Quilting with Rulers: Ruler Thickness Revisited

I was poking through some of my websites and videos recently and came across one of the videos I did just before ruler work really hit the mainstream of the quilting world.

I think this was shot with prototypes of the Westalee ruler foot and rulers, just as they were bringing them into the American market.

It's a bit rough and loooong....but does a good job at showing why I don't toe the line when it comes to what rulers work with a low shank sewing machine. This was done on a Janome 3160, a smaller Janome machine with a low shank. Thicker rulers are easier to hold while quilting, so I like to use them as much as possible.

Enjoy.

Quilting with Rulers: Curves on Hexagons

Time to get back up on the blogging wagon! I've been so busy since getting back from the Janome training in late August and them absolutely focused on learning my new machine. I really didn't think I'd move on from my beloved Janome 8200, but when the newest top-of-the-line Machine from Janome was rolled out with not only a ruler foot, but a ruler work mode....well, I was smitten.

As a dealer, I do need to know these machines and I just knew I was going to be on this machine too much to call it a floor model or even a demo model. I have never had such a fancy machine before and frankly, if I had never become a dealer, I don't know that I'd have needed such a machine. I didn't do machine embroidery before embarking on my Janome dealer journey. (I will say that Janome rolled out another model at the training and had I still been doing my quilting biz at home, the 6700P would have been The One. Total love.) Nevertheless, if you love ruler work, quilting, and embroidery like I now do....this thing is absolutely wonderful!

Look at that ruler foot! So smooth, shiny and sleek. It's a standard 1/2 inch diameter foot and since the machine sets the height, there's no need for the shank portion of my good friend, the Convertible FMQ Foot Set. With the automatic presser foot lift feature and the ruler work mode, I don't have to worry about the foot hitting the needle clamp either.

If you have an older 15000, Janome has rolled out a free update so you can get this ruler work mode (and have a more reliable needle threader) and some other features, then you can buy the new feet in the very reasonable upgrade kit. Check with your Janome dealer. If you have a MC9400, S7, S9, 14000, and possibly the 12000, Janome is working on the software upgrade to allow you to use this foot on your machines as well.

I stitched together this hexagon pillow top recently and thought it would be a great first project for my new machine and ruler foot. It's Lucky Charm from Jaybird Quilts, using the sidekick ruler and the fabrics are Zen Chic Moda's True Blue (plenty of this at our shop BTW) and I have to say the hexies went together far better than I imagined. Hardest part was keeping the half hexie pairs together.

Then I began quilting with continuous curves from point to point using a circular ruler, 3 inch circle from the Simple Circles Set.  I shot a quick video as I stitched too....

Now, I've got the pattern down pat for keeping this design continuous when working on squares, but the path eluded me on these hexies until I was halfway done. Then it was a little late. I'll do another post on the path soon.

Which meant that when taking a picture of the supposed done pillow top, I found a couple of spots that didn't get quilted above. Can you find them above? Take a look below!

Whoops! Back under the machine it went. Three more curves and it was done.

 Then, I just had to try my hand at a pipped or corded pillow edge. First to make the piping. The base I had was too thick for the standard Janome piping foot, so I used the zipper foot for the narrow Acufeed foot. I have all these feet, might as well use them. I used the Acufeed version (a built in walking foot) as I wanted my fabric to wrap evenly around the cording material without slipping.

I trimmed up the corners on the pillow top using the same 3 inch circle I quilted it with. These templates are handy for more than stitching, and I use them a lot in design work.

I stitched the piping onto the pillow top with the same Acufeed foot and I sure am glad I did when I hit the spot where I finished by overlapping the cording. Powered right through. Slowly though, so things stayed in position.

When it was time to stitch the envelope style back on the pillow, I did go back to the regular zipper foot as I could get closer to the cording with it. I hate cording/piping when it doesn't get stitched on close enough.

Tada! Look at that nice corner. So pleased with this pillow, pattern, machine, and me. Feels good to have a finished project. (I did trip the pillow down to fit the pillow form I had.)

Anybody else here get the new Janome Quilt Maker 15000?  I am very excited about this machine and ruler foot. I am so pleased that Janome once again is on the leading edge of my favorite technique. I'm also happy that those of you with machines that will eventually have this new ruler work mode and foot will be able to have "approved" ruler feet for your machines.

