The 6 Quilting Rulers You Need to Make Just About Everything

There are about a million different quilting rulers out there. I am a bit of a minimalist when it comes to supplies, so I thought I would share a list of what I consider to be the essentials.


For most of the rulers, I am going to list a less expensive option and a more premium option. When I first started quilting, I bought the cheaper option but have been upgrading them over the past couple years. If you are a new quilter, buying supplies can be overwhelming! And expensive! The cheaper option here is perfectly adequate and functional; if you are looking for something a little nicer, the Creative Grids rulers are non-slip and really great quality.

General Use Rulers

1. 6" x 24" (or 6.5" x 24.5") - This is the ruler that I use about 90% of the time. Usually when I am cutting fabric, I fold it in half selvage to selvage. This ruler is long enough to cut strips and wide enough to cut most strips.

Value option - Omnigrid 6" x 24"
Upgrade option - Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5"

2. 12.5" x 12.5" - I like this size ruler for cutting wider strips of fabric and for cutting bigger pieces. I know some people like the 15.5" square ruler, but it is just so big and heavy that I prefer the smaller one.

Value option - Omnigrid 12.5" Quilters Square Ruler
Upgrade option - Creative Grids 12.5" Square Ruler

3. A triangle ruler - If you want to make triangle quilts (or half hexagon quilts), it is nice to have a triangle ruler in your stash. Since I don't have room to store a lot of rulers, I decided to buy a 12.5" triangle version, but they come in multiple sizes.

Value option - Quilt in a Day 8.5" Triangle Ruler
Upgrade option - Creative Grids 12.5" Triangle Ruler

Specialty Rulers

4. Flying geese ruler - This ruler is 100% worth it because it makes no-waste flying geese without using the annoying no-waste flying geese method.

Fons and Porter Flying Geese Ruler

5. Half Rectangle Triangle Ruler - HRTs are a lot of fun, but pretty annoying to make. This ruler is great for simplifying the process.

Bloc Loc Half Rectangle Triangle Ruler

6. A small ruler - I don't feel like I need every single small ruler for trimming HSTs, but it is nice to have something smaller than a 12.5" square.

Value option - Omnigrid 6" x 6" Ruler
Upgrade option - Creative Grids 6.5" x 6.5" Ruler

And that's it! I had collected a few others, but as I have Kon-Mari'd my sewing room lately, I have gotten rid fo them.

Do you have a favorite quilting ruler that I haven't listed here?