New quilting ruler

I usually do not jump on the bandwagon for gadgets, but I have found one that I really am going to love.  Quilting friends, there is still time to get this on your Christmas list if you think it is something you might want.  It is called the Quilter's Slide Lock ruler.  To go back a few days, I was cutting some fabric and my rotary cutter ran up onto my acrylic ruler.  If any of you have ever done it, you know it immediately ruins your rotary blade.  I had changed my blade only two weeks before, so had to make a trip to the quilt shop for another one and they are not cheap.  I admit that I was extremely happy to be making a trip to the quilt shop and not the operating room to get a finger stitched back on.  I have always had a very healthy respect for rotary cutters but, let's face it, accidents do happen.  Anyway, a friend and I were talking about it and she sent me the link to a set of rulers she had learned about at a quilting class.  I read the info on the web site and watched the you tube video.  Keeping your fingers out of the way of the blade is just a second bonus of these rulers .... the real reason they were designed is to grip fabric and keep the ruler from slipping during the cutting process.  I had a little extra cash in my Pay Pal account and decided to order both sizes, 14" and 24".  These rulers came in two days all the way from Oregon.  Folks, they are made in America!  Here are pictures I took this morning.  First, the 14"...

This one is perfect for sooooo many sizes of fabric. 

Next is the 24" ...

It fits across the whole width of the cutting mat and makes cutting width of fabric strips a piece of cake.  And, they work exactly like they are supposed to.  The ruler grips the fabric and there is absolutely no slippage when cutting.  Here are two pictures of the bottom of the ruler so you can see how it works ...

And here is a picture so you can see the fingers safely out of the way ...

My rulers came yesterday and I have only played with them a bit to see how they work, but today it gets serious!  I am going to take them to the local quilt shop to see if she might be interested in ordering some for the shop.  Did I mention they are made in America!!  If you want to check it out yourself, click HERE for the web site.  If you want to look at the youtube video, click this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYOoRetnlfM.  I know I will not be able to use this for everything I cut, such as squaring up projects for example, but for cutting strips I will be using this all the time. 

I hope you all have a wonderful day, full of blessings!