You were SO very careful and yet once again your points are not matching and your quilt block is not going together right and you want to cry. Or maybe you are already crying and have moved on to a drink ( quilting can do that to you sometimes).
The fact is that while there might be 50 ways to leave your lover there are possibly 100 ways to F*ck up a quilt block and some of them have nothing at all to do with you and everything to do with the tools you are using.
Getting things Straight-
My mother-in-law’s ruler is an excellent example of a serious accuracy offender. This ruler is well over 10 years old and has been used a LOT. I can say that with great confidence since it is about as straight as a politician and about as reliable!
Do your rulers pass the test?? – I personally had three that failed. I found that the longer the ruler the more chance it has been carved out over the years.
The Pass / Fail Quilting Ruler Test
You will need a nice flat, hard work surface and some index cards.
To check how straight ( accurate) your cut is going to be hold the ruler on it’s side and try to slide a single index card under the length of the ruler. With a well/ overused ruler you are going to find it easy to slip the card right under the center of the ruler and slide it back and forth to a certain point. With a terrible ruler you can even slide in a couple of cards! Being able to do this shows that over time rotary cutting up against that edge has worn away the plastic.
Generally speaking the older/ more used the ruler the more curve you are going to find. And while this might not look like much over the course of a quilt with lots of piecing it can add up to lost inches without much effort!
Possible Hope-
Check both sides of your ruler. Depending on the style, your handedness and use you probably have one side with way more wear than the other. If new rulers are not in the budget right now you can use the other edge if it is better condition.
Sucking it up – Time to Get New Rulers –
Which brand of rulers do you love?…. I am looking for a ruler brand to be a sponsor here at BAQS… who should I be talking to??
I like Omnigrid rulers, and most of mine are still yellow. I have a few of the green Omnigrids and they are fine. The ones with the white circles all over them confuse me; I hate them.
I put Invisigrip on all my rulers and templates. (I love Marti Michell’s Perfect Patchwork Templates)
Creative Grids. The 6-1/2 x 24-1/2 is the one I use for large cuts, but the 6-1/2 x 2-1/2 or 6-1/2 x 1-1/2 is SO convenient to have next to you at the sewing machine, along with a small mat.
Don’t get the Cutting Edge rulers with self sharpening edges. I bought one several years ago. It was very inaccurate. I wrote the company and complained. They sent me one of every size, about 8 of them, for free. All but 2 were very inaccurate. Several were not even clear so that I could see thru them. Bad, bad quality control!!!
My favorite are my old style Omnigrid. I don’t like the new style florescent ones but I am very lucky to be ambidextrous so my old ones are all still in very good condition. I also have a lot of them and I rotate them frequently so that helps too.
Really like my Creative Grids. I am able to see the lines better than the Omnigrids. Out of town so I can’t check my rulers right now. Yuck on your bug! Hoping that we don’t come down with it after this trip! Feel better and your temporary assistant has really grown to be quite the ham!?
I like Olfa frosted because the markings are easy to see. Second favorite are Creative Grids.
Thank you for the tip! I constantly forget my rulers when I go to my quilting group and it shows. I did not think to check the rulers…. I use Creative Grids for my go to ruler. Specality rulers may depend on who sells them, but I don’t have many of those.
My favorite ruler is the Stripology Ruler designed by Gudrun Erla. I think it is now distributed by Creative Grids but it is the BEST ruler for consistency. A very good investment.
My favorites are Creative Grid rulers because of the anti-slip feature. The kind with the sharpener built in do not measure correctly. The ones with the raised lines to hold the fabric are great but wear out faster. The best product to add to slippery rulers is True Grips.
I love my 6 X 24 and 2.5 X 18 rulers. The other rulers that get used a lot are the squares, 15 X 15 and the 25 X 25. I will be testing the old reliable rulers tonight for accuracy. It may be time to replace the 6 X 24 one. I noticed some problems with the last quilt and this may be the problem.
I use a variety from 2.5 sq -6X24 all anti-slide. My favorite has a sharpener on one side for rotary cutter
Creative Grids also my preference.
Well now, this explains everything. I have two that have chipped corners and I have been reluctant to part with them as they are constant companions. This is permission to shop, like I needed that! Thank you very much!
Creative Grids has a new one out with 1/8″ markings. I am not sure what sizes they come in, but I usually use a 6×24 ruler the most.
One of my rulers failed; it has only been 5 years. Pricing a new one and mat.
I mistyped – the 6-1/2 inch square, not the 5-1/2 inch square! Moderator, you can correct that and then delete this note if you like.
I love my Creative Grids rulers. The 6-1/2 by 24-/12 is my go to ruler, but I also find the 5-1/2, 9-1/2, and 16-1/2 inch squares to be extremely useful. I make a lot of square flannel receiving blankets and the 20-1/2 square would be very useful.
OK, My ruler is guilty. But I just can’t throw away a member of the family. I already have a new one but this one must stay. I use Simplicity Studio-Simpli-EZ-Rule-Darlene Zimmerman.
1st. Y’all are a hoot!
2nd. I like my new 2 1/2×6 1/2 for little things but I think my very old 6 1/2 x 24 might fall into the old enough to be replaced catagory! Good advice!
I use the green Omnigrid. My question is how do you prevent this from happening period? I have replaced my rulers so many times. I’ve oftened wondered if anyone else had this problem. Thanks for the post…now I know!