If you've got questions about this new ruler foot, hit me up in the comments. It doesn't replace the convertible set for most machines, just those with the auto foot lift. Those of you who have been bitten by the embroidery bug, give me one of your favorite tips in the comments.

Quilting with Rulers: Tweak your Set-Up

In my previous quilting with rulers post on my current project, I mentioned some issues I was having with my machine set up.

Having a good machine set up will, well....set you up for free motion success.

First I needed to level the insert with the cabinet top. The machine was at the right height, but the insert needed to be up just a smidge to eliminate the little lip around the opening. I used the tiny inner circles from the adhesive silicone gripper dots I use on my rulers to prevent slipping.  Just 6 of these small True Grips got it nice and level.

Then it was time to replace my slider. I shared in my previous post that the slider I was using wasn't big enough. It was a custom sized slider made for the 8200 and 8900 machines to be used on the extension table that comes with these machines. It was really too narrow for this cabinet insert. If I wasn't using rulers, it would be fine.

So I got out a Sew Slip mat and put it down. Alas, it's not quite big enough. I could have ordered a queen sized Supreme Slider at this point, but if you've read this blog for long, you know I think outside the box quite often and like to find solutions without buying something special if I don't need to.

But I also knew I wanted to cut a hole for my bobbin cover plate, like the other mat had. There's a little loss in slide when I do this, primarily if a basting pin catches the edge, but easy access to the bobbin is soooo worth it.

I positioned the mat to cover as much of the edges that I wanted covered and dropped my needle. The original hole was part of the area cut out for the bobbin case and I cut a new hole for the needle.

The custom cut one was much nicer, but this will do. Now it covers the edges and grooves nicely. It's not so much about the slipperiness as much as it is about smoothing out the joins between machine, insert, and cabinet.

Now I can get down to some stitching. This post is getting long, so I'll just show some preliminary quilting for now. I'm breaking this little quilt into different sized chunks so I'm doing some quick marking to keep all the right designs in the right areas.

The outer line above delineates the triangle, but isn't accurately marked, just sketched. But the inner triangle was marked accurately so it would be stitched properly.

So this will feature a 1/2 inch echo around the outer triangle and an inner triangle and echo, plus a freehand fill between echos. I want to minimize stops and starts as much as possible, so I echo around.....

Then work a bit of the fill until I reach the inner triangle. Then I stitch the inner triangle.

 Then I show you the rest of the fill tomorrow!

 Here's a special, cheerful spot in my shop (Sew Simple of Lynchburg) that is making me very happy. Front and center when you walk in the door is Lil Red and Bonnie and Camille Basics in yardage and precuts.

 I hope you have a spot in your life that is making you smile during these dreary days of winter. Great time to quilt!

Quilting with Rulers: Feather Template

I've had several requests from students in my Craftsy classes asking about using templates to make feathers. I kept meaning to do a post and a video on the subject and finally got it done.

It's hard to give a good unbiased review of using this template or others like it as I prefer to make my feathers free hand. I definitely think that a quilter should continue to work on learning to stitch feathers without a template, but the template could be a good tool to help make them in the meantime.

I only have one size of feather template though Westalee makes them in at least 4 sizes. Having multiple sizes could help give the needed range of sizes and shapes needed for quilting feathers with templates, though spendy. A single size can be manipulated to create some variation in the size and shape.

Using a straight spine can make it much easier to place the template evenly. I used a curved spine and that made it much more difficult to place the template and make the plumes meet the spine in an elegant way.

I think I'm on the fence about this template. As I stated in the video, if I couldn't make feathers free hand, I might love it. I do like the Feather Wreath template I sell from TopAnchor as it makes a perfectly spaced and shaped round feather wreath and has an anchoring system that I prefer over that of similar rotating templates from the maker of this feather template, but it's only suitable for high shank machines and long arms of all types.

I used the Janome foot with this template and based on some comments I've gotten recently on a few of my videos, some may give me flak for this. The Janome foot works just fine with these templates. I think there are some 'marketing' factors playing into some of those comments....to put it kindly without mentioning details. (To put it bluntly....don't come into "my house" to bash my efforts in order to promote your own classes, products, or those of someone else even if you're a very happy customer....use your own platform, blog, site.)

