good luck and press the fabric after you fold it so it is nice and flat.

Regarding your question about getting the center line. I cut my squares a bit bigger than necessary to give some extra room for error. For example, if you need a 4" finished HST, instead of cutting 4 7/8 squares as per typical recommendation, I would cut 5" squares. I use just a regular ruler of any kind and place it corner to corner and draw a line. I don't think there is any need for a specialty ruler for that!. But as another member said, there are other methods to explore. This basic method works just fine for me.

I have heard good things about the BlockLoc but I have never used it. your square ruler will work just fine as long as you have a diagonal line on it. When you square things up, just make sure the diagonal line is exactly on your seam line, trim 2 corners then turn it and trim the other 2 corners if needed.

congrats on your successful cuts on the folded fat quarters!

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!

Hope you do well with making your quilt.
There are a couple rulers that I consider essential and will work for most every task. Those are a 6" square, a 6" by 12" ruler, a 6" by 24" ruler, and the 12" square ruler. That said, I have a big box of rulers, probably because I like my toys as much as the next quilter. There are two favorites, the BlocLoc rulers and the Flying Geese X 4 ruler by Lazy Girl designs. The most despised ruler is one I bought for a class and hasn't been used since. Next time I'll just skip the class if it requires another new ruler.

For my first few quilts I got by just fine with my 12.5 square, a 6.5 square, and a 6 x 18 rectangle that I stole out of my mother's stash. I have acquired a handful of other rulers since then, but those three are still the ones I reach for the most. As for specialty rulers? The two I use the most are a flying geese ruler, and one specializing in cutting triangles for HST by the finished size. Takes the pain out of cutting fabric by the eighth of an inch and saves fabric in the long run. Every other ruler I have I purchased for a specific purpose and haven't touched since that project was completed. Now if they tell me I need a specialty ruler and I can't figure out how to do it without one, I find another project.

I agree with what Origami said. Those specialty rulers are so pricey. I have a couple still in their wrap and wish I hadn't bought them.