Do you avoid making Tumbler quilts because you think they're too complicated and fiddly? Are you afraid of all the templates and cutting and precise shapes? 

In this post, I'm going to share how I use a combination of the Quilters Select Dresden Ruler, 60 Degree Triangle ruler, and the 36" x 2.5" "Yardstick" ruler to shape, measure, and cut the pieces of a Tumbler quilt with precision and ease! I'm specifically cutting fabric for the Blue Grotto Quilt in the Tumbler Quilts Book by Valerie Prideaux.

Tools + Supplies

Tumbler Quilts Book by Valerie Prideaux

Quilters Select Dresden Ruler

Quilters Select 60 Degree Triangle Ruler

Quilters Select 36" x 2.5" Yardstick Ruler

Quilters Select 6" x 12" ruler

Glow-Line Tape

Blue Grotto Fabric Pack in Pink

I have a corresponding video on the 5 Little Monkeys YouTube channel that describes the process outlined below, so if it's easier for you to learn while working alongside me, click through the linked videos at any point to follow along! Each video is queued to the exact place in the written instructions. 

Using Quilters Select Rulers to Measure The Tumbler Template

Click the video above to follow along with the directions outlined below!

The first thing I need to do is measure how tall the template pattern is for the Tumbler piece. I use my Quilters Select 6" x 12" ruler for this, but you can use any square ruler: 

The template measures approximately 3.5". My Quilters Select Dresden Ruler has lines every 1/2", so I can now line up my Dresden Ruler so that it fills in the template space. You may need to slide your Dresden Ruler up and down to find the exact place where the lines and angle of your ruler overlap the lines and angle of the template. Make sure the base of your template is covered by the ruler, and you should be good.

As shown below, my Dresden Ruler aligned so that the top demarcation was at the 1.5" mark on the ruler, and the bottom demarcation was at the 5" mark (Remember, we're aiming for approximately 3.5", so we're spot on!).

Looking at the above, you may notice it's off by about 1 degree on the sides, but that's ok—as long as I make each piece exactly the same, with the same angle, I can achieve a very similar pattern to the one shown in the quilt.

Taking an erasable marker, I mark my 1.5" and 5" lines:

This makes it very easy for me to see when I have to start cutting my Tumbler shapes. To make these demarcations more permanent, I layer Glow-Line Tape over my lines. I have to cut out A LOT of Tumblers, and that erasable marker will start to smudge and disappear as I go, so the tape gives me a more semi-permanent solution.

The Glow-Line is nice because it's transparent, so I can still see the 1.5" and 5" lines as I'm cutting. The lines on the ruler will always be more accurate! I place the tape above my 5" line and below my 1,5" line, so I know my fabric should align between the tapes:

I cut off the extra pieces of tape with my rotary cutter after I'm done. Note that I place the tape on the FRONT of my ruler. I don't want any solvents or anything else on the back of the ruler, because I want to maintain the coating with all the ruler lines and measurements.

Trimming the Edge of Fabrics + Cutting Strips

Click the video above to follow along with the directions outlined below!

We made the Blue Grotto Fabric Pack for the Tumbler Quilt with fat eighth bundles, so there's a little extra fabric in every 5th bundle.

I want to start with a nice, clean cut. I need to trim my fabrics, which I've pre-shrunk and steamed so they will lay flat. No two fabrics are the same on the bolt, so some of these pieces are naturally wider than others. I have 3 pieces of fabric stacked together, shown below.

Taking the one end where my fabrics are not the same, I lay my Quilters Select 6" x 12" ruler over top, turn the whole thing sideways, and use my rotary cutter to remove the excess fabric:

Now that I've cleaned the uneven edge, I can start to cut the fabric strips that I need to make my Tumblers. We know we need our strips to be 3.5" inches wide. From our fat eighths, we should be able to get two strips:

You'll have about 1" of scrap fabric left over. Better safe than sorry!

I now have 6 pieces of fabric (3 + 3) to start cutting my Tumbler shapes. If 6 pieces of fabric is too much for you, you can work with less—6 pieces is my sweet spot.

