Quilting: is it worth getting a June Tailor Shape Cut Ruler?

[scampadoodle]

I'm a pretty experienced sewer & have done a bit of patchwork... want to make a quilt. I saw a demo on Pinterest of the June Tailor rulers, with slots for the rotary cutter. They look amazing but they're not cheap - are they worth it?

I have one and don't like it and rarely use it. YMMV. I like Omnigrip the best.

What's YMMV??? What don't you like about the Shape Cut? - I suppose everything has to be in 1/4" increments (and it's so annoying that because most of these things are American, they're in bloody inches!)

just looked up the Omnigrip, they look good. Which size do you recommend? There's an 8.5" x 24" on Cottonpatch for £21...

YMMV = your mileage may vary, it means that you might have a different experience.

I find if I am not careful the pieces can shift as I cut because they are thin and only 1/4" wide and can bend. Also I catch the blade on the ruler as I'm inserting it in the slot and it takes more time to get it in than do it the regular way. Also it doesn't have length markings on it so I don't know how far to cut. It absolutely rocks for cutting a fringe though and that is why I bought it.

You can get metric quilting rulers however many patterns will be in inches if you use them. I use a 1/4" SA most of the time so it works well for me.

I have several rulers... 6x12" is probably the one I use most of the time because it is easier to wield. NB I use a quilting rule for much much more than quilting, despite all my recent projects I am not really a quilter. My next most used one is probably my 6x24 or my 4xsomething... 16 maybe? If I could only buy one I'd definitely buy the 6x24. I'm hankering over two new ones but can't justify them... maybe birthday? I'd like a 3x36 and a 20x20. I tend to use two in tandem for big things.

coming back for more on why I don't like it.

What if I want to cut a strip 5 3/8" wide? What do I do there? Also with the 6x12 for instance, if I want 6" squares I cut round all four sides of the ruler then down the middle, much quicker.

Here is a video from their website. See how the demonstrator has to work to insert the blade sometimes? www.junetailor.com/fringecutvideo.htm

If you are the kind of person who has a lot of trouble controlling a rotary cutter and it keeps going off to one side on its own route I can see why you would like this. It happens to me sometimes and can be frustrating. Usually for me though it is because either I'm not standing above the ruler, I'm being lazy and sitting down or the blade is not sharp or the ruler is slippery and doesn't have sandpaper dots or something on it. Those things are all fixable.

Thanks, that's really helpful. I do find the rotary cutter slipping but if I'm honest it's probably for one or more of the reasons you describe.

I mainly make cushion covers & small bags so a quilting ruler would be good for those also: save me making paper templates.

the cutter slips, sorry, not 'slipping'

I haven't tried the one you're asking about but I agree that 6" x 24" is a good one to buy as you can cut across the full width of fabric with it (fabric folded in half). I too use my 6" x 12" most as it's a convenient size to handle. I also have a 12 1/2" square which is good for trimming blocks to size.

I have to admit the first 2 are Omnigrip ones BUT I much prefer the Creative Grids square one. I find it slips less than the Omnigrip ones. Keep wondering if I can justify getting more.

I have a 12 1/2" square too. I use it a lot for making bags and purses. I wish that I would've bought the 20 one though, my girlfriend has a ?16? square and I drove to her house to use it the other day. Haven't heard of creative grids, going to look into it.

Oh that's a good point, that you can use a square to make purses. Hmmm... shall I splurge on both a square and a 6x24 rule? I've spent so much on fabric on ebay lately

pillows too....

No, I shall restrain myself & only get the 6x24 for now. I can use that to cut out purses anyway.