Every Quilter Remembers Their First Ruler

Mine was a simple 6×24. Standing in that quilt shop, I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought I was buying a tool. What I was actually doing was starting a relationship that would, over time, take over an entire drawer. Then a second drawer. Then a wall-mounted organizer that my husband still doesn’t fully understand.

“The Ruler” is written as a classic 70s rock love song because, honestly, that’s exactly what this story feels like. There’s the meet-cute (a pegboard in a quilt shop), the honeymoon phase (“this is all I’ll ever need”), and the slow, inevitable expansion into a full collection of squares, rectangles, triangles, wedges, and specialty templates for shapes you didn’t know existed before you started quilting.

Why This Song Has a Big Guitar Moment

Some stories deserve a little drama. The bridge of “The Ruler” builds with electric guitar as it lists everything that came after that first purchase: the squares, the triangles, the long rulers for cutting yardage, the templates for applique. It’s nostalgic, it’s a little ridiculous, and it’s completely true to how most quilters’ ruler collections actually happen.

The Moral of the Story

I regret nothing. And if you have more than three rulers in your sewing room (let’s be honest, more than ten), I think you’ll feel the same way by the end of this song.

Frequently Asked Questions About “The Ruler”

Is this song really about a quilting ruler? Yes, and it’s also about how one small purchase can lead to a full collection without you ever noticing it happening.

What genre is “The Ruler”? 70s classic rock, with nostalgic verses building into a big guitar bridge.

How many rulers does a quilter actually need? According to this song: one to start, and an unlimited number after that.

🎧 Listen to “The Ruler” and go count how many rulers are currently in your sewing space. No judgment. We’ve all been there.