Machine rulers for DMS
 

Has anyone tried the longer arm rulers that have been modified for us home sewers? Just curious and can't wait to hear pros and cons. I know you have to buy a special foot.

I just bought the starter Westlee ruler set for DMS this past spring. I've used them on two quilts so far and love them! I don't have much experience yet, but for a beginner, I thought I did pretty good. I use them on my vintage Pfaff 130.

WOW!!! Amazing quilting. You did more than "pretty good!!"

Now you have inspired me.....I just bought the ruler foot for my Bernina and some rulers from Angela Walters...she is in the middle of doing a free ruler work series.....so far, I have the foot on and have used my straight ruler and two of the curved ones on a practice muslin quilt sandwich...it is fun....a bit of a learning curve...but I am going to keep at it....your quilts and the quilting are just lovely!

Just got the rulers and ruler foot and working on scrap muslin and batting to get the feel of it. So far it is fun and actually easier than I thought.....You do have to know if your machine is high shank or low shank and get the right foot for your machine.....on the low shank machine you have to get a ruler that is a bit smaller than the 1/4 inch thick rulers that are used on a long arm......I have a long arm so had a couple of the 1/4 inch rulers already but did end up buying a few more from quiltingismytherapy (angela walters) and from quiltedjoy. I would suggest getting a pair of gloves or finger cots if you don't have some already to make moving the ruler and quilt easier. I so far have found that little plastic table that came with my little bernina works just fine but you can get one of those slider sheets to make it easier. I found my Bernina is neither a traditional high shank or low shank machine as Bernina did their own thing with the feet.....but I really like my pricey Bernina ruler work foot as there is a screw to allow me to really adjust the height of the foot for different thickness of quilt. Both Angela Walters and Bernina have Ruler work web events for free going on right now with videos.

I have the Westalee set and most of Angela Walters (which I prefer). Ruler quilting is not nearly as hard as FMQ, for me that is.
It's fun!
I'm getting better at FMQ though. With Covid I've finally made the time to practice more.
Ruler work provides endless designs only limited by your imagination.

NZ- your quilt if fab!!!!!! You certainly know how to use those rulers. And I like your cool machine too. :)
Julie- I don't know which rulers you're referring to.

I have purchased both foot and rulers but am afraid to get started. I am a bit intimidated. I will get passed it of this I am sure.

Your quilts are beautiful and so is your sewing machine!

I wonder, can you use that type of sewing machine foot and rulers for a slant needle machine?

I have a high shank Janome with the Janome ruler foot. I purchased a few Handi Quilter template rulers that were meant for long arm and have had no trouble using them.

One I like a lot is the Handi Quilter Mini Circle Template which allows me to make bubbles in different sizes, but I have to raise my ruler foot extra high to get into the middle of the circle. Not all machines have the setting to lift a foot extra high.

Westalee came out with a foot for the slant machine. I have it, but have not used it yet. I didn't think about not being able to drop the feed dogs on my 401 before I bought it. It just seems like too much trouble. I may sell it on sewitsforsale.io. When I finally get my 15-91 in the house, I may try again with the low shank ruler foot.
bkay

edit: I just looked it up in the manual and the feed dogs will drop on the 301. I tried it and it works.

NZquilter, your quilts are beautiful and ruler work also.

NZquilter, Awesome quilting

I bought the sampler set at a quilt show about 4 yrs ago, and it has been setting in the drawer all this time. I keep thinking I should try it, and after reading some of these comments, I just may have to.

Your quilt is beautiful.
I don't understand how to move the quilt and secure the ruler in place at the same time. Could someone explain?

Angela Walters explains it well.....you set the ruler on the quilt with the edge where you want the stitches to go. then you use the ruler as a "sort of a handle" to move the quilt keeping the edge of the ruler up against the side of the foot. This is why we need that special ruler foot as it has a higher edge to keep the ruler from getting under the needle which would not be good! It helps if the ruler has some sort of a grippy surface so it does not slide around on the fabric....some use those plastic dots that adhere to the bottom of the ruler but there is also special tape you can apply. The Angela Walters rulers has a rough surface on the bottom that helps the ruler stay in place on the fabric. I also use quilting gloves to help me move the quilt.

I use longarm size but i have high shank machine so no issues. Low shank you have to get thinner rullers to be able to use behind foot.

I have all Angela Walter's rulers and the intro Westalee set. Both nice but I prefer Angela's.
Her series is fantastic! I love that she isn't a perfectionist. That sits well with me, especially since I'm new with rulers.

I have just gotten some of Angela Walters rulers and I do like them.....as I have a long arm, I also tried some of my long arm rulers which also worked....I had the 8 X 2 inch "Ideal Quilt Guide Angel Edition" which has a special tape on the bottom that can be washed once it looses it stickiness and I love how it "sticks" to the fabric yet is very easy to lift and reposition...I loved using it the best on my long arm and it also is great for the sit down ruler work. I did buy two kinds of pricey tape off of Quiltedjoy's website that is supposed to work like that sticky tape but have not applied it yet to my smooth rulers from HQ....

The trick with rulers is to remember that the needle is 1/4" inside the ruler foot, so you have to aim your ruler to allow for that 1/4" discrepancy. Once you've got that figured out, it gets a lot easier.

For me, I keep my "ruler" hand on the ruler and on the fabric to guide it and my other hand on the fabric on the other side of the needle and use them both to guide the fabric and ruler. Try not to press the ruler hard against the ruler foot, but just use it as a guide.

Watson

Yes. Westalee did a slant needle one last year. I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from the owner when it was released after I asked about one some months before. Their customer service is excellent.

NZquilter. I too bought ONE Westlee set, must be the same as yours. I finished 40 squares trying out different combinations and placement. It is a comfortable, flannel quilt that I did QAYG, row by row on my Janome 7700. I participated in two of the free, live demonstrations through LQS, and each was a little different. I had a couple of weeks between to try out the templates. The off the cuff tips were what helped me see what I needed to do.

https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png Absolutely Beautiful! Thanks for the photo showing the vintage machine and the modern day ruler quilting! I like the quilting design you chose for your quilt! I am admiring the quilt pattern as well. Are those 25 patch blocks? I like that you can use scraps to make the blocks in different shades of the same color. Please share the pattern if you have one. Have fun ruler quilting!

I have been happy with Westalee rulers for my DSM. I don’t think you want them too long for DSM work...if they do not lay flat on the bed of your machine, they will be insecure and you apt to have difficulty FMQ.

I really would like to give them a try. Will have to do some research.