Free motion quilting is a beautiful, flowing world of pattern and creativity but sometimes that flow needs a little help! If you're new to free motion quilting we'd recommend checking out our complete guide to free motion quilting and our how to do free motion quilting for beginners tutorial.
Free motion quilting rulers are a fantastic tool that every crafter needs in their arsenal. If you’ve never heard of them, or are interested in discovering how they work, then you’ve come to the right place.
In our guide, we're going to explain what free motion quilting rulers are and show you how to use them. We’ve also collected nine of the best free motion quilting rulers to help you find the perfect one for you.
It’s time for a lesson on free motion quilting rulers!
What are free motion quilting rulers
Free motion quilting rulers are shaped templates that are used with a sewing machine to create neat, consistent patterns.
Typically made from acrylic (so as not to get damaged by your sewing machine needle), they come in a huge variety of designs, shapes and styles.
Free motion quilting rulers are brilliant for beginners and expert quilters alike. They enable you to stitch beautiful designs onto your fabric with very little effort.
It’s easy to slip or accidentally move your fabric/needle while you’re free motion quilting. Rulers help you to keep your fabric secure and patterns professional!
How to use free motion quilting rulers
Using free motion quilting rulers is simple. Follow our step-by-step instructions below and you’ll be quilting in no time!
- First set up your fabric and needle. Then choose the area you want to apply the design to. If you need help with this step, check out how to use a sewing machine tutorial.
- You’ll need to make sure you have a darning foot or a free motion quilting foot on your sewing machine. You can learn more about using a free motion quilting foot here on Gathered.
- Lay your free motion quilting ruler onto your fabric, placing it where you want your pattern to begin. Ensure the fabric is taught underneath or you’ll end up with messy stitches!
- Begin to move your foot around the outside of your free motion quilting ruler. This will leave you with neat stitches about ¼” away from your ruler.
- Once you’ve stitched to the end of your free motion quilting ruler, raise the foot but keep the needle down (this will keep your fabric in place).
- Move your quilting ruler to the next section you want to add stitches to. Pop the foot back down and continue stitching until your design is complete.
- You’ll be left with a lovely free motion quilting pattern and a ruler you can use time and time again!
Angela Walters has created an in-depth YouTube video all about free motion quilting rulers. Her series covers how to sew with lots of different types of free motion quilting rulers including wavy, straight and curved.
Nine free motion quilting rulers you need in your stash!
1. Sowiichi 6pcs Free Motion Quilting rulers
Best for variety
This six pack of free motion quilting rulers are perfect for creating unique patterns. You can create clamshells, flowers, curves and more with the pack, making it a great investment for beginners.
Designed for domestic sewing machines, these rulers are 3mm thick and work brilliantly with free motion quilting machines.
It’s worth noting that this pack doesn't come with a presser foot (most packs won’t) so you may need to pick one of these up separately.
2. Petal shaped free motion quilting ruler
Best for size range
This six pack of quilting petals is ideal for quilters wanting to experiment with size. There’s six interlocking petals starting from 1 inch all the way up to 6 inches.
Made from sturdy 4mm acrylic, these petals allow you to create curves, straight lines and of course, petal shapes!
The six sizes included are great for quilters who work on a range of large and small projects. You’ll be able to add free motion quilting designs to everything from tiny blocks to king-sized quilts.
3. Baptist Fan 1/4” free motion quilting ruler
Best for creating continuous curves
Baptist Fan free motion quilting rulers are a tool every quilter needs in their stash. They’re perfect for quilters wanting to stitch continuous curves. This specific ruler is suitable for both domestic and long arm quilting machines.
You’ll find this ruler is very versatile and can be used to create lots of different designs. We love the green tint too!
Looking for a new quilting machine?
Head over to our round-up of the best sewing machines for quilting and find your dream machine!
4. Sowiichi’s Meander free motion quilting ruler
Best for beginners
This fun free motion quilting ruler from Sowiichi is beginner-friendly and easy to use. This ruler is free-flowing, meaning you can spin and turn it as you stitch to create beautiful wiggly patterns.
Not only do you get this cool squiggly ruler but you'll also receive a ruler foot. This is brilliant for newbies as it allows you to have both essential tools at the ready and you don’t have to worry about finding a foot that fits the ruler.
The foot works with most low shank sewing machines including models from Brother, Janome and more.
5. Butterfly free motion quilting rulers
Best for unique design
Butterfly quilts are pretty, modern and great for little ones. This acrylic free motion quilting ruler is designed to help you stitch perfect butterflies every time.
There’s three sizes to choose from and each butterfly has two wing sizes, allowing you to create a small and large butterfly. Simply flip the template to the other side when you want to stitch the opposite wing.
6. DreamStitch free motion quilting ruler
Best for practicality
DreamStitch has created a free motion quilting tool that can be used in multiple ways. This ¼” acrylic ruler can make three half-circle sizes which are useful for creating circles, clamshells and waved designs.
There’s also a straight edge that you can use as a classic quilting ruler! At 3mm thick, this free motion quilting ruler is designed for low-shank (short shank) machines.
7. Heart free motion quilting rulers
Best for simple yet effective patterns
Spread the love with this free motion quilting ruler from Liquidraw. The set includes both inner and outer rulers in a variety of sizes. The smallest heart starts at just 1 inch with the largest going up to 5 inches.
These hearts would look fabulous stitched onto our cushion cover project.
8. Flower free motion quilting rulers
Best for nature quilt patterns!
All quilts are improved with a touch of floral decoration! Add springtime flowers to all your quilts with Little Maker Company’s free motion quilting ruler. This ruler can also be used as a template, making it worth your money.
9. Free motion quilting ruler and foot kit
Best for those looking for a complete kit
This handy kit includes 11 free motion quilting rulers, a quilting frame, and a collection of ruler feet. Each ruler has a different design allowing you to create a mixture of swirling designs.
There’s nine ruler feet included and all result in different distances from the needle to the edge of the ruler foot. There’s the standard 1/4 inch distance, a 3/8-inch, 1/2-inch and a 3/4-inch. Four of the feet also have different hole sizes, 1.5mm, 2mm and 3mm.
Experiment with the range of sizes in the kit as each one will produce unique effects. Beginners will also love this kit as so many pieces are included in the price!
To start using your free motion quilting rulers check out our how to use a free motion quilting foot.
Introduce free motion quilting rulers into your kit!
Rulers are a piece of kit every free motion quilting enthusiast needs. They will help you to create unique, professional patterns which will elevate your quilt’s overall look.
There are plenty of free motion quilting rulers (along with some fantastic quilting rulers) out there. All you need to do is choose your favourite and start experimenting!
Discover more free motion quilting designs with Gathered
Once you’ve mastered free motion quilting rulers, try taking away the ruler and quilting free hand.
We’ve collected 12 of the best free motion quilting patterns to inspire and excite you!
