Quilting Rulers
There are Quilting Rulers specifically made for quilters and are most often used in conjunction with a rotary cutter and self healing mat. These rulers are clear acrylic, marked in 1/8th inch intervals and may have a non-slip coating or non-slip pads on one side. There are a variety of shapes and sizes of quilt rulers and they often have angle lines. Some rulers are for cutting specialty shapes or for trimming blocks to a specific size, like a half square triangle. Rulers are an important tool for quilters.
Benefits of Rulers
- Quilting Rulers are necessary to use with a rotary cutter.
- A Ruler with easy to see markings makes accurate cutting possible.
- Quilting Rulers are often specialized for trimming blocks or cutting specific shapes.
Tools and Supplies for Rulers
The most common Quilting Rulers are:
- A long Ruler, 18" to 24" long, for cutting strips and to even up a quilt edge before binding.
- A Ruler to square up blocks. Start with a square ruler the same size as the blocks in your quilt with a diagonal line to help ensure the block is accurate.
- A Ruler for cutting wider strips, 6" by 12", that also works well when cutting fat quarters and folded fabric.
- A trimming Ruler, 3" by 7", perfect for trimming an edge on a block and to have by your sewing machine to check for that perfect 1/4" seam.
- Specialty Rulers, the most common are for HST's, half square triangles, one of quilting's most basic blocks.
Additional supplies used with quilting Rulers are:
- A Ruler rack to hold the most frequently used rulers.
- Glow line tape is easily added and removed, to mark on the ruler where you are cutting.
- Gripers or handles to firmly hold the ruler in place while cutting.
- Anti-slip tape or non-slip adhesives if your rulers are not Non-Slip Quilting Rulers.
What I Wish I Knew When I Started using Rulers
Specialty QUILTING RULERS are a worthwhile purchase if your are cutting a lot of pieces.
If you "inherit" rulers, be sure to match the ruler to the cutting mat you use for accuracy.
