Free Motion Quilting Adventure: Using Rulers Week 2

It's past time for my Free Motion Monday Quilting Adventures post and while I'm posting it before it's officially Tuesday, it's not the post I had planned. This weekend and Monday has been a doozy.

Feet for Free Motion Ruler Work


I talked a lot about the foot options for ruler work last week, so please read there if this is your first introduction to this technique. But Carol Olson and I had emailed a bit this past week (She's the owner of Accents in Design, maker of the Fine Line Rulers and Templates that I love so much) and she had some information that I thought I'd pass along for those who aren't Janome users.

" I did find a 1/4" ruler foot on ebay listed by  NgoSew Sewing Parts Co. .  This foot is made for Juki TL98, TL98E, TL98Q, TL98QE, TL2000Qi and TL2010Q.  The price on their ebay store is $75.00.
 I looked at Viking/Husqvarna, I had a Husqvarna prior to my Janome and used it during many classes and show demonstrations using the rulers and templates.  They have two Open Toe FMQ feet, one is "Floating" or stationary and the other one is hopping.  The foot is not as high as the Janome or Juki, however, it is thicker than most.  I used the stationary one and it worked well.  The stationary one is part # 412801045, the hopping one is #412531045. 
Elna is exactly the same as Janome, so they would be able to use the conversion set as well.
Bernina, since the newer machines (not 35 years+ like my old one) seem not able to use the conversion set with the adapters, I did look at three of their Embroidery FM feet.  Foot #26 is a closed toe round foot and looks like a shallow bowl which would work with the rulers.  Foot #24 is open toe for FM Embroidery or quilting.  Foot #92 is a FM Embroidery foot, looks like a thick hook style, curved from left to right with the opening on the far right side.  Using the rulers and templates on the left side, it should enable a clean swipe along the ruler edge."

I shared with her my thoughts on one of the Bernina feet she had mentioned, the #26 foot does look like it would work except that it has a small teardrop shaped opening for the needle and I am concerned that with the sideways pressure of the ruler, the foot could shift and allow the needle to hit the foot. We are both married to handy fellas and were of similar thoughts that the foot could possibly be drilled out and carefully sanded to work well for ruler work on a Bernina.

She also reiterated that ruler work can be done with regular free motion feet if done with care and usually with less speed. We also think that it's just a matter of time before some ruler toe type feet or even adapters hit the market for these other machines.

I also tracked down Patsy Thompson's post on her improvised ruler work foot using the Babylock/ Brother Free Motion Foot C. She super glued a small 1/4 inch cylinder to the foot.

So there are some options for those who have other brand machines.

Designs


So now it's time for some designs. I did all of these on paper this time as I just didn't have enough time to stitch some up. Getting these weekly series posts done on time is a challenge for sure, but I am hoping to start getting a few posts ahead so I can get them done better.

First a note about planning ruler designs: When you choose a design for your project, you've got to consider the size of template or ruler you have and how it will fit in the desired space. Remember that the stitched line will not be right along the edge of the ruler, but a quarter of an inch away if using the Janome foot, or some other distance using another foot. So the design needs to be spaced according to the stitched spacing, not the ruler spacing. If you draw it out (and I strongly suggest you do), make sure to rig up a spacer for your pencil so the spacing is accounted for. I have a small acrylic washer from Quilter's Rule that is the same diameter as my foot.

Also, it is wise to add a few reference lines even if you think you can use the lines on the ruler to space your design. Some designs need additional markings to get the placement just right too. Don't skimp on the needed markings! You'd hate to complete a run of a design and find out that you're not perpendicular or parallel to your piecing lines when needed!

I really hate marking, but it's not too bad to set a few markings to keep me straight.

Today I am focusing for the most part on designs for borders and sashing. Borders are a great place to put ruler work.

piano keys

beadboard


These border designs can also be used as background designs around applique and such, just like the following crosshatching and curved crosshatching:




Borders can be dressed up with scallops or swags.


Scallops and swags can have piano keys or bead board with them.


Above, you can see my drawing spacer/washer with some sparkly paint to help me find the tiny thing.

FMQ beadboard and swag

Below are a couple of straight line designs for borders using diagonal lines and the straight ruler.