(In case it sounds odd that I put this little disclaimer above, I did get exactly the type of comment I was warning against, but they left it on a previous post.)

I don't have this template listed in my shop, though I do have maybe 2 of them in the 4.5mm thickness that I can sell as a custom order if somebody wants these and can order more. This is definitely a shape that those using low shank machines need to get in the 3mm thickness.

I hope this video helps those who have been wondering about this template. Let me know in the comments if you've tried it or want to try it. Got quilting friends that would like this? Feel free to share, pin, etc. giving credit where credit is due.

Keep on quilting.

Quilting with Rulers: Dahlia Template

I got out a neglected, partially quilted project to try out a new size of the Dahlia template that we carry in the shop. It's a pretty striking batik panel in black and my favorite turquoise. I've been quilting on it with specialty templates by TopAnchor. We've had these rotating templates since the online shop first opened in the 9 and 12 inch sizes, but they recently released the new 6 inch size.

I shot a video while I used this template on the Janome 8900QPCSE in my shop, Sew Simple of Lynchburg and it was the first time I used my regular camera mount in my new studio area. I still need to tweak the lighting and the mount itself. It was twisted off to the side a little bit.

A note about videos: I was having trouble uploading the video without losing the quality. After getting quite frustrated and changing the file types, deleting and re-uploading, I discovered that my video quality settings had been changed with YouTube. This means YouTube was resizing (so to say) the video to a lesser quality.

I record in high def, and many people now have high def capable devices, so you might want to check your settings. You can do this by clicking the gear icon at the bottom right hand side of any YouTube video. It will show you a range of quality sizes and which one you are currently set on. (I think my setting got changed when using my phone which has a lesser quality resolution.)

I love these rotating templates from TopAnchor! They make fabulous designs without marking, have very clear markings on the templates to keep you on track, and the patented anchor post is easy to insert as you do it from the top of the quilt.

The only downside is that they are a full 1/4 inch thick so they are harder to use with a low-shank sewing machine. Not impossible, but definitely harder. Some of their templates are easier than others to position so they aren't behind the foot where there is little clearance.

With the addition of this new size dahlia template and the Celtic Knot templates from TopAnchor several months ago, I want to finish up this project since I'm starting to feel the burden of being overloaded with unfinished projects. So many ideas, so little time!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Today's the day! No time to really write, but I'm so excited! Here I am reflected in the booth window of the newly revamped and equipped Craftsy Studio E. If you remember the yellow room with the grey metal wall with all the wonderful little props, thread, rulers and such of many Craftsy quilting classes, it is no more. I kind of miss it!

Below is my producer, Clif looking for the right tool as Maria Capp and Molly, both with Craftsy as they work to figure out how to sink the machine level with the surface. The mechanism got stuck somehow.

I foolishly decided to leave my laptop at home for lighter travel which was a big mistake. I have my tablet, but somethings don't want to play nicely with it. I feel a bit lost and out of touch without it.

But I'll be focusing on my class pretty hard and I'll be back home soon. It's a lot of work on a tight and fast timeline, but so worth it.

Until then, just keep quilting!

Quilting with Rulers: Ruler Foot Issues with Auto-Lift Presser Feet

Hello dear readers and quilting friends, I think I and my kids are recovering from our winter cold, flu, plague, pink eye (yes, pink eye. Thanks kids.) mess. I figure I better post something here on my slightly neglected blog before y'all forget about me.

You know how passionate I am for free motion quilting with rulers. So when I heard that Janome Canada did not recommend the ruler foot be used on the Janome S7, MC12000, and MC15000 I wanted to figure out why. I'm pretty sure I have sold the Janome ruler foot combination to owners of these machines and haven't had anyone come back with problems, so what was going on?

Since I work in a Janome dealership, I had access to the S7 and shot a video with my new iPad mini. The mini made editing my video a lot easier than I have been doing it before, so hopefully I will do more videos as soon as I get a camera mount for it.

Watch the video first, but the main issue is the ease of which the presser foot can be raised because these machines have an automatic/electronic presser foot lifter system. It's still an aspect of the lack of clearance between the top of the thick edge of the ruler foot and the bottom of the needle clamp. As always, with any ruler foot, make sure the foot is down when the needle is down and conversely, don't raise the foot when the needle is down.

