Welcome to the world of rotary cutting! It's pretty awesome. In this video I show you how to square up your fabric and how to use
basic rotary cutting tools to cut strips - on the straight grain and on the bias. You use straight grain strips to attach to straight edges - like the edges of a quilt. If you need your strips to curve (like around a curved hem, or to enclose the raw edges of armholes) then you use bias-cut strips.
Remember - that rotary cutter is razor sharp. Keep your fingers away from the blade at all times, and always remember to close the blade (or engage the safety) before you set it down. No blood on the fabric - that's my motto.
Happy sewing!
Best,
Wendi
Does it matter what direction you cut in (up and down or across) to get a straight grain cut?
ReplyDeleteUsually you cut across - but I've been known to cut up and down - especially when using striped fabric if I want my stripes to run a certain way. But either way will give you a straight grain cut that has very little "bend" to it.
ReplyDeletegreat work good tutorial thanks
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad it was helpful!
ReplyDeleteThis makes sense for when you have a piece of fabric that you might get from the store that has selvedge edges. But what if you are using scrap fabric - like you are cutting up an old shirt or pair of pants to make bean bags? Do you need to make sure that your fabric is true?
ReplyDeleteIt's really a judgement call. For beanbags - you definitely don't need to true up. For clothing - always. ALWAYS! For quilts - it depends on how complex the design is and how important precision is to you (for me it's usually not that important so I just worry about getting the most pieces out of a scrap). For softies - it's usually not important.
ReplyDeleteA good rule of thumb is if it's going to hang (on a wall, on your body, in a window, etc.) then make very sure to get your edges as true as possible.
Hi, I bought fabric for quilting and it is 51 inches selvage to selvage folded.....my question is how do I cut that? Neither my cutting mat or my ruler are long enough.
ReplyDeleteJust fold it in half one more time - so you're cutting through 4 layers instead of two. Take your time folding and make sure you get everything lined up as straight as you possibly can.
DeleteJust getting the hang of my new rotary cutter. Very helpful tutorial as the pattern I purchased did not specify HOW to cut binding...seeing the demo shows me it will be bias cut and how to make that happen! When sewing is new, every step is a project! Thanks for your wonderful tutorials. They are my favorite!
ReplyDeleteCrystal
Thanks so much! I'm glad they've been helpful. :-) And once you get the hang of rotary cutting you'll love it. It's faster and more accurate than scissors - and much less hard on your wrists. :-)
DeleteWendy I love all yr tutorials...so easy to follow and you explain in great detail..thank u so much...I just love all u do Wendy .
Delete