What Is a 6.5-Inch by 24-Inch Non-Slip Ruler?
The Quilters Select 6.5" x 24" Non-Slip Ruler is the long, workhorse ruler most quilters reach for first at the cutting table. Its length spans folded quilting cotton so you can cut full strips in one pass, while its 6.5-inch width covers the strip widths used in countless patterns. The markings are clear and easy to read, with 1/8-inch, 1/4-inch, 1/2-inch, 3/4-inch, and 1-inch measurements, as well as multiple angles for precise marking and measuring.
Two features set it apart. The one-inch perimeter lines carry dual numbers that read left to right and right to left, so you never lose your place or count backwards. And a unique non-slip coating holds the ruler — and the fabric under it — in place for clean, accurate cuts. The coating is designed to last, even if the edges show wear.
Why Quilters and Sewists Use It
Almost every quilt starts the same way: cutting strips. Those strips become squares, rectangles, half-square triangles, sashing, borders, and binding. If the first strips are even slightly wavy or off-size, every piece cut from them inherits the error, and seams stop matching many steps later. A long ruler that does not slip is your best defense, because it lets you line up once and cut with confidence.
The ambidextrous design matters more than it sounds. Left-handed cutters can work from the side that suits them, and right-handed cutters can flip the ruler end for end — the numbers still read correctly. Quilters Select has made non-slip rulers since 2016 for both right- and left-handed users.
How to Use It, Step by Step
- Press and fold the fabric. Press out wrinkles, then fold the fabric with selvages aligned and the fold straight. A crooked fold guarantees a bent strip, no matter how good the ruler is.
- Square the edge first. Lay the ruler near the raw edge, align a horizontal line on the ruler with the fold, and trim the uneven edge away. Now you have a true straight edge to measure from.
- Align your strip width. Move the ruler so the measurement line for your strip width sits exactly on that freshly cut edge, and check that a horizontal line still sits on the fold from end to end.
- Hold, then cut. Spread your hand flat on the ruler with fingers well away from the cutting edge, let the non-slip coating grip, and run the rotary cutter along the ruler away from your body in one smooth pass.
- Subcut as needed. Keep the strip folded or open it flat, then use the ruler's crosswise lines and angle markings to cut squares, rectangles, or diamonds to pattern size.
- Check the first pieces. Measure the first strip and the first subcuts in two places. Catching a drift early saves a whole quilt's worth of pieces.
Practical Tips
Walk your hand up the ruler as you cut long strips instead of stretching — a ruler held only at the near end can pivot at the far end. Replace a dull rotary blade before blaming the ruler for a skipped cut; dull blades make you press harder, and extra pressure moves rulers. Use the angle lines for bias strips or checking 45-degree seams.
Care and Storage
Store the ruler flat, hanging, or in a ruler rack where its long edges stay protected. Keep it away from prolonged heat and direct sunlight, and wipe it with a soft, dry or slightly damp cloth to clear lint and starch — clean markings read more clearly and grip better. Guard the cutting edge from nicks, which can steer a blade off line.
Project Ideas
Use this ruler to cut strips for a rail fence or log cabin quilt, crosscut squares for nine-patches, size borders so a top finishes square, and cut 2.5-inch strips for double-fold binding. Master this one ruler and every project starts straighter and pieces together with far less fuss.
Shop the Quilters Select 6.5" x 24" Non-Slip Ruler at Linda's Electric Quilters.
