Have you ever thought of how a quilter achieved those seemingly intricate coral reef quilts? Would you like to learn to make such interesting designs without having to buy an embroidery machine? Well, the secret to it all is on ruler work quilting, and your creativity. It’s the best technique if you want to produce beautiful and precise patterns on your homemade quilts.
Of course, some of us do have those magical hands and some crazy artistic skills. But still, a quilting ruler is important if you want to take your skills to the next level and other design possibilities.
Just like the mathematical set that you used in high school, however, machine quilting rulers come in different designs and sizes. It’s no secret you might be overwhelmed by the many choices if you’re new to quilting and don’t know what exactly to look.
Gladly, this article brings together everything you need to choose the best machine quilting rulers and also learn how to make the most from them. This includes the easiest fixes on making sure the ruler and the fabric move along in harmony without it sliding over the foot.
What Makes Machine Quilting Rulers So Special?
Indeed a machine quilting ruler is special as it enables even a newbie to produce rich embroidered designs like a pro. With the specialty template rulers, you can even come up with various attractive shapes.
Even so, you have to be very careful and not mistake a machine quilting ruler with a regular quilting ruler. The two have totally different applications, with the latter used to cut fabric while the other guides a sewing machine during quilting. So, the main features of each category are also totally different as seen on No products found. and No products found..
What’s The Best Machine Quilting Rulers
Technically, all the quilting rulers in our list are the best you’ll find in the market right now. It’s only that we have tried to bring them on one page so that you can get to the one you need without much browsing.
Even so, the No products found. is our overall best choice if you’d want to decorate your quilts with various unique patterns, flowers, or even stars. The following is a quick summary of the tool and that of the other alternatives we thought you might like.
Editor’s Choice: No products found.
Has four quilting templates, firm grip on fabrics, Perfect for high shank machines, accurate continuous quilting, robust and durable
Best For Longarm Machines: No products found.
Use with Longarm or domestic machine, well-made design, perfect for Left-handed or right-handed, and see-through for accuracy
Best For Beginners: No products found.
Grips fabric well, easy to read the stitching lines, work with longarm or domestic machine, stop at the exact mark, and make various pattern sizes
Best For Parallel Lines: No products found.
Make long parallel lines, quilt lines in any direction, easy to use, varying border sizes, secure non-slip backing, sturdy and durable
Best For Diamond Patterns: No products found.
Make beautiful marquise floral motifs, strong material, easy to read pattern stitching, accommodates the foot and a hole to hang
Best For Clamshell: No products found.
Six quilting ruler templates, use a low shank sewing machine, crystal clear, white guide lines, and high-quality acrylic material
Best For Leafy Patterns: No products found.
Exclusive adhesive non-slip backing, see-through material, enough space for foot, durable design, black and white dotted guide lines
Premium Choice: No products found.
Delivers fine decorations, effortless to use, work without wobbling, easy to take quilting groups, and open to many possibilities
Best For Tight Grips: No products found.
Very affordable, effortless to apply, see the fabric clearly, holds securely to the ruler, work on cutting or sewing rulers, and provides an excellent
Best For Spare Foot: No products found.
Effortless to install, Perfect for free motion sewing, easy to raise the height, concise instructions, and fits many sewing machines
The Best Machine Quilting Ruler Thickness and Pattern Size Comparison Table
As you choose your machine quilting ruler, there are two things you have to very careful of: thickness and the (border) guidelines. The ruler/template thickness will help determine if your existing machine is compatible, whereas the guidelines displacement gives an outline of the pattern size to expect.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two measurements across the eight machine quilting rulers that we picked.
| Machine Quilting Ruler Brand | Best Feature | Quilting Ruler Thickness | Pattern Size(Inches) |
| No products found. | Best of All | 14 inch | 2 |
| No products found. | Best For Long Arm Machine | 14 inch | 34 or 112 |
| No products found. | Best For Beginners | 14 inch | 14,12 or 134 |
| No products found. | Best For Parallel Lines | 14 inch | 14, 12, or 1 |
| No products found. | Best For Diamond Patterns | 316 inch | 7 |
| No products found. | Best For Clamshell | 18 inch | 12or 112 |
| No products found. | Best For Leafy Patterns | 14 inch | 2 |
| No products found. | Premium Choice | 14 inch | N/A(multiple rulers) |
| No products found. | Best For Tight Grips | 34 & 14 inch(Ring diameters) | N/A(add-on accessory) |
No products found. | Best For Spare Foot | 14 inch(base thickness) | 12(base diameter) |
Notes:
The Creative Grids 9_Pack Machine Quilting Ruler SetNo products found. comprises nine different quilting rulers, with varying designs and sizes. Hence, the reason we left the part for its approximated pattern size as blank.
