I took my very first quilting class today at Guildcrafters in Berkley, Mich. I'm proud to say I finished an entire top during our day of marathon sewing. I learned so much - one of my favorite takeaways was how best to use a rotary cutter. Here are a few quick tips that have made a huge difference in my projects:
- Make sure your cutter has a sharp blade - it makes such a difference!
- Try standing up - use the weight of your body for a firm cut
- Cut at a 45-degree angle - this will make sure you get a clean cut the first time
- Start cutting before you actually hit your fabric - this ensure you cut the very bottom of the fabric
- Keep your blade guard on in between cuts - this way you won't accidentally hurt yourself or your project!
Do you have any tips to share when it comes to rotary cutting?
Wear butcher gloves or gardening gloves or some other kind of hand protection. So you don't slice off the tip of your finger. Yup, learned that the hard way.
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My lessons of experience -
- Don't get too into the efficiency of cutting with a rotary cutter and layer too many layers of fabric in one cut. A double layer is fine. Even four layers. But much more than that, and things start sliding out a bit and the strips get less accurate even with a sharp new blade.
- Run the rotary blade AWAY from you.
Thanks for the tips. Can't wait to see the top!
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Can we see your quilt top?
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