How to Quilt>Using a Rotary Cutter to Cut a Short Strip of Fabric

 

How to Cut a Piece of Fabric
with a Rotary Cutter –
Without Cutting a Whole Strip

A Beginner's Guide to Quilting Learn all of the tips, tricks and shortcuts of cutting fabric and sewing blocks in this easy-to-read guide. Unlock the Secrets of creating a beautiful quilt using this simple 9-step system. Amaze your friends with your creativity. Click here to learn more

 

Whether it's National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day or not, you'll want to keep the chocolate away from your fabric and quilt making.

But, if you just can't keep your fingers off the chocolate - we understand! And a little cold water will usually remove those chocolate spots.

Some quilters like to cut just strips of fabric with their rotary cutter. It really is an easier way to cut. Fold and slice. Gather up the strip, and then cut off just what you need.

Well, I’m a little cheaper than that. I have found that when I cut strips, they are never just the size I need for the next project. They are too wide or too narrow, and either way, I end up wasting fabric.

So, a few years ago, I decided that I would just cut pieces slightly larger than the piece I needed.

While this does mean that my big hunks of fabric may have a strange shape on the end, it also means that I’m not wasting much fabric.

Below are instructions for cutting a strip out that can be cut into smaller pieces – squares, triangles, whatever. The point is that the initial cut is less than a strip the entire width of the fabric.

Open your fabric so it lays flat and smooth on your cutting mat. I generally start at a selvedge side. The first step (not shown here) is to make sure that you have a straight edge on the end of the fabric you are cutting. Then lay down your ruler so it covers up a portion of the fabric that you need for your patches. In the picture, I need a piece 4” wide and 15” long. I place my ruler 4” in from the end of the fabric, and 16” up from the selvedge edge. This will ensure that I have a strip long enough.

Once you have lined up the edge of the fabric with the measuring marks on your ruler, place your hand firmly on the ruler to make sure it stays in place. Then run your rotary cutter along the edge of the ruler, with the blade side of the cutter facing the ruler.

Continue along the edge of the ruler until you reach the end of the ruler, and remove the rotary cutter from the fabric.

Now cut along the end of the ruler. This will be perpendicular to the cut you just made, and will complete cutting the fabric strip out of the whole piece of fabric.

Remove the ruler, and then pull the fabric strip away from the fabric. Fold up the remainder of the fabric, and you’re ready to cut the strip into the smaller pieces you need.

 

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
Master Quilter

www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com

Penny is a quilter of more than 29 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

This article courtesy of http://www.How-to-Quilt.com.
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©2006-10, Penny Halgren

 

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