Below are two designs using the Fine Line half-ellipse template. I really like these, however I have doubts as to whether I could actually stitch these out on a stationary machine. It would require working on opposite sides of the foot with the ruler for each shape. I'm certain that with my Janome 6600 Accufeed system behind my foot, that I couldn't work the ruler around behind the foot. (One reason why I would recommend the 6300 or 6500 on the lower priced side of the 6600, or moving up to the 8200 if you're in the market for a Janome for free motion quilting.)



 Before I forget, here's two pictures of how I place my fingers on these rulers as I work:



Sashing designs are fun with rulers too!


  Below are a traditional egg and dart pattern and a variation I have seen lately. The diamond looks really neat when at the corner of sashing. It works into a 4 point star-ish shape or a bigger diamond.


And then of course you can fill in some of your ruler work with other designs. Feathers....


And below is a tiny stipple and a e.l.e. loop (a bad one too! Eek!) in the diamonds. I've got to say I like that stipple! Though the better place to fill the design below would be the half diamonds along the side, leaving the whole diamond to 'pop'.


Next week I'll show some designs for ruler work on piecing and filling in setting triangles and such. Hopefully there will be actual stitched samples and maybe a video or two.

All of these designs above were done with Fine Line Rulers from www.accentsindesign.com  They are the rulers with pegs for extra secure hand positioning and a great velcro hook tape on the underside to prevent the ruler from slipping. They also have good markings on the rulers, more on that in another week's post.

Accents in Design has graciously provided me with several more of of their rulers to supplement the rulers I had previously bought and I can't wait to use them to show more ruler work designs next week.

In addition, they are providing a set of the continuous curves rulers to one lucky participant of this month's series. So make sure to comment and/or link up to be entered in the giveaway! Make sure to leave an email addy if you are a no-reply blogger.

Whew! That's a lot of material to cover in one post!I am sure there are questions, so ask them in the comments.

Now, a word or two about this linky. In addition to my usual guidelines, I've got to mention that I want this linky to benefit all the bloggers and wonderful readers involved. So firstly, since my link series is about the series of designs I'm showcasing on my blog, let's make sure that's whats being discussed in your linked post. It can even be a previous month's design. There are other linkys out there that may welcome your link about some great product you are hawking (yep, had a few spammers to delete). There are also general quilting linky's out there to join. If your post is relevant, link it up here.

Secondly, please be courteous enough to post a link back to me or I will remove you from my party (ie: delete the link from me to you). (I hate that this sounds so mean, I really hate confrontation.) It's my party and I'll cry delete if I want to need to if the blog that is using the link opportunity isn't respecting the guidelines of this linky. If you are just linking up to as many link parties as possible to promote your blog and to earn points with Google for having others link to your site, kudos to you, but keep it relevant and reciprocal.

I feel strongly about this. In fact I stopped linking up to a pretty popular blog link party when the blog owner's guidelines changed to specify she wanted the linked posts to be about something learned from her site. Since my posts usually were more about free motion quilting in general, I stopped linking to that specific linky. It would have benefited me to keep linking my posts and hope she didn't get offended, but I didn't meet her criteria, so I stopped until I have a relevant post.

Now, if I've gone and made you mad, I'm sorry, but the guidelines for this linky are pretty clear. If I've made you worry that you've accidentally erred, email me at sonshinecottage[at]comcast[dot]net  Let's keep it fun, civil, educational, and helpful for us all.

Here's those guidelines:

For the linky this week, link up a post of  ruler work you've done, if any. If you haven't done any, feel free to use a ruler to draw out any line based designs that you'd like to explore. You can use rotary cutting rulers for drawing. If you've written a post about wanting to do these types of designs, you can post that too!

If you've missed any of the Free Motion Monday posts, you can find them on the Free Motion Mondays page.

Some quick rules:

  • Keep your post relevant to this quilt along please. Spammy posts will be deleted.
  • Make sure you link up to the individual post, not your home page as nobody wants to have to search around for the post if they're a little late to the party.
  • Link back to this post somewhere in your post. You've got to dance with the one who took you to the party, so make sure you link back.
  • Don't be a wall-flower. (Talking to myself here too. In person I am so stinking shy!) Visit the other links, be sociable, and leave comments.
  • Please make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you are a no-reply commenter, especially if you ask a question.
Don't forget to bookmark this blog, follow, or sign it up in your favorite feed reader. Like the facebook page (I do post some short things on it pretty regularly), or even check out my Pinterest boards. I'll be visiting you too!