With this electric lift, it's very easy to accidentally fail to follow this cardinal rule of ruler foot use. Janome Canada says they will not cover any damage to these machines (S7, 12000, and 15000) if you use the ruler foot on it. (I haven't heard anything from Janome America.) I believe the damage would be that of throwing the machine out of time, but I am not entirely certain. This isn't a huge issue to fix, but we don't want to take the machine to the shop.

I think it's doable to use the ruler foot with these machines but that's a risk you've got to decide to take for yourself. I wouldn't want you to do anything to needlessly risk your machine.

My ruler work blog linky party is still open and we've had some incredible work shared through it, so go visit the participants and if you've got a post to share on ruler work, now's the time to do it!

Slippin' and a Slidin'

I can't say it enough.....a smooth slippery surface is your biggest asset when it comes to free motion quilting!

If you can't move your project smoothly, your quilting will have a jerky, uneven look and your stitch length will be inconsistent. Plus, you will be a tense and frustrated quilter!

Putting down a slippery mat of some sort is super seriously helpful! It not only does the obvious of being slippery, but it also covers any cracks between machine and table plus smooths out any bumps on the bed of the machine. These cracks, bumps, and grooves can catch basting pins, feel odd under your hands, cause friction, and cause rulers to rock.

Anytime I have been in a rush to go from regular sewing to free motion sewing and back, I've regretted it if I skip the step of putting down the slider.

For years I've used the Supreme Slider mat and I've loved it. It seems a bit pricey, especially if you get the queen sized mat for the bigger machines. But I've always felt it was worth the cost.

I've heard tell of quilters using some nonstick oven or pan liners for this purpose. I suspect my Goddess Sheet, bought for use with ironing fusible web that doesn't have a paper backing, can be used for the same purpose, but it is an ugly brown. I want a white mat. I've also heard of a similar product called the Sew Slip mat. For the last several days, I've been using the Sew Slip product. It's a smidge bigger than my queen sized Supreme Slider and about $5 cheaper.

It seems like it clings better to my table than my other slider but the other one has been used more and is a bit dusty. I'd have to compare the two products in their brand new condition to really say one way or the other.

The first thing that I noticed was the Sew Slip is slightly textured. This seems very counter to my expectations, but it's so slippery, that the texture doesn't seem to matter. Above is a close up of the sheet to show the slight texture. My Goddess Sheet mentioned above has a similar texture.

I haven't cut a rectangle around my drop-in bobbin case cover yet. I'm going to continue to test this product and see if it holds up well around the needle hole area. I have noticed some stretching of the Supreme Slider after a lot of use.

How about you? Are you using a Supreme Slider, Sew Slip, or teflon oven sheet? I really think something like this is necessary for free motion quilting, even if it's just a slick sheet of plastic, glossy paper, painter's tape or what have you to cover up cracks and bumps on and around the bed of the machine. Let me know what you use, if anything, on your machine?

Breaking out the Big Guns

Or rather, the big rulers! I'm working whenever I can to make my ruler work sampler my first finish of the 2016. I plan on showing it at a talk I'm giving Friday, so time is short.

I'm using a variety of rulers as I quilt, keeping it mostly to the common sizes of rulers and some smaller as I'm keeping my focus on what your typical free motion quilter can comfortably use on their domestic or home machine. These big blank setting triangles can be intimidating with their large space to quilt.

When quilting on a domestic sewing machine, this large ruler can be a little tricky to maneuver. First of all, you need a smooth flat surface as they can get tippy when going across bumps. We don't want to be rockin' in this manner when quilting.

You need to orient your work so that the end of the ruler doesn't run into the machine body to the right as you stitch towards the left.

You may find that the most comfortable orientation of the ruler for stitching may leave the ruler hanging off in space while the quilt drapes down the edge of the table closest to you. Just lift the quilt up and line it up as close as possible for the initial positioning, then let the quilt go while you begin stitching. Check it frequently to see if you need to "course correct." Once you've stitched about half the length of the ruler, it should be back on the table.

I brought out my biggest ruler, the QPC #20 (coming to the shop soon!) for some nice curves on two setting triangles which are 12 inches on the shorter sides. Previously, I had used a smaller ruler across 2 other setting triangles of the same size. It was half the size (QPC#10) and I used it for half the distance to create a double scallop kind of design.

