Cutting Your Fabrics for Your First Quilt
Cutting your fabrics correctly is a critical step in a lovely quilt. Incorrect cuts can not only waste fabric but cause frustration when you begin trying to match up your seams. The Golden Rule for Quilting is “measure twice and cut once.”
Learn to Use Your Rotary Cutter
I have a full video tutorial on how to use a rotary cutter. You can watch that here. When using a rotary cutter, there are things you must keep in mind. It is simple in theory, but I do encourage you to practice and improve your skills until they become natural to you. It is a superior method to using scissors. It is faster, more accurate, and your cuts will be much cleaner.
1. Keep your rotary cutter closed after each use so you don't accidentally hurt yourself or a little person/fur baby.
2. Always cut away from you or across the top. Never cut back toward you or under your arm.
3. Make a first cut to give yourself a clean line to begin all other cuts from. Line up the edge of your ruler with a line on the mat.
4. Keep three points of pressure with your fingers. If at least one finger can be on the edge of the ruler and equally on the fabric/mat, that is the strongest position.
5. Keep your rotary cutter straight up and down so the blade is a 90-degree angle to the mat and rides along the edge of the ruler.
6. Walk your hand up the ruler maintaining pressure to keep it next to the rotary cutter. As you run the cutter up the edge of the ruler, be mindful of keeping the cutter next to/touching the ruler. There is a tendency to veer away from the ruler, which will make your cuts wonky.
7. If your cutter is skipping places where it cuts there may be dirt on your mat or fabric or you need a new, sharper blade.
8. After your first edge is clean, you can turn your fabric to line that up with a new line on your mat to position yourself for your next cut.
9. MEASURE TWICE - CUT ONCE! Count in both directions because you can see things differently.
10. Keep turning the ruler and/or the fabric to line up the ruler on each new cut until your piece is the size you need.
