Advanced Ruler Work for Quilting by Sue Nickels

Intermediate | 1 hour

Taught by Sue Nickels

The beauty of a meticulously-crafted wholecloth quilt is impossible to understate and can seem intimidating to the uninitiated. Quilter and author Sue Nickels demystifies the process by breaking it down into manageable steps. First plan out your design by dividing your quilt into segments, and carefully mark from the center out. Then, trace ruler shapes for precisely rendered designs. Finally, explore feathers and fillers as a finishing touch, resulting in a miniature heirloom piece.

Learn how to:

Make ruler work on your home sewing machine
Design and plan a quilt
Baste and mark a quilt
Work with rulers in conjunction with free motion quilting
Work with multiple rulers in a single quilt
Work feather and fan filler stitches

What you'll get:

Easy-to-follow video lessons on how to use rulers and free-hand stitching to make wholecloth quilts
11 HD video lessons you can access online anytime, anywhere
Detailed supply list and PDF with reference photos
Step-by-step instructions by expert quilter and quilt book author Sue Nickels
The ability to leave comments, ask questions and interact with other students

Chapters

Advanced Ruler Work for Quilting
Overview00:32
Materials04:42
Designing and marking12:46
Basting04:26
Machine set-up10:33
Straight line ruler11:34
Center circle10:09
Arcs16:35
Feathers08:27
Filler stitches08:28
Ruler work filler stitches20:07

Materials

Here’s what you’ll need:

Sewing Machine and ruler foot (Sue uses a #72 adjustable ruler foot on her Bernina machine)
Straight Stitch Throat Plate
Handi Grip Strips
Sewing Gauge
Snips
Quilters Gloves or rubber glove fingertips
Marking pencils (Sue uses Quilters Choice from Roxanne’s)
Pencil Sharpener
Rulers for measuring and marking
Sewing machine needles (Sue uses Schmetz Microtex Sharp- size 70/10)
Thread- Aurifil 50/2 Blue, Purple, Pink and Yellow
Hand sewing needle with contrasting thread for basting
Design supplies (graph paper, pencils, markers, stitching line discs, circle template)
Masking tape
Safety pins- Size 1 (130 needed) or 505 Spray Adhesive
Quick Klip
Rulers
Straight Line Ruler, *Large Nesting Circles, Mini leaf and Pointed Leaf/Oval (the Straight Line Ruler is available in the Bernina ruler set for domestic machines. Other rulers available from Quilters Rule: www.quiltersrule.com or 1-800-343-8671
For most high shank machines:
Mini Straight Line Ruler ¼”- QR-MSLT
*Inside Large Circle ¼”- MQT-NLC08
Mini Leaf ¼”- MQT-MN03
Pointed Leaf/Oval ¼”- MQT-L01
For most low shank machines:
Mini Straight Line Ruler 3/16”- HMQT-MSLT
*Inside Large Circle 3/16” NA- Use Pointed Leaf/Oval
Mini Leaf 3/16”- HMQT-MN03
Pointed Leaf/Oval ¼”- HMQT-L01
Please note: Since the filming of this class, Sue has designed two new rulers with Quilter’s Rule that could be used for this project in place of the original rulers:
For most high shank machines (¼” ruler):
MQT-SN-CW (Circle Wedge Set)
MQT-SN-SL (Straight Line Tool)
For most low shank machines (3/16” ruler):
HMQT-SN-CW (Circle Wedge Set)
HMQT-SN-SL (Straight Line Tool)
For project:
Cream fabric for top- 37 x 37”
Print fabric for backing- 41 x 41”
Batting - 41 x 41”
Binding fabric - 1/2 yard