It helps that I have an 11" throat on my machine, but you can use the larger rulers on a smaller machine too. Just use the tips above and remember that the bigger the ruler, the more likely it is to slip. I make sure my bigger rulers have some sort of non-slip product on the bottom. My favorites are the True Grips and HandiGrip Strips.

More pics coming soon as well as a tutorial showing how to get feathers to come out even in repeated spaces.

Have you ever set yourself some crazy deadlines with your projects? It seemed like I had plenty of time, but I've had a drastic change to my schedule and time to quilt has been hard to find.

Gotta go stitch!

Time to Tidy the Studio

The new year always has me cleaning, organizing, and trying to get my world pulled together so I can tackle some great goals. This year is no different and I've got several big projects to tackle. Since my two biggest accomplishments of last year weren't even a glimmer this time in 2015 (My Craftsy class- Quilting with Rulers on a Home Machine (50% off link there!)and opening my online shop, Amy's Quilting Adventures, to sell my favorite supplies for ruler work and other tools), I'm extra motivated to prepare myself for whatever lies ahead!

 The first order of business was to corral my plethora of papers, pictures, and Post It notes. A quick trip to Staples and I brought home some pretty magazine holders in my favorite colors of turquoise and white to put next to my "inbox". I'm using them on their sides to hold files files and papers. (Got that idea from David Allen's Getting Things Done system) The Post Its were put into my bullet journal. Here's a video on the bullet journal. I can't ever stick with a pre-made planner, but I've gravitated to this from making to-do lists on far too many separate pieces of paper, Post-It's, and other notebooks. Here's a link to Bullet Journal Joy, who has a prettier, more artsy vibe. Both folks use some fancy notebooks, but I use a simple Walmart blank journal.

Not too shabby.

Now that the papers and computer were taking up only half of my work surface, it was time to make sure I had space to iron and cut efficiently. I had two ironing surfaces and one was too big for the space, the other was too small. I made a new ironing board out of a piece of plywood 18x22 inches, a layer of batting, and some natural twill. After using my trusty staple gun to put it all together and pulling a 3/8ths inch staple out of my finger (Yeeeouch! Big oops.) I made it a pretty cover of (What else?) turquoise and white.

Now to get to my creative work! I did work on a sample using the TopAnchor Celtic Knot templates. I hope to have them available in the shop soon. Take a look see where I ran out of bobbin thread below. Less than an inch left to stitch and my bobbin comes up empty.

How about you? Are you getting organized? Have some great goals for yourself too, quilty or otherwise?

Of Westalee Rulers, Ruler Thickness, and a Giveaway

Yesterday was my day for the Craftsy Instructors' Blog Hop and I announced my own giveaway of two prizes. One entrant will win a Westalee Ruler Foot Starter Kit and another will win 3 rulers, also from Westalee. Both prizes are courtesy of my shop, Amy's Quilting Adventures. You can enter this giveaway and the Craftsy giveaway here and the winners will be chosen December 14th. (Giveaway is closed.)

Take a few minutes and visit the other stops on our blog hop:

Monday, December 7 

Jackie Kunkel  - Canton Village Quilt Works 

Kate Colleran - Seams Like a Dream   

Tuesday, December 8 

Wendy Gardiner - I sew  

Amy Johnson - Free Motion Quilting Adventures  

Wednesday, December 9 

Maureen Cracknell - Maureen Cracknell Handmade 

Thursday, December 10 

Jan Newton - Newton Custom Interiors  

Friday, December 11 

Laura Nownes - See How We Sew  

Saturday, December 12 

Kelly Ashton - Kelly Quilter  

Sunday, December 13 

Lindsey Stephens - Poetry In Yarn  

This ruler giveaway is a great time to talk about rulers and ruler thicknesses. It's a lot more complicated to choose rulers now than it was when I first adapted this technique for use on sewing machines. It's not a bad thing, having greater choice and new designs is fabulous.

The first rulers available were 1/4 inch thick rulers for use on long arm machines (more or less, the QPC rulers I carry are slightly thinner). They're still great rulers and fairly good to use to the front and sides of the foot on a domestic machine. Many high shank machines can use them behind the foot as well. They're easy to grip in the hand and are nearly indestructible.

