Using rulers (or templates) with my Sweet Sixteen is something I’ve tried but got very frustrated with (exception: my favourite Line Tamer ruler for straight lines!). So I booked myself into last Saturday’s rulers class run by my awesome dealer, Michelle at Handcrafters House in Midland, Western Australia. Getting there by 9 am meant a 5 am wake-up for me so that I was on the road by 7 am and in the city on time. Yes, I packed my machine and table into the car the night before, as well as all the class requirements.
We had a full 6+ hours of tuition from Michelle, with LOTS of practice and help along the way. Michelle provided us with a pre-marked quilt sandwich, and we started with using straight line rulers, then branching into clam shell rulers, circles, arcs, swags, etc. Lots of fun, and I got much more confident about using rulers and learnt some tricks along the way too. And yes, I bought a set of half circles and a clam shell ruler too.
I left Perth at 4 pm and was home just after 5:30 pm. My husband helped me get the table out of the boot of the car and set up inside, and I was all unpacked by 6 pm. It was a long day, but productive — and I learnt a lot. On Sunday I finished the sample piece — if I didn’t finish it then, it might have been put away for some weeks/months/years and not touched again 😉
The photos below show some of my progress during the day, and some of the finished sections on the sample. Michelle also has videos of using rulers with the Sweet Sixteen on her website: http://www.handcraftershouse.com.au/index.php?act=viewDoc&docId=8, but there was nothing like getting one-on-one, hands on instruction.
Michelle demo’ing using a circle ruler
Starting with straight lines (my Line Tamer ruler)
More straight lines, with some free motion fillers
Clam shells, with an added flourish. Hint: Do the flourish as you complete each line, NOT after you’ve done them all otherwise you have too much travelling to do over original stitching lines
Work in progress 1
Work in progress 2. I love how these arcs and ‘piano key’ lines look like the Bixby Bridge in Big Sur, California!
Completed. I like how my centre star turned out with the heavy threadwork in white, the black cross-hatching, and the coloured flames in the star points.
Again, the extra threadwork adds to the lines created with the rulers
See what I did with those fish shapes? Turned them into fish by adding eyes and scales with thread!
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 
Those are great practice pieces. I wish I had a class that would help me do that! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, you did really well with your workshop, i too have had difficulty managing rulers with my sweet 16 and tend to use them for marking,, Each time a workshop is scheduled I have had something else planned..I will plod along and come back to your pages for inspiration.
WOW!!!! That’s all I can say! WOW!!!
Wow and Jealous…..just about sums it up for me!
I’m so impressed by your work. You’re a real inspiration! Beautiful lines!
Wow, I certainly want to use rulers with my new Sweet Sixteen sit down machine. You do great work, Rhonda.
[…] between starting and finishing this quilt, I took a rulers class, and so when it came to the outer borders, I decided to put some of my newly acquired knowledge […]
Wow!!!! I am in awe now. I can see you do need thick rulers made for the longarms…I will have to invest in some of these…your quilting is gorgeous!! thank you
Dbl Wow is right!
I’m so glad we can use rulers with the Sweet 16 because I bought a whole bunch of them. Now all I have to do is practice!