Quilter's Slidelock Demonstration and Review

Hello, fellow quilters.  For those of you who follow us, you may have seen me use my favorite quilting tool for cutting fabric - The Quilter's Slidelock.  It makes cutting fabric safer, easier and more accurate.

So today, I thought I would demonstrate and talk about this incredible quilting product, the Quilter's Slidelock.

What is the quilter's Slidelock?

This Quilter's Slidelock ruler (that is not exactly a ruler since it doesn't have measurements) is a non-slip straight-edge cutting tool that solves one of a quilter's most annoying problems - the ruler slipping and sliding while cutting fabric.  It's a very clever tool that helps more safely and accurately cut fabric for quilting, sewing and crafting.

By simply putting the Quilter's Slidelock on the fabric and then applying slight pressure to the middle of the handle, springs engage bumpers that hold the fabric in place so it won't shift during rotary cutting.

If you want to learn how to use and more about the Quilter's Slidelock ruler, simply click the link to go to our YouTube video.  In addition, you will find more information such as the Quilter's Slidelock pros and cons, where to purchase it along with a full written photo tutorial on how to use it below.

My Quilter's Slidelocks were purchased many, many years ago.  And for several years this product was unavailable. But it's back!

Recently Sew Be It Quilts acquired the patent and relaunched this incredibly useful product.

The new version and the old version of the Quilter's Slidelock are functionally identical.  The differences between them are the color of the acrylic base, the handle is smoother and the logo stamped on it.

Where can you get the quilter's Slidelock

At the end of this article are links for purchasing.

Advantages of using a quilter's Slidelock (the pros):

• Accuracy of fabric cutting
  With conventional quilter rulers if not enough pressure is applied the ruler can slip and slide causing cutting inaccuracy.  When the Quilter's Slidelock is activated, rubber bumpers hold the fabric firmly in place so no fabric slippage resulting in fast, accurate rotary cutting.
• No Accidental Finger Cutting
  The wooden handle keeps fingers off the acrylic base and away from the rotary cutters blade so no danger of cutting fingers.
• Thicker Base
  The base is thicker than conventional quilting rulers allowing the rotary cutter to glide along the edge of the quilter's slidelock easily.
• Less Pressure Needed
  To activate the Quilter's Slidelock only a slight amount of continuous hand pressure needs to be applied to the center of the handle to securely hold the fabric and slidelock in place.  This makes it a useful tool for individuals with arthritis, carpal tunnel or other hand conditions.
• Fabric Layers
  Can hold up to 10 layers of fabric at a time firmly fastened in place.
• Glowing Edge
  The glowing acrylic base color allows you to easily see where you are cutting.
• Pressure Distributed Evenly
  The wooden handle distributes pressure evenly across the fabric so you don’t have to move or spider your hand across the ruler when cutting long strips of fabric resulting in perfectly cut strips every time.

Disadvantages of the quilter's Slidelock (cons)

I personally don't have anything negative to report because I love, love, love this quilting tool.  However, some people may be concerned because there are no measurements on the acrylic base. 

how to use the quilter's Slidelock :

to square up fabric

Fold the fabric so the selvage edges match and press to remove any creases or wrinkles.  The raw edges will more than likely NOT be lined up.

Position the folded edge of the fabric on the cutting mat so the fold edge lines up with a horizontal gridline and the raw edges extend slightly pass one of the vertical gridlines.

Grab the Quilter's Slidelock and line it up with the vertical gridline markings.  Press down on the handle to engage the rubber bumpers and cut the raw edge with a rotary cutter.  The fabric is squared using the Slidelock.

to cut strips

After squaring up the fabric, strips of fabric can be cut easily.

Simply grab a standard quilter ruler that is 24" long and line up the marking on the ruler with the desired strip width on the cut edge of the fabric.

Butt the Quilter's Slidelock up against the ruler, then press down (in the center) of the wooden handle.  When you press down little rubber bumpers activate and hold the fabric in place.  You don't have to move your hand up and down the ruler to hold it in position.

Slide the ruler away and cut the fabric strip. It's that simple.

For cutting fabric the Quilter's Slidelock is a must-have cutting tool for quilters and crafters. If you are searching for the perfect gift for a quilter in your life. Look no further! Get them a Quilter's Slidelock.

So there you go.  This is my demo and review of the Quilter's Slidelock.  Even though my Slidelocks were purchased a long time ago, they are still working GREAT and I couldn't do without them.

If you have other quilting rulers you would like to make non-slip, check out this tutorial.

How to Stop Quilt Rulers from Slipping

MORE HANDY QUILTING TOOLS

Trim-Lock Quilt Block Trimming Tool

Kwik Klip Basting Tool