Enter Aussie company Westalee into the mix. They had been making long arm rulers and tools for some time when they saw the potential of the domestic machine market. They were willing to not only design a ruler foot that would work on a vast range of machines, but also to cut rulers from thinner stock.

 Now, if a quilter were to only get their rulers from Westalee or a Westalee-only retailer, ruler thickness choice could be very straightforward. You buy the rulers they sell for the foot you've bought from them. Low and medium shanks use the 3mm rulers while the high and high shank special shanks use 4.5mm.

But at the same time there was this American quilter who was playing around with a Janome ruler foot and sharing how it could be used to quilt with rulers on sewing machines. She didn't want anyone to damage their machine so she stuck with the conventional long arm wisdom of not using rotary cutting rulers to quilt with. This was because long arms have feet that hop and because even a non-hopping Janome ruler foot could be set too high off the quilt top and possibly allow the ruler to slide underneath the foot. Cutting rulers are 3mm, as are the thinnest Westalee rulers.

That American is me and I've taught a lot of people to how to use rulers to guide their free motion quilting on a variety of stationary machines. I admit it, I have a bias against the 3mm rulers. Maybe it's unjustified, but as I teach those who use the Janome ruler foot as well as the Westalee foot, I think my guidelines are sound. Read on to see why I prefer the 4.5mm rulers and also where you might still want the 3mm if you have a low shank machine.

Westalee ruler foot (left) and Janome ruler foot combination seen from bottom.

The Janome ruler foot (one half of the Janome Frame Quilting Foot Set, mounted on the Convertible Free Motion Foot Set) has a smooth, curved, cup at the bottom of the foot, as well as a spring adjustment for height. This makes it very easy to adjust the height and also allows it some give when hitting a thick bulky seam. It also means that there's a potential for the 3mm rulers to wedge underneath the foot.

I love the option of the 4.5mm thick rulers! They're easier to grip in the hand and feel sturdier than the 3mm rulers. They fit under the presser foot bar of nearly all low shank machines, yet are a substantial thickness against the edge of the ruler foot so they won't slip under the foot.

 In both of these pics, the foot is adjusted too high on the machine in order to show the presser foot bar peeking out from the bottom. Above is the 4.5mm ruler in quilting position, below is the 3mm ruler in position.

The measurement from the bottom of the Westalee Low Shank Ruler foot to the bottom of the shank portion that attaches to the presser foot bar of a machine is 1/4 inch (6mm) so it appears there is plenty of room for a 4.5mm thick ruler to run all the way around the foot. And this is the case for many low shank machines. With my low shank Janome 3160 used in these pictures, I can even use the Quilted Pineapple Curves rulers which are 5mm.

In talking to the folks at Sew Steady, the distributor for Westalee here in the states, as long as even one low shank machine can't fit a 4.5mm ruler all the way around the ruler foot, they're going to recommend the 3mm rulers for all low shank machines. It makes it easy for them to just make that recommendation.

So when might a 4.5mm ruler not work with a low shank ruler foot?

• When the presser foot bar sticks out from under the bottom of the shank portion of the Westalee low shank foot. This might only happen on some machines when using a thick batting and the foot has been raised higher. It could be the case for some machines all the time. Remember, this issue only affects use of rulers under the presser foot bar, behind the foot where we don't place a basic ruler most of the time. It is an issue when using interior shaped rulers or specialty rotating rulers on machines with this set up.

Here you can see the foot is set very high on the shank and the presser foot bar is poking out from below. It's actually too high to quilt in this position, but done as an example.

• When the hand screw for the shank attachment is excessively large. So far this issue actually has happened to at least 2 of my students and from details given to me by one of them, they had room for the 4.5mm rulers under the screw, but had 1/4 inch rulers they wanted to use. This might not always be the case, the 4.5mm might not fit on these machines with a thick batting.

I actually find the second scenario more troubling than the first, as to the left of the foot is a prime position for working with rulers. In the latest case, it was a Singer S18 machine. This is a clone of the Janome 6500. (I've got a few possible solutions and adjustments for this issue that I'll save for the end of this post for those who are interested)

It is important to note that since I began selling the Westalee products in September, I haven't had a customer tell me they couldn't use their 4.5mm ruler with their low shank machine. Whether that means they couldn't fit one behind their foot completely, I don't know. I think the number of machines who can't is pretty small.

