Rotary Cutting Fabric
Quilting 101 - Back to Basics
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Step
1. Begin by folding the fabric in half, selvage to selvage. Make sure
the selvages are even and the folded edge is smooth. Fold the fabric in half
again, bringing the fold and the selvages together, again making sure
everything is smooth and flat. |
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Step
2. Position the folded fabric on a cutting mat so that the fabric
extends to the left for right-handed people, or to the right for left-handed
people. With a ruler resting on the fabric, line up the folded edge of the
fabric with a horizontal line on the ruler. Trim the uneven edge with a
rotary cutter. Make a clean cut through the fabric, beginning in front of
the folds and cutting through to the opposite edge with one clean stroke.
Always cut away from yourself - never toward yourself! |
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Step 3.
Turn the mat 180º, Move the ruler to the proper width for cutting the first
strip and continue cutting until you have the required number of strips. To
keep the cut edges even, always move the ruler, not the fabric. |
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Step 4.
Open up one fabric strip and check the spots where there were folds. If the
fabric was not evenly lined up or the ruler was incorrectly positioned,
there will be a bend at each of the folds in the fabric as illustrated by
the second strip. When cutting many strips, check after every three or four
strips to make sure the strips are straight. |
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