Machine quilt templates
 

Has anyone used the templates that say no longarm needed. Nancy's Notions as a starter set for $119. I would really like to have them but looking for some reviews.
Thanks,
Evelyn
Elk Wa

Here are some customer reviews on that set.
http://www.nancysnotions.com/product...mplate+set.do#

There is a total of 18 customer review that might help you. Just click on the little tab that says "customer reviews". Thanks for asking the question as I might look in to
using something like that instead of templates that you trace around.

I bought the starter set direct from Westlee, I have a vintage Singer, and even though the website listed my machine as compatable, it wasn't.

The foot sat flush on the machine so tight I couldn't even move a single sheet of paper around under it, much less a sandwiched quilt.

I have looked at them and am afraid to buy them.. I think you would still need some great skills to use them... and I don't have that great of skills :)

I have quite a few rulers...you need to get a ruler foot that fits your machine..low shank,high shank etc. It looks much easier to do when you look at the sew easy website or YouTube. Like any other new skill,there is a learning curve. I have used rulers to quilt several quilts and been quite pleased as the stitching is smoother than if I just FMQ without them.

I have the Westalee Ruler foot with 9 different templates, and have had a lot of fun with them. I made a sampler to help sell them at the store where I work, and have been teaching classes with them. Here's a picture of my sampler. I hope the stitching will show up OK.

Also wanted to add that when you buy the Westalee templates from your LQS, the retail on them is $75 for the foot with 2 templates, and $75 for the starter set that has 6 templates. Plus there are 2 catalogs full of different templates you can buy separately.

If you know a woodworker that owns a scrollsaw, they can easily make you all the templates you want. Plexiglass is cheap at big box stores like Lowes, Home depot, etc...it's just the pattern you want...I have a ton that my neighbor me, I paid less than 20 dollars for the plexiglass, and drew what I wanted with marker..he cut them out.

The joy of the westalee templates and also some ( but not all) of the other commercially available ones is that they have markings etched on them at various angles to help with placement, which is necessary when you are doing some of the more complex designs and also having those markings means you can eliminate some or even all of the marking you would otherwise need to do on your quilt top. You can do many different things with most of the rulers.

Someone had mentioned that they think the rulers/ templates would be difficult to handle, but I have not found that to be the case. I put some stuff on the ruler to help it grip the fabric and slide the ruler along the ruler foot, the ruler moves the fabric, just as my gloved hand would if I was FMQ without the ruler.

Rob

After a lot of thought, I bought the rulers. They are great, and like a lot of quilting "tricks" take a lot of practice. They are fun and very helpful to quilt on your home machine. I love them and will continue to practice with them. The things you can do with them have no limits, and I am only a beginner. You won't be sorry if you get them. imho
Sue

My neighbor bought some from her Janome dealer but like everything else it takes practice. We're taking a class with Dusty Farrell this coming May out in Nebraska.............me for freemotion and ruler work.........her for ruler work on her DSM using these rulers as well as those sold by Dusty. We're bound and determined to learn how to use rulers on our perspective machines.

I wonder if you got the correct foot size. Maybe you got the high shank and needed the low shank?

Craftsy has classes for ruler work. Amy Johnson's Quilting with Rulers on a Home Machine is good as is Machine Quilting with Templates by Kimmy Brunnel. I prefer Amy's class.

My first thought too, but I ordered the low shank ruler foot, I even provided my make & model of my sewing machine, and they sent me the low shank. Subsequent phone call to customer service said "Oh well, with some of the vintage machines the ruler foot will not fit properly"

If you really wish to know what is available, check Allbrands. They have most listed. I have some templates from another company, and these looked tempting, but when I watched a video, some looked too big. I normally don't make over a 12 inch block and some are much smaller.The sizes of the finished piece were not given.

The ones listed on Allbrands show the pattern and the size.

http://www.allbrands.com/categories/3387

That demo piece is really pretty.

Westalee templates were a welcome Christmas gift. I haven't used them yet as I'm waiting for the Bernina foot #72. According to the Bernina video on ruler work the Westalee foot can be used, but the operator has to be mindful of the automatic foot being raised as it can damage the machine. This was for the Bernina 800 series.
If an accident can happen - it will happen to me! I'll wait for the right foot.

I have a bunch of templates that I love...I never thought of making them myself. My scrollsaw is always set up!

Using the rulers is not hard to do but it is a little different to do. It takes practice but it is so much fun. Just make a bunch of practice quilt sandwiches & try it I'm not that good yet with actual quilting so I use to, & still do, stipple or meander about everything. I like that method but I wanted to do more & the rulers really help with that in my opinion. You have to know which foot & maybe they sent you the wrong one. One of them is for high shank & one is for low shank. I can't quite remember how to measure them at the moment but the sites that sell them tell you how to measure & they ask what kind of machine you have. Also the foot has a slide-like on them where you screw it in. You can adjust it to make the foot go up or down depending on the thickness of your sandwich. ( I'm sure you knew that. Just mentioned it just in case.) I'm not home right now but I have both low & high shank foot so I can measure them for you if you want. Just PM me

I wondered how you could hold the template in place and still have 2 hands to move the fabric about under the needle. Do they stick in place or what?

You use the template to move the fabric,

Rob