In the examples in this post, I'm using a Hobb's 80/20 batt which is a fairly thick batting. Immediately above and below, I've doubled the sample for explanation purposes while the foot remains set on the presser foot bar in the highest position possible. (On this Janome 3160, I could have reduced the presser foot pressure and drop the foot down for a bit more room.) You can see below that this set up leaves very little room for the 4.5mm ruler behind the foot. That's some seriously thick batting! Even thicker than using one layer of 80/20 and a layer of wool.

The same guideline that makes it easy for Westalee to recommend the different thickness of rulers, makes it hard for me to carry a good selection of rulers in both sizes (I'd have to nearly double my inventory), plus the thicker rulers from other manufacturers. My preference to sell the 4.5mm rulers has made it a little harder for Westalee. I've talked to the folks there and they do get some "Amy said..." questions, but they don't hold it against me too much. They know I'm selling to a variety of customers using a variety of feet and give them a lot of free press. I'm not an affiliate, nor do they pay me to promote their stuff, so I'm free to give my full opinion.

Here's the Westalee Ruler foot in the proper position for quilting on this sample with Hobb's 80/20 using the 4.5mm ruler. Plenty of room.

I like to carry rulers that I've actually used frequently and I keep it to a fairly basic but very useful assortment. So far there have only been a few rulers with an interior shape that low shank machine users might prefer to have in the 3mm thickness. I am now adding that option. I will also be adding some other Westalee rulers that will wrap around the foot and I will stock these in both thicknesses.

I do my best to give detailed descriptions of the products I sell so that you can make informed decisions. If you have concerns about the suitability of a template or ruler for your machine (or the ruler foot) just send me an email at amy@amysquiltingadventures.com

Additionally, if there's a Westalee product that you're dying to have and it's not listed in my store, I can place special orders!

Now, about that large screw of the S18 and Janome 6500. There are 3 options plus a tweak:

• replace the screw with something with a smaller head. You may be able to get one from a sewing machine repair center or even a good hardware center.
• Buy thinner rulers.
• Alter the screw- A recent customer had her husband file the thumbscrew portion down! She was serious about wanting to use that Double S ruler and I admire her willingness to think outside the box.
• The tweak: make sure the presser foot pressure is reduced as much as possible and lower the ruler foot to a lower position. This is a useful tweak for all low shank machines if they've got this feature.

That's all I have on ruler thickness, but I'm open to questions! Hit me up in the comments. I'd also like to hear from anyone that has a low shank machine that can't use the 4.5 rulers well with their low shank machine. Let me know what brand and model you have as I'd like to create a list.

Oh, Hoppy Day! A Craftsy Blog Hop

I'm cooperating with a lovely group of Craftsy instructors to spread the news about some great classes on the super convenient Craftsy platform and to also share a few thoughts on creativity.

In fear of making my loyal readers sick of hearing about my class, many of whom have already taken Quilting With Rulers on a Home Machine, I'm going to come at this post from a different angle than what might be expected.

 More than quilting, maybe even more than free motion quilting, I am passionate about encouraging a person's creativity. At some point in childhood most of us are told we aren't good enough to be an artist. But most of us go on to have a creative hole inside us that wants to be filled with creative activity of some sort. Depending on the paths we take as young adults, some find their creative side faster than others. But that childhood fear of "not good enough" can be hard to shake.

Here's the basic technique- a ruler foot, a ruler, and quilting!

The Craftsy platform is such a fabulous place for creative people of all styles and those in search of their creative side. When trying something new it can be intimidating to do it in the midst of a group of people, some or all who may be strangers. Craftsy allows us to take classes in the privacy of our own homes, maybe even in our PJs!

Rulers come in many sizes, shapes, thicknesses and types! I talk about them all.

I like to learn about creativity. In How to be Creative: 6 Secrets Backed by Research, the number 1 key to increasing creativity is to try new stuff. Nothing earth-shattering, but if you live in a small town at some distance from a large metropolitan area, trying something new can be a challenge.

Some are pretty fancy and make fabulous designs!

Two other 'secrets' of creativity are to think like an outsider and to just keep trying. The former lines up nicely with try new stuff and the latter is easy to do with Craftsy's life time purchase of these classes. These two factors were instrumental to the development of my class's technique as I longed to create the smooth curves and straight lines that long arm quilters were able to stitch with the aid of rulers. I thought outside the box like an outsider and kept trying as I adapted their technique for use on a stationary sewing machine.

