Fine Line Quilter's Rulers

I'm giving my poor fingers a rest from the hand stitching and thinking ahead to future projects. One thing that has my creative juices flowing is my latest purchase: a set of Fine Line Quilter's Rulers I ordered from Patsy Thompson Designs. I had seen these specialty quilting aids when I first got my frame set-up and started experimenting with ruler work. I have a couple small acrylic rulers to use with the special foot on my 1600 and had great success on my teal quilt (which you can see in the linked post above). I really enjoyed working with them and wanted to expand my skills - and ruler collection - after watching Patsy's amazing and inspiring "Ruler Feet on a Home Sewing Machine" video:

 

I have the 1600 off the frame right now but that doesn't mean I can't use my rulers. I am really excited to see what I can do with the three rulers I bought: the 6.5" Continuous Curve, the 8" straight, and the 3.5" Wide Half Circle. Patsy was kind enough to guide my choices and offer advice to get me started. These rulers are excellent for use with both sit-down machine and longarm systems. Since I'm still holding out hope for a Sweet 16 I figure investing in the rulers would serve me now (on my sewing machines and if I choose to use the frame again) as well as in the future when I have either a sit-down mid-arm machine or a true longarm.

The secret behind these beautiful rulers is the special finger grip. You can maintain control over the ruler by positioning your fingers against the vertical posts - even while handling the quilt under the needle. There are hook strips (Velcro-like) on the bottom of the rulers to keep them in place and plenty of scored lines for reference. I will have to learn about each ruler's guide lines to achieve consistent and accurate designs. They also allow for different sizes of designs depending on which lines you follow.

It is going to be so fun to play with all of the shapes and see what I can come up with. I think the rulers will be perfect for slightly smaller projects (like place mats, totes, pillows, and wall hangings) which are easier to move under the sewing machine and of course, larger quilting on my frame. Patsy Thompson has been teaching, inspiring, and encouraging me from the very beginning and once again she has opened my eyes to creative possibilities with my quilting. Check out her Craftsy class too, Ultimate Free-Motion Quilting with Patsy Thompson), - (50% off RIGHT NOW!!!!) - to see and learn her most amazing hyper-quilting technique. You can find all the Fine Line rulers (and all kinds of other goodies!) in Patsy's on-line SHOP and start your collection.