Learn to Use Your Rotary Cutter

Leave the Scissors Alone. I rarely use scissors in my quilting. Rotary cutters open up lots of options for clean, precise cuts for quilting. Make friends with your rotary cutter and quilting will become a pleasure! 

Notes to remember for this lesson:

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 the fabric, 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. 

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.