Originally Posted by rryder

I bought the Westalee ruler foot when it first came out- used it for several years and it worked just fine for me, but it was tiresome to adjust it's height whenever I needed to go over a thicker area in a quilt (like where multiple seams come together). When the Janome convertible FMQ and frame sets became available, I switched to them because there is a thumb screw on the convertible foot which allows you to fine tune the height of the floating foot without loosening the screw that mounts the foot to the machine--- the reason that this adjustability is important is that with a floating foot, you need to get the foot at exactly the right height above the quilt to get good stitch formation. The Westaleee foot and the other feet available (except for the Janome) all are adjusted by loosening the screw that attaches them to the machine and then sliding the foot slightly up or down, then re-tightening the screw. This means that you are essentially taking time to re-mount the foot every time you need to adjust it's height. With the Janome, the thumbs screw is completely independent of the screw that mounts the foot to your machine-- well worth the extra $ if you do a lot of ruler work and/or work on quilts that have areas where multiple seams come together resulting in thicker spots here and there.

Rob

Originally Posted by rryder

Your Creative Grids rulers are for cutting and may be too thin to safely use as rulers for doing quilting with a ruler foot---

Rob

Originally Posted by Murphy224

Kassandra: Be sure to get a quilting ruler specifically designed for ruler work to try quilting with rulers. The quilting rulers are thicker so they rest against the thicker edge of the ruler foot. Otherwise the ruler will slip under the foot and break your needle not to mention what else could happen to your machine. The Creative Grid ones mentioned in this thread are on Amazon for 21.99 each. Like you, I don't want a lot of money tied up in this "try it idea".

Originally Posted by rryder

I bought the Westalee ruler foot when it first came out- used it for several years and it worked just fine for me, but it was tiresome to adjust it's height whenever I needed to go over a thicker area in a quilt (like where multiple seams come together). When the Janome convertible FMQ and frame sets became available, I switched to them because there is a thumb screw on the convertible foot which allows you to fine tune the height of the floating foot without loosening the screw that mounts the foot to the machine--- the reason that this adjustability is important is that with a floating foot, you need to get the foot at exactly the right height above the quilt to get good stitch formation. The Westaleee foot and the other feet available (except for the Janome) all are adjusted by loosening the screw that attaches them to the machine and then sliding the foot slightly up or down, then re-tightening the screw. This means that you are essentially taking time to re-mount the foot every time you need to adjust it's height. With the Janome, the thumbs screw is completely independent of the screw that mounts the foot to your machine-- well worth the extra $ if you do a lot of ruler work and/or work on quilts that have areas where multiple seams come together resulting in thicker spots here and there.

Rob

Originally Posted by IrishMom

KrisP thanks for the input and Murphy224 I will be interested in hearing how it goes for you.

I'm rather bummed at how much the ruler foot costs for my machine! If I understand correctly, for my Janome 6600 I need to get the Janome Convertible Free Motion Quilt Foot Set for High Shank Models at $54.99 and the Janome Convertible Free Motion Frame Quilting Feet Setfor $20.99.. So, $78 before I even get a ruler! That's a tough one to justify right now. Has anyone tried the other brand name feet?

Originally Posted by IrishMom

I've watched a few questions about ruler quilting and I think I am ready for the next step to my quilting. I work on a domestic machine, Janome 6600, not a long arm. I was especially interested in the Creative Grids rulers - Shorty, Slim, Archie, Squiggy, etc.

Currently for quilting I do stitch in the ditch, straight lines using that metal bar thingy to follow lines already made and I do a free motion stipple. I've also done some free hand echo quilting. On one quilt I used a stencil which went ok, but not as easy as I thought!

If I were to start with one ruler which would you suggest? The Shorty and Slim look so similar, that I'm tempted to get the Slim for the extra length. I will admit the rulers with all the curves and circles call to me as well, but I'm thinking I should get the basics down first.

So please share your experience and tips! Thanks!