Rulers for Free motion quilting on sewing machine
 

I watched a tutorial on how to use the rulers both straight and curved, for free motion quilting on your sewing machine. I am considering ordering a set, but wondering if they are a help or not. If you have any info, I would love to hear about it before, I jump in!

i have the westalee foot and set. I like it, there is a learning curve with it craftsy has a good class and patsy thompson has an awesome DVD that i recommend. I havent had a lot of time to play with my 4 rulers yet but did practice and it was fun

I have a sit down quilter, the big brother of a domestic. The thing that helped me the most on ruler work was to add some grip tape on the back. It only takes small pieces, but it keeps the ruler on your fabric as you move it. Handiquilter sells it, but you can get it much cheaper as skateboard grip tape on Amazon or t a local board shop.

I tried using a ruler on my Bernina 1530 and felt it was difficult to move the ruler along with the quilt. On a LAQ, I can see that you hold the ruler while moving the machine. Maybe I am just missing something.

Maniac ... you are correct. I find it easier to do ruler work on an LAQ than a domestic (even a large sit-down domestic). But I'm not giving up on either (I'm still in the practice stages of both!).

You first need to make sure that you have a presser foot that is suitable to ruler work. Ruler feet have a much deeper foot so that when the foot is on "down" bounce it doesn't slide under the ruler. Most of the regular FMQ feet are as flat and small as possible and they can very easily slide under the ruler as you are moving the fabric. The ruler foot has a deeper "well" that the needle sits in. It's almost impossible to see where the needle is actually hitting as you sew, but if you are using a ruler, it shouldn't be an issue because the ruler is your guide.

Make sure you have a flat surface long and wide enough to hold the entire ruler, don't let even an edge hang off, or rest on a hump. The entire ruler needs to be as flat and stable as possible.

Sticky tabs for the under side of the ruler, and upper if your fingers need them.

After that ... practice. That's where I am at. I have a quilt I want to use ruler work on, but until I'm really comfortable it will remain a UFO!!

Bernina and Janome both have made these feet for their machines.

I'm using the Janone low shank ruler foot on my babylock, never can remember name of model but is the one that was replaced with the symphony. Works fine. I second looking into Patsy Thompson's website and DVD and also Amy. Both have stuff on YouTube so you can look before you leap. I'm still in that learning curve myself but slowly progressing.

I have a Bernina sit down longarm, and I'm still trying to get the hang of the rulers.

The Versa Tool by HandiQuilter is a great starter ruler. It's got a few different edges. There is a video on it. I got a great deal on ebay, about 1/2 the price. I like it. I have since also bought a boomerang shaped ruler from Deloa's and like that, although I've only played with that a little. If you are using them on a domestic machine, I think you will have the best luck with smaller rulers. You will probably also want a ruler foot. The foot that came with my Juki is thin and slips under the ruler. The ruler foot is thicker and glides along the edge.

https://www.handiquilter.com/videos/handi-gadgets/5/

http://www.deloasquiltshop.com/shop/guides.html