Accurately cutting the strips, squares, and triangles for a quilt project is as important as precisely sewing them together. Each piece must be the exact size the pattern calls for. Sound simple? It can be if you follow these simple rules.
Always Close Your Rotary Cutter
This is the best way to keep your fingers in one piece. Countless quilters, experienced as well as inexperienced, have sliced their fingers when reaching for a rotary cutter and closing their hand on an open, exposed blade. Rotary cutters have a safety latch that opens and closes the blade with a press of a button. If you always close your rotary cutter's blade, it will become a habit, and you will avoid accidents.
Always Cut Away From Your Body
By running the rotary cutter away from your body, it's harder to cut yourself, plus you can see how well you're cutting the fabric. If your blade veers from the ruler or pushes the ruler to one side, you will catch it sooner, which means less wasted fabric.
Use the Same Ruler to Cut All the Pieces of Your Quilt
This may sound silly, but different manufacturers' rulers can vary by an eighth of an inch or more. Even a slight difference between two rulers' measurements can add up to an obvious discrepancy in block size or seam points. The result is a wonky quilt.
Iron Your Fabric Before Cutting
No one likes to iron, but in quilting, ironing your fabric is necessary. A wrinkle in the fabric means a crooked edge on your strip. Use a good iron, and, if necessary, a spray starch to remove wrinkles before cutting.
Fold Your Fabric So It Lies Flat, Selvage to Selvage
A selvage is the bound edge of a piece of fabric. Align these edges when you fold your fabric, but don't assume the fabric will be a square. If the fold won't lie flat, the piece wasn't cut evenly at the store. Slide one side of the folded fabric along the selvages until the entire piece lies flat, fold and all.
Align the Fabric Edge in the Same Spot on both the Ruler and Cutting Mat
If you want to cut a two-inch strip, align the fabric's edge either in the middle of the two-inch mark on your ruler or on either of the top or bottom edge of this line. Varying between the center of the line and the outside when cutting can result in different sized blocks.
Maintain Even Pressure on the Ruler While Cutting
If you hold the ruler firmly in the center but don't put pressure on the ends of the ruler, your ruler can move as you slide the rotary cutter along its length. This will ruin the piece you were trying to cut, and you will have to redo the straight edge you were measuring from, resulting in wasted fabric.
Spread your fingers palm down and over as much of the ruler as possible. With practice, your hand will grow stronger, and you will be better able to maintain even pressure. When cutting longer pieces of fabric, lean on your elbow and forearm to put pressure on the entire ruler, or carefully fold the fabric in half or thirds and cut through all the fabric layers. Press harder on the rotary cutter when cutting through multiple fabric layers.
You can also maintain a firm, even pressure by using one of the new ruler handles, such as The Gypsy Gripper, which is easier to hold. Smaller handles have even been developed to hold smaller rulers and templates, such as those for triangles, that are hard to hold while keeping your fingers out of harm's way.
Rulers with nonskid material on the back also help keep the ruler from slipping.
Keep Rotary Blades Sharp and Use Ergonomic Cutters to Avoid Hand Stress
Bumping the rotary cutter on the ruler can leave a nick in the blade. Your blade will not cut in where it's nicked. Wwhen you pull the pieces apart, not all the threads will be severed. Long use can also dull your blade. When either of these happens, change your blade or use one of several devices on the market to sharpen your blade. Sharp blades mean precise cuts.
Preparing for Your First Cut
Before cutting your strips, you should remove the selvages. Selvages are not used in quilt blocks. Align the long edge of your ruler with a line on your cutting mat slightly above the selvages, then cut the fabric with your rotary cutter. This side is now straight and can be used to square your next cut. Place the bottom of your ruler or align a line of your ruler on this cut and square up the outside edge of the fabric. Now you are ready to make your first cut.
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