I have the 24in Slidelock ruler guide - it seems to work as advertised, once I learned it just sits on top of the ruler and not up against the edge of the ruler.


I won't make straight cuts without the Quilter's Slidelock. I have the long and short sizes. The ruler will not move when the Slidelock is placed on it and you will never have to worry about cutting your fingers. I bought mine before it became the Quilter's Slidelock, it was called Rule Steady from Australia. No one here ever heard of it then and some even gasped at the price. But me being me I got it, used it and never looked back. I have since bought the Quilter's Slidelock ones, same thing but sold in America.
Also for basic rulers you will love Quilter's Select rulers. They do stay in place with just a little pressure.

I have the slide lock rulers that grip the fabric and have a handle on the top. The handle really help with not cutting your fingers. You also want to make sure your blade is not dull .

You can use a slide lock on top of your ruler. Holds it down a lot better. It's nice to have bothe sizes

Have you tried using non-slip disks on the bottom of the ruler? They keep my longarm rulers from sliding. They're not expensive and are available on Amazon:


https://www.amazon.com/BBTO-Adhesive...-crafts&sr=1-2

Another vote for Quilters Select rulers. They are amazing. No sliding at all. So worth the investment!

This is the weight I use...works great!!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/ProForm-P...Shell/27407260

I have all of the rulers and gadgets mentioned above and have found them all to be helpful, but the best thing that I did was purchase a roll of anti-slip stair tread tape at the hardware store. I applied narrow, short strips to the back of my rulers. I cut pieces about 1/4" wide and 2-3" long and space them out along the edges, top, bottom, and, if needed, the center area of my rulers and templates. No matter where I place my hands, there is a gripper close by and my ruler never moves, no matter how many layers I am cutting. A small roll will do many rulers and is much cheaper than the thin specialty dots sold at the quilt shops.

One more little tip. Make sure the blade is straight up against the ruler and not on an angle. Please consider a cut glove when cutting.

Most of my advice is already in the thread from other people. The one tip I'll add is the way you hold your rotary cutter. If I extend my index finger along the top of the cutter, my cuts are much less likely to stray from the ruler. I do this with all styles of rotary cutter.

You might also want to try a different style of cutter handle. Lots of people swear by Olfa, but I don't like them at all. My favourites are Martelli and Kai. Everyone is different, so it's good to play around and find out what works for you.

I was taught to put my hand down so that the pinkie and ring finger are off the ruler and on the fabric so the ruler can push against the ring finger instead of just trying to push it down on the fabric--especially on those long rulers where just pushing down will make it "spin" some. And to "walk" my fingers up on the 24" ruler as I cut. Works pretty well.