As I travel and teach, and expose quilters to the quality and advantages of Creative Grids®, I hear over and over again that they want to replace ALL of their rulers. But many quilters did not start out in a quilt shop and do not know the difference. And, many are not aware of ALL of the features of these rulers – and use them to their full advantage. Shop owners, use them as great demo opportunities that will have quilter’s jaws dropping and give you the opportunity to point out the great features of Creative Grids®.
The top seller of all time? The 6 1/2 inch by 24 1/2 inch rectangle. #CGR24
And why does everyone want this brand? The grip! The ruler slides easily over the fabric until pressure is applied. Then, the exclusive gripper holds the fabric in place while cutting – no slipping and miss-cuts! Don’t overlook our other great features:
All of the rectangle rulers feature easy-to-read black and white markings printed in 1 inch grids marked in 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch increments.
Use the easy-to-read, black numbers (printed on white dots) and the 1/4 inch grip sides to cut whole inches. (The 1/4 inch dashed lines printed on two adjoining sides aid in trimming seam allowances.)
Use the patented Turn-A-Round™ feature — designated by the easy to read, numerical white numbers (printed on black dots) and the 1/2 inch grip sides — to add the 1/2 inch seam allowance. (I am constantly amazed that people don’t know how to use this feature to their advantage.)
Use the white 45 degree angle to trim half-square triangles in whole inch increments. Use the black 45 degree angle to trim half-square triangles in half inch increments. An additional black 45 degree line is placed so that two angles cross one-quarter inch away from the outside edge. Use these markings to square up flying geese units; squares set on point or to mark cross-hatching. The ruler also features a 30 degree/60 degree angle.
White horizontal and vertical lines are printed on the rectangle so the center of the ruler is easily distinguishable. Use these lines to fussy cut stripes and borders.
These rectangles come in nineteen different widths and lengths so there is sure to be one that is perfect for your needs!
Now that you – and your customers – know all of the features of our rectangles – and know how to use them – show how easy it is to make this Cut Loose Press™ pattern – Double Four Patch #CLPGRG008. This lap sized quilt can be made in an afternoon and is easy to kit – just pull combinations of 18 fat quarters. The entire quilt is made from strip sets of five inch and 2 1/2 inch strips that are sub-cut to create the fourteen inch blocks. It is a great masculine quilt but works just as well in juvenile prints. It will become their go-to quilt so have lots of fat quarter bundles to choose from!
Now that everyone knows the advantages of the Creative Grids® rectangles, it is time to talk about our squares – which come in 15 different sizes. The 10 1/2 inch size #CGR10 is quickly becoming a favorite since it is easy to use with pre-cuts.
It has many of the same features as our rectangles – grip, easy to read black and white markings, the Turn-a-Round feature and a 45 degree angle that is perfect when squaring up half-square triangles. The perfect demo? The Cut Loose Press™ patterns Sonoma #CLPCAM001 and Diablo #CLPCAM005. They are both made the same way. The only difference? Diablo includes raw edge applique squares to give it more of a Southwest look.
Once again, this pattern is pre-cut friendly – in this case, 10 inch squares. One package of squares and the background is all they need to get started (once again, easy to kit). This pattern features a simple technique. Simply make half-square triangles from a set of squares and trim to size with the ten and a half inch Creative Grids® square. That’s right – each “medallion” is created with two matching sets of ten inch squares! Talk about a lot of bang for your buck!
The half-square triangles are then cut into 2 1/4 inch segments to create the pattern. In this case, I recommend the #CGR212 – a 2 1/2 inch by 12 1/2 inch rectangle. Simply place the dashed 1/4″ inch line on the ruler on the outside edge of the half-square triangle to eliminate the math!
All three of these Cut Loose Press™ patterns are reasonably priced and great technique demonstrations. Why not take advantage of them today?
