Ruler Work Quilting
 

I have decided to challenge myself to learn ruler work quilting and I thought that 6 weeks before Christmas would be a great time to add to my Christmas list. So, to all of you quilters who are way ahead of me, what rulers would you recommend for someone who has only recently learned to spell "ruler work". I have already ordered the ruler work foot for my domestic Juki which does have an extension table. I am primarily interested in rulers that are great for absolute beginners but that have some versatility. I appreciate your advice and suggestions, as always.

It sounds like a wonderful idea!

I have just started looking at the rulers and the how-to of the technique. Do you need a slider for the extension table?

Check to see if a local dealer is offering classes. Our dealer is starting classes again and I'm thinking of joining them.

I am thinking of getting a super slider (teflon toboggan) but I am not sure. I would love to take classes but unfortunately, my closest "local" dealer is about 1 hour away. I am looking at many videos and such but I really want input from people who are not "invested" in rulers. I don't want to spend a small fortune for rulers I won't use much.

Thanks for the question about rulers. I would love to take a class also & may be able to talk our local Sewing Lounge to put together a class on them. I bought the Westalee Ruler Foot Starter Package & it came with the foot & one Arc ruler. I haven't tried it much but want to learn how to use rulers because I like the look of ruler work on quilts. I've been watching Angela Walters rulers as she builds her selections & they seem more versatile than others that I've seen. She has lots of videos to watch.

Here's a money saving tip - I had a glass shop cut me a 1"x6" and a 2"x12" piece of thick plexiglass to use as a straight edge ruler and it cost me less than $20.

Cari

I think for a beginner, or anyone, a straight ruler with the markings on it, a gentle arc and a 1/4" gauge are essential.
You can get all of those from Westalee and other manufacturers sell the rulers, but I'm not sure about the gauge.
The gauge is to use to assure yourself that the far end of the ruler is in the right spot so you end up where you want to be. I had never seen one and now that I have one I wouldn't trade it.
I've also heard that Quilter's Apothecary sells rulers with a handle and have videos for most of their rulers, so that might be helpful.

Watson

one can go crazy buying fun looking rulers. [ask me how i know]. i would start with a straight ruler and an arc. if/when you accomplish work with those, then look at fancier ones... there are so many out there now. i have not gotten Angela Walters' ones yet, but they look cool and have cute names.

Great thread!
I'm just beginning on my ruler work and I bought Angela Walter's rulers. She has videos on how to use them. I also got the Westalee beginner set with the foot on Ebay a few months ago. Be sure to get the correct foot for your machine and have fun! I'm enjoying playing around with them and hope to get better at it.

It’s difficult to work wth large rulers on a domestic machine, so go for small or medium size on your straight ruler.

Large rulers are harder to work with on a longarm too.

I started with the Handiquilter Versa tool. It has a straight edge, an arc and a right angle and is just the right size for sit down quilting. Here’s a link.

https://www.amazon.com/Handi-gadgets...+quilter+ruler

I have a Juki longarm and purchased Juki's set of rulers. So far I have just experimented on practice sandwiches and not done any for real quilt with them. Probably a little bit timid on getting started.

I've really enjoyed the Westalee starter set. It has 6 rulers, and only costs $65. I like it so much, I got a set for my longarm, too. My 2 favorites in the set, which you can buy separately, are the "Circles on Quilts Spinning Wheel 36 #COQSPW36 and "Spine-E-Fex No. 4 - 3 1/2."

you are so funny QuiltnNan, and there is good advice too! Lots of good advice from there as well. If I were doing it over again, I would start with a smallish straight edge, especially if you are quilting on a domestic as you don’t have as much room to swing your ruler around with the throat space. The Versa Tool Handi Quilter has is a good learning tool with a couple of arcs and straight edges. A little pricey I admit. A 6-10” straight edge with 1/4” etchings/marks is my go to that I use on 99% of my quilts still. Have fun and watch some YouTube videos.

