Quilting rulers. There are so many lines on them and to be honest, they can be a little intimidating for beginners. Heck, some rulers intimidate experienced quilters! Let’s talk quilting rulers, why they are essential, and how to perfect your fabric cutting skills.
What is a Quilting Ruler?
At its core, a quilting ruler is a specialized measuring tool designed explicitly for quilting projects. Unlike standard rulers, quilting rulers are typically thicker and sturdier to withstand the pressure of rotary cutting. They come in various shapes and sizes, ranging from square and rectangular to triangular and hexagonal, each serving a specific purpose in the quilting process.
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Why is it essential?
Precision is paramount in quilting, where even the slightest deviation can disrupt the entire design. Quilting rulers provide quilters with the accuracy they need to make precise cuts, ensuring that fabric pieces fit together seamlessly. Whether you’re cutting strips, squares, triangles, or intricate shapes, a quilting ruler acts as a guide, allowing you to maintain consistent measurements throughout your project.
Why All of the Lines and Angles?
Moreover, quilting rulers often feature additional markings such as angles, grids, and seam allowances, further aiding quilters in achieving perfection. These markings enable quilters to easily measure and cut fabric pieces with precision, saving time and minimizing errors. Watch the Quilting 101 video “Quilting Rulers Explained” below to better understand all of the markings on your quilting rulers.
Are You Using Your Rulers Correctly?
So, when you are using a quilting ruler, are you using it as just a “straight edge” that you run your rotary cutter alongside? Or are you using the markings on the ruler to measure and precisely cut your fabric? If you answered yes to the first question and no to the second question, then this is what is holding you back on accurately cutting quilts pieces for an advanced beginner, intermediate, or advanced quilt pattern.
You may be able to get by as a beginner with inaccurate cutting, but it won’t be long until you will learn that your fabric cutting skills affect your entire quilt. You should never use the lines on your cutting mat to measure your fabric. You should always use those lines and markings on your ruler as what you are using to measure your fabric. It is more precise. Now, you may not think that being a hair’s width off on your cutting matters much. But if you lay that hair’s width side by side over many many seam allowances, suddenly your whole quilt may be off by quite a bit. Has this been happening to you and you are blaming it on your 1/4″ seam allowance being inaccurate? It may be time to examine your fabric cutting skills!
The best way to improve your fabric cutting skills is to cut more fabric! In the wise words of Dory from Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming!” Practice makes perfect and you can do this.
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