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If you have a question for Ask CRAFT, shoot me an email at becky@craftzine.com, or drop us a note on Twitter! We'd love to answer your crafty questions on any topic: technique, projects, crafty culture, or anything else! Each week the answers are here; include your name, where you're from, and your website or blog if you have one!
Susan writes in:
I see these expensive rotary cutters in the stores. What makes them better than a sharp pair of scissors or a knife? Are they worth it?
Rotary cutters are great! Here are some cases I'd use them instead of scissors or a utility knife:
Quilting and precise geometries
Quilters comprise a large portion of rotary cutter owners, and it's not by accident. Using large clear rulers, quilters can cut out very precisely-shaped pieces for intricate quilt work. Since most quilt pieces have straight lines all around, the rotary cutter makes quick work of highly geometric shapes cut from fabric or paper. You can use a smaller rotary cutter to cut curves.
Cutting odd or delicate materials
Leather, silk, window screen, and other overly delicate, snag prone, or unusual materials are best cut with a rotary cutter. For one, you can get a straight line cut from a movement-prone fabric because once you get it flat on the table, you don't have to lift it to cut the line, like with scissors. Denser materials benefit from the rotary cutter because the blade isn't sliding through the length of the cut, but rather rolling down over the material, preventing snags that can happen with a knife.
Decorative edging and scrapbooking
Rotary cutters have interchangable blades, and you can get decorative edging blades to make cuts in paper for scrapbooking. Unlike patterned scissors, the blade is circular like a ravioli cutter, which makes the pattern endlessly and seamlessly repeatable.
Cutting multiple layers
Rotary cutters can easily slice many layers of material at once, which is great for multiples in fabric, paper, etc.
Increased speed
Trimming seam allowances is super fast with a rotary cutter. You can cut with a push motion or a pull motion, unlike a knife which must be pulled. This helps prevent RSI and lets you work however's comfortable. Because you can cut multiple layers at once, making oodles of the same piece, like for quilting, is a dream.
Please be careful using any rotary cutter, as they're very sharp. It's best to get one with a safety feature that pulls the blade back when not in use. Watch your fingers when cutting against rulers, and keep this tool away from small children. Check out this great introductory tutorial on working with rotary cutters on the Purl Bee. Have tips or stories about how and why you use a rotary cutter? Share them in the comments!
More:
Rotary cutters can also help you with your crochet edgings on fleece and fabric! I learned about a unique perforating blade for all rotary cutters on the Project Linus' newsletter. Visit http://www.skipstitch.com for details! I have one of each size and love them. They quickly allow me to put a perforated edge on a fleece blanket. No more poking holes with an awl or a 1/8" paper punch. A quick roll of the cutter and I am ready to get to the fun part of crocheting. Give it a peek!
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I am a notoriously bad cutter and using a rotary cutter helps to to at least get closer to making a straight line. Couldn't live without mine!
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do you have any brand recommendations? also, what might make a more expensive one more expensive (features etc.) and is it worth it to spend more bucks?
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Olfa and Fiskars are your standards, and they offer a wide range of rotary cutters with different handling, grips, and blade changeability. A good quality cutter won't have a wobbly blade and may have a more comfortable grip or handle. I'd say it's worth it to invest in a good quality tool if you're going to get one, because you'll use it for a long time by changing out the blades when they get dull. Plus a bad tool is a dangerous tool. You don't want to struggle with a wobbly blade or flimsy handle when the thing has the potential to send you to the hospital.
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