The 8 Best Machine Quilting Rulers Reviews
In this section, you’ll find details on the selection of quilting rulers that passed out intense testing. You’ll learn how the products stand out from each other in terms of features, benefits, and also drawbacks.
Editor’s Choice: Creative Grids 4-Pack Machine Quilting Ruler Templates Kits
No products found.
Key Features:
1. 4x machine quilting templates
2. High-grade acrylic
3. 14 -inch thickness
4. Needle stop notches
5. Non-slip grip tabs
As always, our “Best of All” badge usually goes to the tool with the finest balance of pricing, performance, and outstanding market rating. This particular piece takes that lead today, with so much to offer for your quilting project.
The tool kit comes with four different templates that can help you complete a whole lot of curves and patterns. If it’s the squiggy template, you could add your quilt with a unique pattern of serpentine lines in various styles. The same goes with the other three templates, namely Archie, shorty, and Slim.
Despite the different designs, though, all the quilting rulers have a tough construction from high-grade acrylic material. They also have exclusive non-slip grips to provide a firm hold on the fabric and ensure smooth maneuvers without slipping. That’s not all.
The designers also did include needle stop notches so that you can always stop at the right spot. Hence, ensuring a neat and consistent look in your continuous pattern.
Pros:
1. It has a well-made and durable design
2. Can deliver many different pattern designs
3. Lightweight and portable
4. Effortless to keep in place
5. Comfortable and easy to work with
6. It’s pretty thick to handle the hopping foot
Cons:
1. None has a hole for hanging.
Best For Longarm Machine: Handi Quilter Wave F Machine Quilting Clear Ruler
No products found.
Key Features:
1. Clear, wavy quilting template
2. High-quality acrylic material
3. 14 inch thick and 915 inches long
4. Bonus hanging hole
5. Longarm or domestic sewing machine
6. Left-handed or right-handed
If you’re blessed with a longarm quilting machine, this can make a great accessory to embellish your projects. But if what you have is a domestic sewing machine, you can still make it work with a proper foot for free motion quilting with rulers.
As the name advertises, the machine quilting ruler has a wavy design that you can create spines for features, overlapping wave lines, amongst other designs. It has a total length of about 915 inches but you can create waves up to 8-inch long after you remove the needle stop allowance. Then, for the depth of the wave, you can choose between 34 inches and 112 inches depending on your needs.
More on that, the quilting ruler has a transparent body so that you can see the created lines well. It also has markings on either side, which allows you to operate with either left or right hand without difficulty.
Pros:
1. It’s easy and straightforward to use
2. clear to enhance the accuracy
3. Includes instructions for use
4. Has a sturdy and durable build
5. Can make different wave patterns
6. It’s very affordable
Cons:
1. It doesn’t have a non-slip grip or stabilizers
2. Doesn’t have needle stop notches.
Best For Beginners: Creative Grids CGRQTA1 Shorty Machine Quilting Ruler
No products found.
Key Features:
1. High-grade acrylic material
2. ¼ inch thick and clear
3. 4¼ long, 3½ wide
4. Black and white dotted lines
5. Needle stop notches
6. Exclusive non-slip gripper
That’s right. The machine quilting ruler has the simplest design for making simple decorations like straight lines (short) and concentric squares. However, the edges of the ruler are curved, which means you could come up with other amazing patterns that fit your project.
Like others from Creative Grids, this template has a sturdy, high-grade acrylic construction. Thus, can serve you for quite a couple of years if you use it as expected. It has a clear style, with black and white guide lines that are visible regardless of the fabric color. The sizing is also pretty small but wider enough so that you can operate with the best control.
Even better, the machine quilting ruler has some added non-slip grip rings to help keep it in place without slipping. There are also notches to help ensure you stop the sewing needle in the right spot for a consistent continuous quilting pattern.
