What would we do without our rulers?!  Aside from the sewing machine, a rotary cutter and ruler are probably a quilter’s most used tools.   Even applique quilters use a rotary cutter and ruler to cut background pieces and binding. 

Most of us start with the old standby, a 6.5″ x 24.5″ ruler.  This one by Creative Grid has embedded gripper dots to help hold the fabric and keep the ruler from slipping.   The ruler is marked so you can measure by half inchies on one side.  Flip it around and the bold markings are whole inches.  Angles of 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees are marked in white.

Another popular 6.5 x 24.5 ruler has pink around the 1.2″ edges. This helps to remind you that you have ruler facing the 1/2″ side as opposed to the whole inch side. It saves on fabric wasted due to incorrect measuring.

If you travel to sew-in’s or retreats, the Creative Grid 4.5″ x 12.5″ ruler is a must. So much easier that toting your big ruler.  It’s marked the same as the larger ruler, including all the angles.

A square ruler is another handy one to have.  Creative Grid’s square rulers have a 90 degree angle printed in black.  It’s great for trimming half square triangles.  I keep adding to my square ruler collection.  It’s so handy to have several sizes. . . . 6.5″, 9.5″, 12.5″, 16.5″, 20.5″ . . .  it’s and addiction!

We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of quilter’s rulers.  There are so many specialty rulers.  Do you have a favorite?

This month’s Facebook First Friday deal is 10% off our already discounted prices on rulers and tools…. ALL OF THEM!

Here’s your chance to stock up on all the tools you need to make your quilting easier.  All the bacis rulers can be found, plus lots of specialty ones.  Here’s a sampling.

Wonky flying geese (not to be confused with honking flying geese) make piecing hard!  The Quilt-in-a-day Large Flying Geese ruler will making trimming perfect flying geese a breeze. Two finished sizes: 2″ x 4″ and 4″ x 8″.

Tri-Recs Tools are THE tools for cutting triangles.  They take the mind-numbing hassle out of figuring the angles and sizes… it’s all right there on the rulers.  An instruction booklet is included.

If you do a lot of fusible applique, the Craft & Applique Sheet is handy to use.  Lay the transparent sheet over the layout design, add your pieces and press.  You’ll get perfect placement.  Fusible web is easily removed.

Have you always wanted to make a Giant Dahlia quilt but didn’t want to mess with cardboard templates and all that hand cutting.   No worries… The Giant Dahlia Template Set includes the nine pieces – all acrylic templates made for rotary cutting! – you’ll need to make to make a queen/double quilt.  All instructions included to make a 54″ Dahlia center in an 84.5″ x 101.5″ quilt.

So if you are a fan of QuiltersWarehouse on Facebook (and if you aren’t, why aren’t you?! – become one!), head on over to Facebook and get the coupon code.  Then check out the rest of the tools and stock up now!  And, as always, the Facebook First Friday deal is good until then end of the day on Sunday. 

AF Enterprises has done it again. Unique, “gotta-have” innovations are their specialty and this year is no exception. If you have taken advantage of their past releases you will certainly want to do so again.

AF Enterprises will unveil their new state-of-the-art Quilters Visual Social Network April 1st. The latest technology can be found in their new versatile, planet friendly, always ready QLCD. You really won’t want to live without it and you don’t have to! Best enjoyed when your friends have one too. Be sure to check Quilter’s Warehouse tomorrow for all the details.

My seam ripper is, and always will be, my best friend forever when it comes to quilting tools.    It has gotten me out of countless jams and messes and made the day right again. I just can’t get along without one. I don’t know a quilter who can. But I found a runner-up.

I seldom sew by hand. I have even been known to sew my bindings on completely by machine. (Please don’t tell the quilt police.) But sometimes you MUST sew those bindings by hand. It takes me as long to thread a needle as it does to sew the binding. Until I started using this gadget, the Needle Threader. I LOVE IT!

It looked complicated and confusing until I saw how it worked. You just lay the thread across the slot made for it, drop in the needle upside down (the needle threader turns it just the right way!), push the button. Tah Dah! Ready to sew.

It’d be hard to get any easier than this!  Fieldstones can be made from  scraps and you can enjoy seeing bits of all your recent quilts.  Or showcase a new or favorite fabric line and make it from Layer Cakes and Jelly Rolls.    A perfect quilt to showcase a line of fabric or all the fabrics from your recent quilts.  Instructions for crib, lap and twin size.  A pillow pattern is also included.

Goober Peas has a great diagonal or on-point look to it but it’s just hourglass blocks and oversized center nine patch blocks.  Again, easy, but with a great look.  This quilt is a good one for using your reproduction scraps.

We can’t quilt non-stop. Sometimes we have to shop!  Here’s a cute bag you can make to carry with you on your next shopping trip.  You’ll get lots of help with neat tips and cool tricks when you make this EZ Bag.   You can dress this one up or make it flirty and casual. Bet you’ll make more than one!

Control your scraps and make your own Charm Squares.  This Charm Wizard ruler makes it easy.  Also great for fussy cutting.

Blizzard Table Runner can be made with the stitchery center – a very cute snowman – or without.  It’s a winner either way.  If you make it without the stitchery you can use red white and blue fabrics and you’ll have a stunning patriotic table runner. 

These are just a few of the new items.  Check out the rest of the new quilt patterns at Quilters Warehouse.

When I first started quilting I went out and bought all my supplies.  A cutting mat, a rotary cutter, and a ruler.  I bought a nice big ruler and figured I was all set.  Why would I ever need another one?  Oh, how naive I was!   I made a log cabin, a split rail, and then a nine patch quilt.  My ruler was awesome!   Then I saw a split nine patch that I wanted to try.  Hmm, marking those diagonal lines on my squares so I could make half square triangles sure was awkward with my nice big 22 1/2” X 6 1/2″ ruler. 

The Creative Grid 4.5″ square ruler was perfect.  Just the right size to mark my diagonal lines.  Sitting in front of the TV with a stack of squares and a small ruler worked out great.  And, when the half square triangles were sewn and pressed, the square ruler was just right for trimming the squares to size with the diagonal laid right along the diagonal seam.  Beautiful half square triangles.  This opened a whole new world.  There are several sizes of square up rulers and it so much easier when you have just the right size, whether it’s a 4.5″ one or and 18″ one.  As long as it fits the job.

For lots of different triangles, there’s the Tri-Recs Ruler.  Your 1/4″ seam allowance is included.  Sold in a set of two, an instruction book will help you learn all the things you can do with these rulers.

We’ve just scratched the surface when it comes to rulers.  There are lots more.  How is your collection?