43 comments:

  1. Hi Amy!
    I totally agree with you on the linky parties. It is YOUR blog!!!
    I also noticed that the link up rules from that particular blog changed and I too stopped linking up with FMQ posts until I have one that is relevant.
    I so want to participate in this new series, but just do not have the time! :-( busy times at work with school exams and lots of grading to do. So for these next weeks I will be enjoying to see what all of you are creating. It is truely wonderful!
    Esther

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  2. Just starting to do some ruler work on my stationary machine. Would love to win a set of rulers.

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  3. WOW! I had no idea you could do this on a domestic machine. I am a sponge right now but I sew want to do this so I am now following and will try to get through your previous info. Thank you, thank you! And, btw, no offense taken at all! :)

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  4. I so much love the time you took to get informed and informed us about all those technicalities. I have a regular Janome, I was looking to upgrade to a Juki and, as a follower to your blog, I was looking for a ruler foot, and what I found myself wasn't good at all. Many thanks for the link, I look forward to try some ruler work in a near future, even if I hate marking my quilts, I must get down to it.

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  5. I ordered a ruler after your first post and it just arrived. Can't wait to play with it.

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  6. I love, love, love these instructions. I am learning so much....and I appreciate your work. Thanks.....Connie in California

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  7. These are so great! I don't have any quilting rulers yet, but love the idea of making samples/practice doodles with them and pens!

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  8. Recently bought some rulers but they didn't work well without the foot. So thanks to your link, I have just bought the Juki foot. Would love more rulers. Love watching your videos.
    Leah
    noidlehandshere.com/wp/

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  9. Amy: I am new to free motion quilt, and I find you b,og very education. I also envy your talent. I would love to wine the ruler. Sandi P

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  10. So many great ideas, Amy! Thanks for the drawings. Great resource!

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  11. I have a bernina and successfully used the adapter foot with the janome foot. Love your ideas!

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  13. Unfortunately life got in the way this past week from stitching. You showed some designs I was already hoping to do on the next quilt so hoping to get the quilt on the frame this week.

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  14. Hi Amy...just watched some of the videos over at Accentsindesign. I don't have any of those rulers to try out this method and originally thought that you need a special foot to do this work. However, it looks that you can use your normal FMQ foot to work with these rulers. Would love to give this a try...would make life so much easier.

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    1. The special foot certainly makes it easier, but isn’t completely necessary. Give it a whirl!

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  15. I enjoy your blog Amy. I have tried a few ruler lines on a practice piece, but need a lot more practice!

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  16. wowie girl, your blog is growing!! How are things? I was thinking about you the other day and wanted to catch up. LeeAnna Paylor

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  17. Love seeing what you do with ruler work. I haven't tried it yet. I have a foot for my embroidery machine that doesn't hop. I'm hoping that one will work with the rulers. Just afraid if I missed and hit the ruler that it would throw out the timing on my machine, and that would be an expensive fix. I'm a chicken at heart.

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  18. I don't have any of the rulers yet, I am hoping to find some (as well as the new foot for my Janome) at NQA when I go next week. But I have tried using my floating quilting foot on my Janome 6600 and two rulers taped together. Worked for straight short practice pieces.

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  19. I don't have any of the rulers yet, but I am interested to order a set (if shipping to France is not too expensive), thank you Amy for your interesting blog.

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    1. Well, too bad we couldn’t have planned ahead….my parents just came back from a 3 week trip to France. Maybe I could have talked my mom into taking a few rulers and mailing them once she was there. I did get to see some lovely pictures of your country!

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  20. Hi Amy. So love your blog and as have not got a web page am not able to Linky with you. Does this mean. I will not get any more of your blogs? Would be so disappointed. I have a Brother machine and was asking in my local shop yesterday re the ruler guide foot. So your link to the home adapting of a C foot is so timely! Love the solution. I am visiting the USA in a few weeks and plan to spend a lot of time in Quilting shops, taking an empty suitcase with me!

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    1. Oh no, you will still get the blog posts! No worries! There have been issues with a few bloggers who link up not linking back, which is standard for link parties. If you aren't linking in the first place, that's perfectly OK!