Pros:
1. It’s straightforward to work with
2. Easy to read on light and dark fabrics
3. Provides a firm grip without sliding
4. Lightweight and portable
5. It’s budget-friendly
Cons:
1.Limited applications for low shank machines
2. It has no hole to hang
Best For Parallel Lines: Creative Grids CGRQTA2 Slim Long Quilting Ruler
No products found.
Key Features:
1. Long, parallel lines
2. 7 inches by 2 inches
3. ¼ inch thick and see-through
4. High-grade acrylic material
5. Longarm or domestic machine
6. Black and white dashed guide lines
If you need your quilting designs to have longer parallel lines, this model will be a much better option than the Shorty CGRQTA1 above. It has an overall length of 7 inches, which you use for quilting from end tip to tip since there are no Needle Stop notches.
Nonetheless, this ruler is slightly narrower than the Shorty CGRQTA1, which explains the nickname “Slim”. So, you can comfortably use in most throat space and from either longarm or domestic sewing machine.
Thanks to the clear body of the tool, you can make your quilting designs with ease and high accuracy. The guide lines are also black and white dashes, thus you can read them on both light and dark fabrics.
Furthermore, the quilting ruler has the brand’s exclusive non-slip backing. So, you can steer your piece of fabric comfortably with any instances of the ruler sliding or slipping.
Pros:
1. It delivers neat and accurate patterns
2. Can quilt lines in any direction
3. Long enough for many designs
4. Very easy to learn and use
5. Can use with right or left hand
6. It’s sturdy and long-lasting
Best For Diamond Patterns: HONEYSEW Fan Diamond Machine Quilting Ruler
No products found.
Key Features:
1. Internal quilting template
2. Quilting frame
3. Marquise floral motifs
4. Durable acrylic material
5. 3mm thickness and 7-inch internal quilting
This is one of the best machine quilting rulers for making those decorations you thought to be difficult. It consists of what we call a fan diamond quilting template since it emulates the shape of a marquise-cut diamond.
Different from the others we’ve reviewed so far, this ruler employs internal quilting to come up with particular shapes. It does have one end that’s open so that you can slide out and reposition the foot part with ease. Hence, enabling you to make a continuous quilting design or an interlocking marquise floral motif.
The machine quilting template comprises a sturdy acrylic material, with about 316 inch (5mm) in thickness. So, it’ll work best with high shank machines but it’s quite thick for most low shank machines.
Speaking of work, by the way, this machine quilting ruler relies on a quilting frame to create the patterns. Sad to say, though, the manufacturer doesn’t include the frame in this package. So, you’ll have to purchase it separately or else use it alone.
Pros:
1. It has a tough and durable build
2. Makes various lovely decorations
3. Easy to track the pattern you’re making
4. Has a predrilled hole for hanging
5. It has enough room for the footer
Cons:
1. Doesn’t have anti-grip backing
2. It doesn’t fit too well to the recommended quilting frame
Best For Clamshell: HJW Acrylic Free Motion Quilting Template Ruler Set
No products found.
Summary features:
1. Premium quality acrylic
2. 6x quilting ruler templates
3. 1/8-inch thickness
4. Low shank sewing machine
5. Crystal clear and white guide lines
Would you like to add colorful clamshell patterns to your quilt? What about interlocking circles patterns design? If yes, then, you might like this quilting template set. It’s a new product in the market but has already impressed quite a handful of quilters.
The ruler consists of six different tools, with each featuring a different design for making unique embroideries. If it’s the simple circle template, you can make continuous quilting of circles or else a more complicated interlocking circles pattern. Then for some gorgeous petals, there’s a spinning wheel template and also a Spin-E-Fex template up for the task.
All the templates have a premium quality acrylic construction, with a thickness of 3mm (approximately 18 inches). As such, you can use either of the pieces with a low shank machine, even underneath the foot without any issues.
Furthermore, all the templates have a clear body and white markings. So, you can see the stitching lines you’ve made, though you might struggle with the guidelines when working on white fabric.
Pros:
1. It delivers lovely and professional quilting patterns
2. Has a solid and durable design
3. Comes with a friendly budget
4. Lightweight and easy to carry
5. It’s comfortable to hold and easy to use
Cons:
1. It doesn’t have a non-slip backing
Best For Leafy Patterns: Creative Grids CGRQTA5 Machine Quilting Template
No products found.