Ruler
 

I had success st this site: http://www.punchwithjudy.com.au. It was much cheaper with the AU exchange rate and she includes 8 (I think) forever video classes. She also had s newsletter and is very responsive. I got the student ruler set there were around 6 in the pack. For the whole deal I paid less than $100 US including the foot. I did a lot of research. Now I haven’t sewn a single ruler project 😂 but if I do I’m über ready. Hahahah

I took a class last summer and purchased a set from the Bernina dealer. They were all easy to use.

Do you find that you need a straight edge ruler as well as the starter? Also, do the Westalee rulers have any anti-slip on the back?

My favorite straight edge is the HandiQuilter "Skinny Ruler." It's not as bulky, and has lots of great lines on it. The bigger straight ruler is often too big to work with.

My favorite anti-slip stuff is "HandiGrip." You can see through it and it really holds better than anything I've tried, including what's included with the Westalee rulers. It is kinda rough, so you couldn't use it on silky fabrics that might snag.

I've been wanting to try ruler quilting. I think I'll add them to my Christmas list.

My starter kit from Westalee came with the Ruler Foot, an Arc Ruler (arc on one side & straight on the other), a spacing gauge and a strip of stable tape. The stable tape is to stick to the back side of the ruler to keep it from slipping. Since I haven't used my ruler much yet, I don't know how well it really works but I did attach it to the back of my ruler.

I really have fun doing ruler work. I also bought the Westalee starter set. It really depends on what designs that you want to do. Honestly, I haven't really quilted with all of them. I have purchased some other rulers, too and they are good. It depends on what designs that you want to quilt. It's like piecing if you enjoy some designs vs others then that's the direction that you go in. Ruler work is great. It takes a little while to get the hang of it IMHO. I have a Brother PQ 1500s that I enjoy & they play nicely with that. I have the Westalee as well as the clarity foot which came out later. I prefer the clarity foot since you can see where you are going & where to stop. Be sure to use your ruler to practice & to sketch on paper with it. That helps so that you can know where to go next.
HTH
Min

Msews I also have the brother pq1500s but found I had to add another thread quide to work with a ruler foot. I also found the Juki foot which is spring loaded so you can adjust the pressure on the foot works much better than the clarity or westelee the spring helps to go over seams much better and I have less skipped stitches. The extra thread guide allows me to move in pretty much any direction. I have found the Judi Madsen ruler with the angled handle works the best for me for a small straight ruler. The angle seems to make it easy to use in any direction

Thank you everyone, for your helpful comments and suggestions. You have helped me make my decision. Although I would love to try the Westalee starter set, I think I will go with Angela Walter's "Shorty" and "Archie" to start. Once I feel confident with those two, I will be placing my order for the Westalee starter set. So many possibities - so little time! I think I will have to live to be 213 years to get everything done that I would like to. Once again, thank you for your input.

Sailorwoman, I just want to add something here.
I'm famous for buying all kinds of things and then not devoting enough time to practice. Then when the time comes to use my new skills I panic! :D
So my resolution for next year is to practice with rulers and FMQ to get better at it! :)

I was not able to post yesterday, hence the empty message box. However, I hope that we can continue this thread in a few months to learn from others what has worked for them and what hasn't as we learn this technique of ruler work. I am sure we will have some humourous moments to share also. Pictures of practice squares, quilts or anywhere that you tried ruler work would be great to see. Have fun and enjoy learning this technique. Remember, that is what quilting is all about.

I borrowed a set for a class I took. (The small rectangular and larger circular ruler.)
I then took a class at my dealer. It was an all day class and I learned a ton. I was very happy that I didn't rush right in the way I normally do and purchase everything in sight. For me at least it is going to take lots of practice. I was focusing too much on manipulating the rulers. Having said that, you could do a surprising amount of things with those two rulers, and then buy special ty rulers based upon the quilt itself and what you want to do with them.