When I learned to quilt I was blessed with teachers who embraced quilting as an adventure and encouraged me to try all the things. I didn't realize the quilting world was full of "rules", quests for perfection and the idea that some things were too hard for quilters to try until they had a few decades of experience under their belt.
I once rode my bike 100 km on a whim and then was told that people train for that before attempting to do. Ha! I wasn't even athletic and my Mum almost died of worry but I was told there was ice cream in it for me and I will do almost anything for ice cream, lol!
The first two quilts I made I finished with free-motion quilting. I was then later told this was a hard technique. I honestly didn't think it was hard but like anything, it would require practice to get it to look exactly how you envision it.
Free-motion quilting is when you set up your machine to only move the needle up and down, the feed dogs are usually dropped or covered, then the quilter moves the quilt in all different directions under the needle. Think of it like someone is holding a pen to the paper and you move the paper to make the words appear instead of moving the pen. As you can imagine, this is completely freeing but also a whole new skill set to learn.
Learning to ride a bike is tricky. There are so many new things to remember and new motions your body has to make. Once you have learned this skill your body normally doesn't forget. This journey is similar to learning free-motion quilting. In a few years you will be able to sit down with a quilt, move your hands and magic will appear. If you are new to free-motion quilting we need to give you the tools, give you a few different options and give you a lot of opportunity to practice.
I personally think Ruler Quilting is like training wheels for free-motion quilting. Having a guide for you to follow allows you to build muscle memory while making some fun designs. About a year ago I wrote a blog post on Ruler Quilting which has some excellent tips to get you started. Today I want to show you some ruler quilting in action to see how it translates into building your skills to eventually try without the rulers.
Today I'm using a circle "ruler" or template because I have a quilt coming up that I want to use it on and it's nice to practice first. These rulers are part of the Janome Sew Comfortable product line, available from your Janome dealer. Let's see how it goes.
I have my machine all set up for ruler quilting. I'm using a Janome Purple Tip Needle Sze 90/14, Part Number: 202122001. With it's flared "Cobra head", the needle helps separate the fibers of the fabric so the bobbin thread and needle thread can intersect in the middle of the quilt sandwich more easily. They also eliminate skipped stitches!
I put in a Janome Low Tension/ Blue Dot Bobbin Holder which is set for 8grams of tension; lower than the usual 10-13grams of the standard bobbin holder used for regular sewing. This helps eliminate the eye-lashing and bird's nests of thread on the back of the quilt which can often happen with free-motion and ruler quilting, especially when it's new to you. There are different bobbin holders for the various machine models, so double check with your Janome dealer to ensure you get the correct one for your machine.
I have my Janome 1/4" Ruler Foot installed. On the Janome Continental M7 it's the (QR) Foot included with the machine, but there's different versions of the 1/4" ruler work foot for the various machine models, so be sure you get the correct one for your machine. Click on the link above for descriptions and Part Numbers.
Before I use the ruler I want to show you where my free motion circle skills are at. I'm going to say, they need some work. Lol.
Now on to the ruler!
As you can see, I completed a few circles at different speeds. Figuring out how fast to move your hands in comparison to your needle takes practice. Fast needle, fast hands; slower needle, slow hands; fast needle and slow hands. Experiment what works best for you.
Honestly, I know there is a standard for how long stitches should be but I really don't fuss too much about this. I like my stitches large enough to be easy enough to pick out if I make a mistake but not so large you can fit a finger under. Anything in between is acceptable to me. Yes, consistent sizes may be prettier but we aren't worrying about that while learning a new skill. We are embracing all the wonkiness as a part of our journey.
I'm using a scrap of 2" squares I have from piecing my latest quilt. It's the perfect practice piece. I use the seam lines as a guide on where to move the ruler next. Sometimes I think I forget to play. It's not all about finishing something amazing, its about having fun and trying new things and building skills.
At this point I've now made 27 circles. I'm going to try a free motion circle again. Do you think it will be any better than the first one?
Right: First circle, Left: Last Circle
I think I see a big improvement here! With some more ruler work practice I think I could attempt some free motion circles on a quilt!
Circles in general are hard because there really isn't a resting point. Here are some free-motion petals I did recently. I actually forgot I had done these free hand and when I was looking at this quilt again I was trying to remember what ruler I used. Are they perfect? Not even close. However, my muscle memory keeps on improving every time I break out my rulers and practice.
Don't be afraid to take on a big project using ruler quilting, free-motion quilting, or combine both techniques. You will learn so much during this project and your skill will skyrocket. This quilt is ginormous and I decide to ruler quilt it last year. I can see my skill grow over the course of the quilt and I love seeing that growth. Give it a try!
Stitch on!
~ AmandaBee
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