Ruler Work on LA
 

I have all the necessary parts for ruler work on my mid arm (the base and the foot) but a few things are not clear to me. Do you attach ruler somewhere or do you hold it with one hand while moving the machine with the other hand? Also what rulers are the best for LA work in your opinion? Thank you.

make sure the ruler you are using is 1/2" thick...the 1/4" or less rulers we use to cut our fabrics are not good for long-arm work- the hopping foot can jump right up on them & break needles, throw machine out of time, cause all kinds of problems- most (long-arm) companies carry rulers specifically for 'ruler work' with your machine.
you hold the ruler- and guide the machine foot along the side of it.
an (extension table) is needed for your machine-to have a 'base' to give your ruler a stable surface.

Longarm rulers are either 1/4" or 3/8", never 1/2". (The rulers we use with the rotary cutter are thinner than 1/4".) 1/4" is fine for most longarms, but you should check to see if they work with your hopping foot. There is an excellent class on craftsy by Kimmy Bruner on using your ruler for quilting. It's really slanted toward people using a longarm (or midarm) rather than a DSM, but the lessons are supposed to apply to all kinds of quilting from a design standpoint. I took the class and highly recommend it. For ruler work on a longarm, you do hold the ruler with one hand while you move the machine with the other. Adding a suction cup is totally unnecessary IMHO.

Ditto all the advise Dunster has given. Cutting rulers are only about 1/8 while my quilting rulers are 1/4.

I agree with Dunster. Get one that isn't much longer than your hand. It's easier to handle without it rocking. Put some Elmer's Rubber cement on the back if you're having sliding trouble. Don't press down to hard since it will make the machine hard to guide. A little practice and you will be fine! I use my rulers all the time. Probably more than I free hand LOL

Thank you so much. I really appreciate all the advice you gave me. Happy quilting!

I checked ou the Craftsy web site and the only class I could find by Kimmy Bruner was about quilting with templates. Was that the class you were referring to?

Yes! There are also a few videos online that show quilting with specific rulers. I think handiquilter has some of them, and most of the sites selling rulers show you how to use them. But Kimmy's class shows how to design with rulers, not just how to use them. I've watched it twice and will probably watch it again. I've also used some of her instruction in my quilts.