Getting Started with Rulerwork!

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|Sponsored| When it comes to free-motion quilting, the simplest, most effective way to achieve precision is with ruler-work. Chrissy Shoaf introduces you to the tools and basic technique, and shows you how to get started!

In the video above, Chrissy Shoaf introduces you to the basics of rulerwork. While she’s working on a longarm quilting machine and a frame (the Q’nique 19X Elite and Quilter’s Evolution Hoop Frame from the  Grace Company, to be precise), the core techniques that Chrissy shows are the same, from a domestic machine to a mid-arm, on a frame or as a sit-down. Thank you to The Grace Company for making this content possible!

The Basic Rulerwork Tools

There are a few key elements for getting started with rulers, which Chrissy coaches you through. First, if you’re working on a frame, you’ll want a ruler base. This attaches to the machine, giving you a stable surface on which to place your rulers.

Second, you’ll need a ruler foot. Whether you’re on a longarm quilting machine or a domestic sewing machine, these feet are designed specifically to be paired with quilting rulers. The allow you to run your machine along the edge of the ruler, keeping your needle safely ¼” away from the ruler. (You don’t want the ruler to go under the foot!)

And lastly, you’ll need rulers—ones that are specifically designed for rulerwork quilting! They are thicker than rotary cutting or composer style rulers, which allows you to quilt safely. Domestic sewing machines use rulers that are 1/8” thick, and longarm quilting machines use ruelrs that are ¼” thick. They come in all kinds of shapes: wedges (like the Slice ruler Chrissy shows), waves, circles and scallops, and even feathers.

But to get started, the best ruler is a straight-line ruler, such as the Ditcher.

Getting Started with Straight Lines

Straight lines are difficult to quilt precisely when you’re free-motion quilting, and a ruler is the simplest and most effective way to achieve straight lines.

And once you can quilt a straight line, you can stitch-in-the-ditch, echo-quilt straight seams, create grids, stitch hard-edged shapes like triangles and stars, and even create the illusion of curves, which Chrissy demonstrates in the video.

A good ruler has multiple markings that allow you to determine placement. If you want a straight-line of quilting to run parallel to a seam, for example, you could align one of the marks along the seam, and travel down the edge of the ruler.

The Quarter-Inch Factor

One thing to keep in mind is that the needle itself is not traveling along the edge of the ruler. It’s ¼” away from the ruler’s edge. It can be tricky, at first, anticipating where that ¼” stitching will fall, but with a little practice, you’ll soon develop an intuitive sense for it.

When it comes to rulerwork, the best way to get going is to get started! A quilt top with simple, strong patchwork elements, like a Rail Fence block or a Nine-Patch block (or some fun variation of that, like Line Dance!).

Once you’ve got a quilt top, set up your machine with a ruler foot, grab a Ditcher straight line ruler, and start exploring the marvelous world of rulerwork.

And thank you once again to our incredible sponsor, The Grace Company!