TRIAL A PRODUCT
So how does it work?
The ruler foot is a complete circle with a diameter of^11 ⁄ 2 in,
meaning that when the needle is in the centre position,
you are sewing^1 ⁄ 4 in from the edge of the foot. If you place
a stencil on the quilt sandwich and sew alongside it –
or inside it in the case of ones with holes – the round
foot glides around the stencil’s shape quite easily.
The Westalee true^1 ⁄ 2 in round ruler feet come in
adjustable low-, medium- and high-shank styles to suit
most domestic sewing-machine models (with the
exception of slant-shank machines). They’re designed
for free-motion quilting using Westalee’s range of
3mm stencils – the shank on many domestic machines
when lowered would hit the 6mm/^1 ⁄ 4 in stencils used
on longarm machines, severely limiting their usability.
Most of the stencils can be used to create a variety
of quilting designs. Some of them are rotated around a
central pin for block designs, while others are more linear.
Before you start, it’s recommended to spend a bit of time
familiarising yourself with the process by watching theinformative YouTube videos on the Westalee website.
Some experience with free-motion quilting is assumed.
In our testing, both rotating and linear stencils were used.Spinning Wheel
The Spinning Wheel design measures 5^1 ⁄ 2 in in diameter
when stitched out fully, making it ideal for 6-7in blocks.
In the seam allowance of the block, locating marks were
drawn, as well as a dot at the centre. It’s important to use
an erasable marker. A drawing pin is inserted up through
the centre point of the block and goes through a tiny hole
in the stencil. This allows the stencil to rotate from that one
point, delivering an extremely accurate design, even on
the fi rst try. All the stencils have markings to assist with
precise placement. However, should your accuracy be
a tiny bit off, the videos demonstrate how to compensate.Clamshell stencil
The clamshell stencil measures 3 x 7in and has curves
along two sides to create 1^1 ⁄ 2 x 3in clamshells or smaller(^1) ⁄ 2 x 1in clamshells. To work the pattern over a wide area,
you simply move the stencil along the base line when
you’ve stitched from one end of it to the other. Second and
subsequent lines of curves are offset against the fi rst row
to create this popular design. It’s a good idea to practise
to get a feel for this stencil before you start on a quilt.
Our verdict
All our testing was done on reasonably small samples,
which are easy to manoeuvre on a standard domestic
machine, and the results were excellent. Hence, quilting
beautiful designs on projects such as table runners, small
wallhangings and mini quilts, as well as larger quilt-as-
you-go projects should be very doable indeed. (Large
bed-size quilts are always a challenge to manoeuvre on
domestic machines.) Hundreds of different sizes and
shapes of stencils are available, expanding your repertoire
of quilting styles and providing a great alternative to
freehand designs or the overused stipple.
The low-shank ruler foot, Bernina adapter and six-piece
template sampler set for our tests were supplied by
Westalee, http://www.westalee.com.au.
Low-shank ruler foot Spinning Wheel 36 design Clamshell stencil CC2-H design
For many years, longarm quilters
have been using acrylic quilting
stencils and special machine feet to do
elaborate and precise quilting designs,
but until recently, this wasn’t possible
on domestic sewing machines. At
last, that’s all changed, thanks to the
Westalee ruler foot and dedicated
3mm stencils. By Elizabeth Newton
WESTALEE
RULER FOOT
AND STENCILS
118 Homespun