Summary Features:
1. Creative Grids non-slip grip
2. 14 inch thickness
3. See-through body
4. High-grade acrylic
5. Internal/ external quilting
6. Black and white dotted guide lines
The Taj quilting template is a great choice if you wanted to add your quilt project with some unique leafy designs or curvy, pointed arcs. For the former, you can use the tool while working along the interior space. It even has one of the ends open so that you can easily slide out the machine’s foot when you’re done.
Meanwhile, the quilting template also does allow stitching along the outside and that’s what you use to create pointed arches. If not that, you can combine the inside and outside quilting to come up with endless unique patterns.
Furthermore, the ruler has a well-made, crystal clear acrylic build, with black and white dotted guide lines. So, you can make neat and accurate stitching, whether you’re working with light or dark fabrics. More on that, the template is 14 inch thick, which means you can comfortably use it with high shank machines and also improvise for the low shank models.
Pros:
1. It offers endless, wonderful quilting possibilities
2. Easy to learn and use
3. Has a reasonable price range
4. Has a robust and durable design
5. Includes non-slip backing to prevent slipping
6. It can work with longarm and domestic machines
Premium Choice: Creative Grids 9_Pack Machine Quilting Ruler Set
No products found.
If you enough budget at hand, this kit might be the best idea to take your quilting to the next level. It brings together all the key machine quilting rulers from the Creative Grids makers. So, you can sink into your creative fabric arts without any limitations.
As the brand’s true signature, all the rulers are high-grade acrylic built, with a thickness of 14 inch. So, you may use the high shank sewing machine, as well as some low shank models.
The body of the templates is a see-through style, with black and white dotted guidelines to ensure visibility in all fabrics. Moreover, the pieces have non-slip grip tabs to make sure they hold onto the fabric firmly while quilting. The templates also have notches at the need stop position. Hence, ensuring you always stop your quilting at the right spot for a smooth and accurate continuous pattern.
Pros:
1. It has a well-made and long-lasting form
2. Creates fine and accurate designs
3. Straightforward to work with
4. Lightweight and easy to take groups
5. It’s compact and easy to keep control
Cons:
1. It’s pretty expensive
Best For Tight Grips: TightGrips 48-Piece Non-Slip Quilting Rulers Adhesive Rings
No products found.
Key Features:
1. Silicone material
2. Circular adhesive rings
3. 24 large and 24 small pieces
4. See-through design
5. Regular and machine quilting rulers
Well, this is the overall best machine quilting ruler grips at the moment, all thanks to the great price and a huge bundle. Just as the name, the pack comes with 48 pieces of non-slip adhesive rings that you can use to give your rulers a perfect grip onto the fabric. So, it’s a great accessory if your quilting rulers didn’t come with the adhesive backing or in case you want to reinforce the few that are there.
Designed with quilters in mind, the pack combines large and small rings so that you can use them on wide or narrow rulers. The paper rings are easy to peel off with hands and are to apply to the matching quilting rulers. Furthermore, they have a translucent design to make sure they don’t compromise the visibility of your ruler’s guide lines.
Pros:
1. It’s very affordable
2. Quick and effortless to apply
3. Allows you to see the fabric well
4. Holds securely to the ruler and template
5. Provides an excellent grip to your fabric
6. It can work with regular and also machine quilting rulers
Cons:
1. The small adhesive rings are too small
Best For Spare Foot: NGOSEW RU FT-LS-NS Machine Quilting darning Hoop Foot
No products found.
Summary Features:
1. Strong metallic foot
2. ¼ inch wall, ½ inch diameter (base)
3. Free motion quilting
4. Low shank machines
5. Long adjustment slot
If you want to make the most with your quilting rulers, your domestic or longarm machine must have the right foot. Otherwise, you’ll risk breaking the needle or mess up your nearly-completed pattern.
The model FT-LS-NS is a good example of a quilting ruler foot that you can get if your machine doesn’t have one. It’s for use with a low shank sewing machine and has a ¼” wall, which you can use with an 18 or a 14 -inch ruler.
The darning foot has a strong metallic construction to give you better performance and for long. It also has a pretty long slot to guarantee easy and quick adjustment while quilting. Furthermore, the foot has a smooth finish for a seamless slide on the fabrics and along with the guide templates.