Cutting the Tumblers

Click the video above to follow along with the directions outlined below!

Now it's time to line up my Quilters Select Dresden Ruler over the fabric strip to start cutting my Tumblers. See how nicely I can see my fabric shapes between the Glow-Line tape placed above and below my lines?

I don't cut with my left hand, so I love that I can cut along the top, then place my hand firmly on the ruler, pivot the whole thing around, and then cut the other side:

Then I just have to flip my ruler over and cut the next Tumbler, and keep doing that as I move across my fabric strip: flipping the ruler and cutting. Remember to measure along the ruler lines, and not the tape, for the most accurate cut. The tape simply helps you focus in on your lines:

I can get 4 cuts out of each strip, which means I've already cut 24 pieces! (6 stacked fabrics x 4 Tumbler cuts = 24 Tumbler shapes!)

Now it's just a matter of cutting all of my shapes....

Straightening the Tumbler Quilt

Click the video above to follow along with the directions outlined below!

Once I've sewn together my Tumblers, it's time to straighten the edge of my quilt top. For this task, I love the  Quilters Select 36" x 2.5" Ruler, AKA the "Yardstick."

My quilt top measures approximately 70", so I can't cut the entire thing in a single pass. But, my Yardstick is as long as my mat, so I can square up whatever fits on my mat. 

I have two options for squaring up the quilt:

• Make a straight line at all of the points on the Tumblers:

• Split the width of my Tumblers directly in half, so the width of my hourglass is a half, plus a quarter. Then when I put my binding on, the quarter inch seam allowance lands in the middle of the block

I've included directions for both. Let's get into it!

Squaring Up at the Edge

Click the video above to follow along with the directions outlined below!

To square up the edge, I want to connect the furthest indentation of one block with the furthest indentation of the next block:

If I did this block to block, it might work, but it wouldn't make the side of my quilt straight—which is why I like the Yardstick, so I can do it all at once.

First, make sure the ruler is hanging off the edge of your quilt, so you can see that it's straight. Using either the 1/2" lines or 1" lines, aligne the lines on your ruler with the seam ditches of your patchwork. You can see they mostly line up:

But not all of them do. This is where the Yardstick really shines. Since the ruler doesn't move, you can move your fabric under the ruler in sections to realign the seam ditches with the lines:

I move across the entire line, either tugging up or down to make sure my seam ditches line up. With everything aligned, I can now cut across:

Now you can see I have a really straight edge to my quilt:

Next, I slide my quilt over, lining up my ruler with the section I've already trimmed, and repeat for the next section, keeping the ruler in place as I tug my fabric as needed to align the seam ditches. Repeat as needed across the length of your quilt.

Next we'll review how to square up in the middle of the hourglass shape!

Squaring up in the Middle - Splitting the Width

Click the video above to follow along with the directions outlined below!

The finished size of the hourglass is 1 1/2", as shown here:

If I subtract 1/4" for the seam allowance for the binding, the measurement I want to find is in the middle of 1 1/4". If you want the binding to be part of your measurement, you can simply cut at the 3/4" line (half of 1 1/2"):

If you want to take into account that your binding is an extra 1/4", then add 1/4" to your 1 1/2" measurement.

To make things even clearer, if you cut at the 3/4" line, directly in the middle of the hourglass, you'll see less than half of the block at the edge of your design. Your binding will be where my thumb is—notice how much of the hourglass is showing:

If you add the 1/4" back in, when you add your binding (my thumb position below), it will land right smack in the middle of the block:

Personally, I like my binding to be an element of the quilt that does not go into the measurements, so I'm using the 1" line as a reference point for my measurements:

Now, I need to find that 1" line along the points of each hourglass, across the length of the quilt. As before, it's best to place our ruler down and manipulate the fabric underneath with gentle tugs to align all of the hourglass points to the 1" line:

Now, with all the points lined up, I can safely cut across the length of my quilt top edge:

Repeat across the length of the quilt top, tugging gently at your fabric to align all the points. Your trimmed quilt top should look like this:

Repeat on all sides and you're done!