Long Arm Quilting and Rulers - Question!
 

For those of you who are long armers out there - my APQS is an older one and I don't have a ruler foot with it, but the previous owner did have a ruler base and used some rulers with it as it is.

Do any of you use rulers without the traditional ruler foot? Replacing mine involves re-timing and I plan to buy it - but it's pricey so it may be a little while. In the mean time I really need a ruler to do some of the designs I want to do, and I don't know what I can use! I'd like something for stitch in the ditch, applique, and curved cross hatching. Those are things I do often in my own quilts and customers are requesting in theirs.

Any advice appreciated! :)

On my Handi Quilter I have a hopping foot and only need a ruler base. Check with your manufacturer.

Thanks for your input - mine is an older 1999 APQS. I think the Handi Quilters all come with ruler feet - I know all the new APQS machines do.

I'm stitching on an Ultimate 1 - it has a small round ruler foot and it almost looks like if I stack two or three regular rulers I might be able to use it. I almost would rather keep this foot than buy a high profile ruler foot because you can't see as well where your needle falls! :)

(Edited to add - not that I would use stacked rulers, but my point is maybe a thicker ruler would work?)

Are you using 1/4" rulers?

I have a APQS purchased in 2004 and I use a 1/4 inch rulers with the machine.

I'm not using ANY rulers right now!! LOL* I'm afraid to! I think there is an adapter I might be able to use until I get a new permanent foot, but I don't know if the rulers will still work with the new foot and the adapter.

when i researched ruler work/feet a few years ago, someone had made their own foot by gluing washers to the top of the hopping foot.

here is a link to a previous QB post about it http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...ot-t27844.html

OK, first you do realize you need to have special rulers for a LA machine no matter what make you have. You need the 1/4" thick acrylic ones as opposed to what you use for cutting which are only about 1/8" thick.

Second, what does the foot on your machine look like now? A picture would be helpful. My machine came with two feet. A closed toe and an open toe. I always have the open toe on. I think the only difference is the closed toe is a full 1/4" from the needle on all sides. The open toe the gap is more like 3/8" from the front of the foot to the needle. I live with it, rather than swapping feet. But I certainly don't need to retime my machine to swap out feet. I have an Innova. I got it in 2011 but it was a dealer demo model. Still at that I don't think it was much older than a few years when I got it. So still quite newer than yours.

feline fanatic, there actually is a ruler foot for the Innova, and a trapunto foot. Like you I use the open toe foot for everything.

I know that other brands, especially older ones, have had hopping feet that weren't tall enough to use rulers. I searched online and found this conversation about the APQS. I think it might answer your questions. http://forum.apqs.com/index.php?/top...foot-confused/

Until recently I new nothing about ruler work and I asked about it here, on QB. A fellow quilter suggested taking a class on Craftsy called Quilting with Templates by Kim Bruner. I tok her advice and A whole new world opened up. The class is on sale right now, maybe you should consider it. It covers everything you want to know about quilting with rulers. Good luck!