Pros:
1. It’s quick and effortless to install
2. Perfect for free motion sewing
3. Easy to raise or drop the height
4. Comes with easy-to-follow instructions
5. Fit to a wide range of sewing machines
6. It’s very affordable.
Cons:
1. It may require occasional tightening
2. Fits too low, which limits the layers of fabric to use
Buying Guide: The 7 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Machine Quilting Ruler
It’s not one or two people who have bought quilting guide rulers that didn’t work with their sewing machine. Like everything else, you have to pay attention to the details if you want to make the most with your pick.
Therefore, we’ll now take you through the seven easiest fixes that can help ensure you get a quilting ruler that will work for your fabric arts.
1. Sewing Machine: Do You have a Low or High Shank?
Yes, which domestic sewing machine do you have at home? is it the low shank or the high shank model. If it’s a high shank machine, you’ll need a 14 inch thick ruler that you can use without slipping under the foot. It’s the same kind of ruler that longarm machines use.
Meanwhile, the Low shank machines have a pretty small displacement between the needle bed and the presser foot. So, a quilting ruler of 18 inch thickness is perfect as you can even use it around the throat space without stress.
2. Footer: Which Type Are You using?
When quilting with a ruler, your machine needs a free motion presser foot that you can sew freely and in any direction. However, not all darning feet (another name for free motion feet) designs can be used with a quilting ruler. Your machine will need a special ruler foot that has a round base and thick wall. This will help prevent the quilting ruler from slipping under or over the footer, a stance that often causes the needle to break.
3. Material: Clear Or Colored
Unless you are creating random and irregular patterns, a clear machine quilting ruler is a must. It helps make it possible to see the stitching you’ve already created or the line that you’ve drawn on the piece of fabric to guide you. Hence, ensuring high accuracy and consistent patterns.
4. Guide Lines
For this one, it usually works in hand with the clearness of the quilting ruler to instill high accuracy. The most important thing is that the lines should be visible, but they can be either solid or dotted as with Creative Grids templates. The best thing with the dotted is that the manufacturer can incorporate different outlining colors (perhaps white and black) to make sure they’re visible on light and dark fabrics.
Still, the guide lines are what determines the size of the created pattern. So, it’s good to check or ask the manufacturer so that you can know the size of a pattern to expect.
5. Adhesive Backing
As was mentioned in the beginning, the work of a machine quilting ruler is to guide the fabric so that you can sew the desired pattern. Therefore, your ruler should be able to grip tightly on the fabric without any chance of slipping. And in doing so, the back should have some nice adhesive tabs. But if not, you can get the aftermarket selections like the No products found..
6. Size
The last thing you want is a very wide ruler that’s hard to steer along the quilting, especially under the machine’s throat and presser foot. So, it’s good to make sure you get a perfect size that will be easy to grasp and have better control.
7. Stopping Points:
The needle stop notches are not really essential as even Creative Grids is the only brand that mostly uses them. However, their presence can help ensure you stop and start your quilting design at the right position. Thus, guaranteeing not just accurate but also neat continuous patterns.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Thick Should My Machine Quilting Rulers Be?
In general, Longarm machines should be used with a 14 inch (6mm) thick rulers to counter their hopping feet. If you’re using domestic sewing machine that has a high shank, a 14 inch thick ruler should also be used. A 18 1/8 inch thick ruler can be too close to the needle bed and risk slipping under the foot.
Is The Machine Quitting Ruler The Same One Used To Cut Fabric?
There are two main types of quilting rulers. One is what you use for the cutting works while the other is to guide the footer while sewing. Each of the rulers has unique features and never should you use the one for cutting as a machine quilting guide.
Final Verdict:
As a quilter, what you want at the end of the day is a good looking design that your family or friend you’re knitting for will love. The same applies if you’re sewing for a profit or even donations, and nothing stands out better than a unique pattern without other creators.
So, even if you’re masterly at free motion sewing arts, a quilting ruler will never lack a use. In particular with simple shapes like a square, circle, or parallel lines, you’ll need the tool if you’re to make smooth stitching.
In any case, the article has covered eight alternatives to help narrow down your search. If still confused about the choices, the No products found. and No products found. could be a great start. Both selections have multiple quilting templates to play with, plus a perfect thickness, guidelines, and grip.