I am curious about the free-motion templates I have seen sold. What do you Cuties know about these, are they easy to use, or efficient to use? Do you have them, or do you know which ones might be the best??? Thanks for sharing all these things!

I have a set of rulers and the ruler foot...I find that it is fairy easy with a bit of practice to do a small size block, BUT when I have tried on a quilt, I have found that it is very difficult with the weight of the quilt to move with the rulers... Not a fan. It was a fairly expensive "test" and one that I don't use unless I am just doing a small project... I have found it much easier to do in-the-hoop quilting with my embroidery machine with re-hooping to join the segments of quilting. Some call it Edge-to-Edge quilting. If I had know then what I know now, I would not have made the ruler and ruler foot purchases.

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 03 Apr 2021

Thanks for your experience. I do pretty well with just free motion stippling.... so I wondered if this would be more trouble than it's worth...

I may be the only one thinks like this, but when I think of free motion , that is exactly what I think. No templates, no rulers just freely (without anything)moving (motion). I call using a ruler quilting just that, quilting with a ruler. There are templates you can trace onto fabrics too and quilt following the markings.
Like Angie stated it is much easier to quilt ,with a ruler, something small. I think it’s much harder too when you quilt moving the fabric while holding a ruler verses moving the machine while holding a ruler. Which way do you quilt? A long arm machine on a frame or a sit down long arm in a table? I do the latter and can only tell you I have used a ruler for just one of my quilts so far, the sunflower quilted in a crosshatch, for Lanie. All my other quilts have been moving the quilt freely as I stitch, in any and all directions ( that is true free motion to me).
I have played with rulers but it would take me a lot of practice to get good. I personally wouldn’t be able to do anything of any good size, because it is too much weight to move around smoothly. I would love to own a long arm where the machine was moved instead of the quilt but that’s just a dream.
I don’t want to discourage you. Maybe after practicing enough on smaller items with rulers your brain would be trained to then tackle a bigger project, without rulers or markings.

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 03 Apr 2021

Thanks, Toogie, I was thinking just the same..... I do pretty well with free motion stippling. I actually enjoy doing it because it is hard to mess up much!

I have some and find them a bit difficult to use with my sewing machine. I like them when I use my small long arm since I can hold down the template with one hand and guide the machine with the other. Notice when they show the technique on Videos that they only use small pieces. It is more difficult when dealing with a large quilt

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 03 Apr 2021

That totally makes sense to me too. I just have my sewing machine, not even a long arm, and I'm thinking they may be more trouble than I want! Thanks so much

I have the Bernina set. I know there are a lot of different shapes and sizes for sale and as long as they are thick enough (1/4 ") they can be used whatever machine you have.
Watched a number of instruction videos, but I must say it will take quite a bit of practising before I'll be able to use them as seemingly effortless and successful as the demonstrators!

1 comment

by hightechgrammy 03 Apr 2021

Thanks, I don't think I want to put in all that practice!