Twister- the ruler, not the game

Marsha from Country Schoolhouse in Superior, Wisc is located at the tip of Lake Superior in Northern Wisconsin. This is where she created a MUST HAVE ruler to use with Moda Layer Cakes TM and Charm Packs.  The ruler is called the Twister. I have tested the ruler using Park Avenue by 3 sisters in stores May/June 2010.
These are the easy steps to why this is the MUST HAVE ruler.
Step 1
step 1
Arrange your layer cakes in a pleasing order. Sew them together. Add a border. For future reference I am going to call this piece a quilt top. You will cut this apart and sew it back together.
Step 2
step2
This is where it gets fun! Lay the ruler on your quilt top lining up the lines as shown on the ruler instructions. Continue cutting across the quilt top.
step3
This is the left overs after I cut the squares. There is a tiny amount left when you cut each of the squares so be careful as you cut.
step4
Step 3
“Twist” the blocks one turn and sew them together into rows. The only word of  caution is that the blocks are on the bias so be careful sewing them together. The border from your quilt top automatically makes a border around the pinwheels when sewn into rows. Pretty Cool!
block
Sorry about the brown carpet and the brown fabric but I think you can get the jist from the picture.
laying out the rows

Keep the squares in order and sew the rows together.
Step 4
final
Add additional borders as needed.
Ask for this ruler at your favorite quilt store. It is available in 2 sizes.
Order Lil’ Twister to use with charm packs.Stock # LTW5
Twister ruler works with Moda Layer Cakes.  Stock# TW10
Quilt and bind as desired.
Enjoy!

51 comments

  1. Wendy says:

    So what you started out with (before cutting) ends up in the scrap bin? Is that right?

    The pinwheels turned out really cute. I'll have to check out "the Twister"!

  2. Roseann says:

    Love the Twister and am so delighted that Marsha is able to take it to a larger audience! She employs a lot of people in her area making them. It's fun to see it become successful.

  3. gale says:

    I just got one of these at a little quilt show recently. I haven't tried it yet but yours looks great. I was planning to do a checkerboard of sorts for the first step. I'm nervous about all those bias edges.

  4. K Cotton says:

    I made a quilt with same technique before but had to make my own plastic template and cutting wasn't as easy as yours! This ruler is wonderful! I have to get it. Thanks for sharing!

  5. 冠明宏伶 says:
  6. Doreen Baros says:

    So glad to find your site with info on making these whirlygig quilts with the twister ruler. I'm scheduled to take a class on this later this month. Thanks for posting about it.

    Oh, and just to let you know, the posts above with the chinese characters can be translated via the Google Translator by copy and pasting the content. You'll find these lead you to porn sites. It is actually an active link (shows up in blue) and if you click it the comment leads you to porn. Pass the word around about these unscrupulous posts. They've been showing up on more and more sewing and quilting blogs. A couple people were posting their trash to my blog till I decided to check out the translation, when I accidently clicked onto the link and saw it was porn I went back and deleted them.

  7. MARIJEAN says:

    I meet with about 25 women every monday to quilt, sew and chat. This ruler has become a fun project for us. WE did a fabric exchange, bought every ruler within 50 miles, and 16 of us are making a scrap quilt using the ruler. It is really fun, easy and addictive! The finished project looks so difficult, but it is easy and very fast. NO POINTS TO CUT OFF OR MATCH..Marijean

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