Here is my sample
The first row is what Bethanne discussed in her video, i.e. how to make the shape with the top feather in place using the LilyLine ruler 1. That worked really well for me, except for making a 1/4in echo. For the life of me I cannot get that exactly right. The problem is that you have to make the echo on the inside which means just shifting the ruler over and trying to get an accurate 1/4in line. Definitely will need more practice on that.
The second row is me trying out something for a wholecloth I am working on with the exact space that I have to fill. Not sure whether I like it...I think I need a tighter curve for that space. Nevertheless making the curve with the ruler worked well.
This is what my ruler started to look like
I am now following Bethanne's method of marking the ruler religiously. Even if I think that I will remember what line I used on the ruler, I will now draw it on, because as soon as I turn the ruler, I have forgotten! With those marks on the ruler (they come off with isopropyl alcohol) and additional dots on the quilt you cannot really go wrong (other than the ruler shifting, of course).
Row 3 is my preferred shape. This time I was going to put the echo on the outside using the stitched line to align the ruler. However, my section of the ruler that I used was not long enough to allow this to happen, so I had to echo on the inside again. Again, I struggled, although the middle one was looking quite good. A little bit better aligned and it would have been right. Row 4 then I did a flatter curve and the last row is the end of the Lily Line 2 ruler making 2 1/2in shapes in a smaller border.
Lily Line 2 is the fat ruler on the right with that funny S curve at the end.
This was good fun...next on the agenda are some feather curls in a border and trying out some frames around motifs.
Karin
I am so glad you wrote about Bethanne Nemesh's rulers today! I purchased those fairly recently, just a couple of months ago in fact, but have not used them either. I am much newer to long arm quilting and to ruler work than you are, so I am still developing more basic skills. But I am finding that the more I can mix in the uniformity of straight lines and smooth curves from rulers into my work, the better it makes my free motion stuff look. I think your sample looks FANTASTIC! I think I bought all four of those Garden Lines/Lily Lines French curve rulers because I have learned in the past that I need to try out different shapes and sizes right on the quilt to know what size to use, and when I started investing in rulers and I would just buy one size of something it would never turn out to be the right size for any of my projects! I have been too chicken to mark my rulers with a Sharpie, though -- it really doesn't come off on the quilt fabric? And it really comes off the ruler easily afterwards with alcohol, but without removing any of the ruler markings themselves? You are really inspiring me -- Yes, I need to finish the quilt on the frame... But then I want to go back and watch those videos again and actually try out what Bethanne shows in the video . I watched the videos before and that's what inspired me to buy the rulers, but practicing how a tool is used while the instructions are fresh in your mind probably makes a huge difference in retaining that information and learning to actually use the tool proficiently. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you do with your Lily Lines rulers!
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