Beginner’s Guide to Ruler Quilting

Rulers are indispensable tools in longarm quilting, enabling you to create precise lines, shapes, and patterns with ease. Whether you’re a seasoned quilter or just starting out, ruler quilting can elevate your free motion and help with stitch-in-the-ditch. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about using rulers for longarm quilting.

Does this sound like you?

My friend Diane Harris, Stash Bandit, said this when she was just getting started with machine quilting, “I have resisted ruler work forever because honestly, it just sounded like one more thing to manage. I find machine quilting to be challenging enough. I thought, why make it even more difficult?”

If you can draw a line on paper using a ruler, you have the skills you need for ruler quilting. It’s essentially the same thing, stitching a line on your quilt using a ruler. I finally convinced her to give it a try when she wanted some straight lines of quilting on her current project.

This could be you (after you read this post)

After she relented she said, “I couldn’t have been more wrong!”  She chose the Handi VersaTool. “The VersaTool proved to be exactly what I needed.”

“The result was nice looking flowers with beautiful straight lines. I loved them.” she said. And she added, “I was pleasantly surprised by how simple it is! I am already looking forward to the next time I can use a machine quilting ruler.”

Give it a go!

Ready to be like Diane and try something new?  Here’s what you need to know:

Ruler safety tips (more than tips, these are really rules)

1. ONLY use 1/4 inch thick quilting rulers

There’s a good reason machine quilting rulers are thicker than rotary cutting rulers. When you quilt on a Handi Quilter machine you’ll notice the foot raises and lowers as the machine forms stitches, that’s why they call it a hopping foot. When the foot raises up, if the ruler was thin, it could slide under the foot. Then when the foot and needle come down to take a stitch, the needle hits the ruler, causing the needle to break and possibly the ruler to break and possibly the machine’s timing to be thrown out of whack. That’s a sad situation because you won’t be able to quilt til you have the machine re-timed. 🙁

2. Keep the ruler flat on the fabric

If you don’t keep the ruler flat on the fabric and keep good control of the ruler, it can pop up and get between the foot and the needle. Needle hits ruler, needle breaks, ruler breaks, quilter has a bad day.

The Handi Feet Sure Foot is a nice insurance policy against that happening. The taller profile of the Sure Foot provides additional stability while working with rulers. I always use the Sure foot when I’m quilting with rulers.

3. On a movable machine you must have a ruler base

The bed of your machine is only 3 or so inches wide. It is hard to balance a ruler on just those 3 inches. Adding a ruler base to the machine provides a stable place to help you keep the ruler flat on the fabric. There’s a ruler base that fits each one of the Handi Quilter machine line-up. Be sure to get the right base for your machine. You don’t want to break rule #2, do you?!

4. Don’t reach

Quilt only where your hand grasp on the ruler is secure. If you have a longer ruler, stop the machine and walk your fingers or reposition the ruler, then continue.

5. Slow down

You can go fast or you can use a ruler. Pick one; because you can’t have both. Slowing down and keeping your ruler under control is essential for good results with ruler quilting. But the results are worth the time.

Machine Settings

1. Set your machine for stitch regulated mode.

If you have the choice between precision or cruise, I recommend you try both and see which one works better for you. Usually beginners prefer precision mode because it lets you pause without taking extra stitches. As a beginner sometimes you pause as you think through what you should do next. It’s natural. But as you get more experience, try cruise and you might find that mode is preferable. Personal preference here.

2. Set needle stop to down position

When quilting with rulers you will stop frequently to reposition either the ruler or your hand holding the ruler. You want to resume exactly where you left off so having the needle in the down position when you stop will make that happen.

General Tips

1. Positioning the ruler

Start with your needle down at the beginning of the line you want to stitch. Bring the ruler to the side of your hopping foot. With the ruler snugged up against the foot, pivot the ruler into place, keeping in mind that the needle will be 1/4 inch away from the edge of the ruler. So your stitches will be 1/4 inch away from the edge of the ruler.

2. The balance

Apply gentle pressure to keep the ruler from slipping as you glide the hopping foot along the edge of the ruler. Too much pressure will make moving the machine difficult. It’s a balancing act that takes approximately 3.14 minutes before you get the hang of it.

3. Use Handi Grip

To prevent the ruler from shifting during quilting, use Handi Grip, non-slip adhesive strips applied to the back of your ruler. It’s an effective tool that provides additional stability and ensures precise stitching.

If you are a movable machine quilter Handi Grip is a good tool to help keep your rulers from slipping as you quilt. When doing ruler work on a stationary machine, it’s a whole different story. You will move the fabric and the ruler together and guide the edge of the ruler along the foot. Handi Grip is ESSENTIAL for stationary machine quilting. Without Handi Grip the ruler will slide over the fabric quite easily and we don’t want that to happen, the fabric and ruler need to move together.

4. Wider backing

The ruler base adds width to the bed of the machine. To avoid running into your side clamps consider using a wider backing.

Be Like Diane

On her first try, she learned that she loves the precision she gets by using rulers. She gave herself grace in learning. She said, “Because this was my first try and since the quilt has a wonky theme, I didn’t worry about making each line an exact distance from the petal’s edge. I just focused on learning how to use the ruler.”

It really is important to be kind to yourself and to enjoy the quilting. I’m happy Diane took a relaxed attitude and didn’t over-worry about the results. She gave herself time to learn and to improve.  Don’t do your practice ruler quilting on your heirloom quilt top that you spent hours and hours piecing. You’re way too invested in that top. Save it for when you become an expert.

Which Ruler?

Diane started with the Handi Versatool. After she tried it she was hooked. “In my excitement I might have click-clicked and ordered a few more rulers, too!” 🙂

There are lots of rulers that can be used for longarm quilting, all different shapes and sizes. If you are first getting started the Handi Versa Tool is the perfect one to start with. It has 4 shapes on a single ruler so it can be used for hundreds of designs. There are design ideas on the packaging for each of the Handi Quilter rulers and if you go to the Handi Quilter YouTube channel you’ll find hours of videos on using the rulers.

Using rulers for longarm quilting opens up a world of creative possibilities and allows you to achieve precise, professional-looking results.

Ready?   Quilt Every Day!

by Mary Beth Krapil