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  21. Thank you again for a very informative and educational post. I've now got the foot for my Janome and I plan on purchasing some of the rulers so I can give ruler work a go!

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  22. Hi Amy. Love your blog. You are really psyching me up to try these rulers. I have a Pfaff creative 2.0 machine, and I didn't see any reference to this machine in your discussions of ruler feet in the past couple of posts. Do you know if there is one available or one that is adaptable for this unit?

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    1. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I’m afraid Pfaff is a machine I have really no knowledge of. I looked around at the pfaff site but found nothing like the Janome foot. I wonder if there’s anyone you know who might have a Janome so you could see how their feet differ from your machine? Another possibility is to use the free motion foot for your machine with great care, raising the presser foot up from the surface of the quilt a bit.

      Anybody have experience with Pfaff's feet?

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  24. Amy, love your videos - so inspirational!! I got the straight and curved rulers and they are great!! Love the pegs and velcro - makes it so much easier to use on a push through machine!! Keep up the good work!!

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  25. I have the swag rulers and love them--so versatile! I need to find one of those little discs--looks pretty cool.

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  26. Thanks for all the info and designs. Especially the Bernina info. I'm going to try the feet listed and see what works for me!

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  27. Hi Amy, it's me Althea. I have been pondering many different solutions for adapting a ruler foot. The acrylic spacer you show might be something I could attach/glue to the top a darning foot. Might need to drill a larger hole in the middle for the needle. Do you think this might work. Since I don't have a spacer to look at, you'll know better than me. At one point I was thinking about taking a washer to a jeweler to have him solder it in place (hubbie's suggestion). You put me in contact with Patsy Thompson several months back. When I followed up with Patsy more recently, I gathered that the super glued cylinder wasn't the answer because it didn't hold in the long run. Patsy did come up with another foot that works for her. She gave me a link to a site that sells an adaption, but when I checked site out the other day, it was an expensive solution (or so I thought). Your posting today, as always, so very informative. Thanks for your time.

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    1. I replied to Althea privately a few days ago and forgot to post some of that info here for everybody.....sorry.

      I think having a washer soldered onto a round FMQ foot is a great idea!

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  28. I just found your blog from the link at Vicki's. Your post was very timely, because I was ready to experiment with a new ruler I bought from Handi Quilter. I am now following through Bloglovin and am excited to learn more from you. I would love to try out the other brand of ruler. Do the pegs make a big difference?

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    1. I like the pegs, tho sometimes I don't always hold the ruler that way. But I love that velcro strip to keep the ruler from sliding and the engraved markings are great!

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  29. Do you have a reccommendation for which of the rulers at "Accent" would be the most beneficial? As a beginner, which would be your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices? Would appreciate your help, Amy, as I have limited $$.

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    1. Here’s my recommendation for rulers if you can only afford 2: The eight inch straight ruler and the 10 inch curved ruler. If you want a third….hmmm….depends on the type of quilting you like to do….I’d go with either of the 2 smaller half circles or the smallest continuous curve ruler.

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  30. Here I am again... Why would a person use the applique ruler? Also, I'm wondering if the longer rulers would be too bulky for use on a domestic machine.

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    1. I'm not sure about the applique ruler.

      The longer rulers are ok as long as you are running them vertically along the side of the foot, but could be a problem if you are running them horizontally where they could run into the body of your machine.

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  31. Thank you for all your variations of ruler work. I know that time is a valuable thing when you have small children and a hubby. I am of the same thought as LJ about the recommendation of the most beneficial to the beginner with limited funds. Wonder instructive blog. Thanks for all you do for us.

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    1. Here’s my recommendation for rulers if you can only afford 2: The eight inch straight ruler and the 10 inch curved ruler. If you want a third….hmmm….depends on the type of quilting you like to do….I’d go with either of the 2 smaller half circles or the smallest continuous curve ruler.

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  32. So glad to have found your post. I contemplated trying ruler work on my Janome 7700 some months ago, drew some curved crosshatching, even tried stitching by taping two cutting rulers on top of each other. The foot was the missing piece, and that is now on order. And proper rulers, of course. Thank you for your posts and inspiration! Oh, and the giveaway, too. :)

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  33. Off to see if I can find the Juki foot!

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