In my class I show how a special foot and thick acrylic rulers in conjunction with free motion quilting will help you create those smooth curves and straight lines on your sewing machine or sit-down long arm system. Sounds like an advanced technique doesn't it? The great thing is you don't have to be an expert at free motion quilting to do this!

If you've had enough experience with moving the quilt sandwich under the needle in free motion, you are ready to try quilting with rulers. In fact, my very first class review gave me 5 stars and said: "Great class. Made free motion attainable for the first time." 

If you are an experienced, even very talented free motion quilter, you'll love that this class will show you how to enlarge your tool box of skills and bring an element of structure to your quilts that allows your free motion quilting to really shine.

Additionally, if you are a traditional style quilter, rulers will help you mimic the traditional lines of hand quilted quilts with your machine accurately and without the turn and stuff of using a walking foot on a large quilt.

The exciting part about this class is that it's a great way to bring out the artist and engineer in all of us! You know, that left-brain, right-brain thing? I always forget which side of the brain is responsible for each aspect, so I'm going with the artist and engineer version. Both can be just as creative as the other, but in different ways.

All the quilting in this picture was done with ruler work.

I am an artist. Not in the hoity-toity art gallery sense of the word, but in the no rules, wing it kind of way. It makes me a great free motion quilter and a pretty brave project designer. It also means that I'm not such a great piecer. That's the domain of the engineer. Straight lines, measuring, and *shudder* math. Odd that I'd be promoting the use of rulers then, right? Ruler work helps me develop those engineer-like bones to my projects that allow me to show case my free motion quilting, but within a structure that helps balance the design of my projects.

Then I can go crazy with my free motion fills!

Many quilters are fabulous piecers. They have more of that engineer thing going on in their brains. Fabulous quilts with precise points and corners. But tell them to just quilt a random design in free motion and they feel a little lost. "Where do I go next?" they often ask. With rulers, the direction is clear; follow the edge of the ruler.

For more information about my class, head over to my class page where you can watch the free video trailer. In the class I give you the important basics of the necessary ruler foot, the wide diversity in rulers, the basic technique, and then we dive into some great designs with rulers.

Visit the participating Craftsy blog-hoppers and see what fabulously creative information and classes they have for you. The schedule is below:

Monday, December 7 

Jackie Kunkel  - Canton Village Quilt Works 

Kate Colleran - Seams Like a Dream   

Tuesday, December 8 

Wendy Gardiner - I sew  

Amy Johnson - Free Motion Quilting Adventures  

Wednesday, December 9 

Maureen Cracknell - Maureen Cracknell Handmade 

Thursday, December 10 

Jan Newton - Newton Custom Interiors  

Friday, December 11 

Laura Nownes - See How We Sew  

Saturday, December 12 

Kelly Ashton - Kelly Quilter  

Sunday, December 13 

Lindsey Stephens - Poetry In Yarn  

Edited to add: My apologies if anyone tried some of these links earlier and they didn't work. They work now.

What good would a blog hop be without a giveaway or two? In my case, how about three?

First, Click here to purchase any of the classes from any of the instructors on the blog hop and you will be automatically entered to win any other class of your choosing for FREE at the conclusion of the blog hop.  Winners will be chosen on December 14, 2015 and there will be one winner per instructor. That's the official Craftsy giveaway. Craftsy's got great prices on all the classes right now during their 12 Days of Christmas Promotion!

Now, I've also got two prizes to give away! The first prize is a Westalee Ruler Foot Starter Kit for those who don't have a ruler foot to try this class and technique yet. (I'll email the winner to find out the correct shank type.) The second prize is three rulers! I'll get a photo up of these rulers tomorrow (Wednesday) but there's an 8" arc, a 12" curve #1 and 12" curve #2, all by Westalee. 

Just fill out this form with your name, email, let me know if you've already got a ruler foot for your machine and also if you've watched my class already. 

A winner will be chosen for all three giveaways on December 14th and contacted via email. Winners are announced on this post.

Thanks for coming along on this blog hop and please take a little time to click over and visit the other stops! Leave me a comment and let me know if this class is brand new to you, if you've taken it already, or if you've been following along with my ruler work and quilting adventures for quite some time already.