- Are your quilting blocks small
or perhaps they're wonky
and out of square.
To get accurate piecing,
you need the trifecta of accurate cutting, straight sewing
and a really good ironing technique.
In this video, I will be concentrating on accurate cutting.
So stick with me
and I'll show you how to do it.
(upbeat music)
Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts,
I give you tips, tricks and strategies
to help you make the quilt
that you want to make.
And if you like what you see,
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The foundational skills of quilting are so important
for accurate piecing.
It's been a while since I'd made the video,
How To Sew Straight and A Really Good Ironing Technique.
So it's about time
I make that video on accurate cutting.
Cutting is my favourite part of making a quilt.
It is my happy place, cutting the strips
and then the strips into pieces,
putting them all into stacks and sets.
Honestly, I could quilt right here and be happy
but it wasn't long before I realised
that there was more to cutting straight
than just grabbing a rotary cutter.
You need four items
for accurate cutting, a rotary cutter,
a ruler with an eighth of an inch ledge,
a cutting mat and a steady table.
And the key word in that is steady.
My Island countertop is ideal.
It's flat and movable and at the right height for me
that is the angle that my elbow makes
is just a little bit bigger than 90 degrees.
This is a luxury and I know it.
And I used to do my cutting
on my dining room table
or on my desk in my sewing room.
And if they are too low,
you can add risers to get the height that you need.
Give your table a good shake.
If it moves, see if you can stabilise it
by tightening up some screws
or adding a leg support
even just pushing it against a wall can help.
Sometimes a table is steady in one direction
but not the other.
Or you might have hills and valleys in your tabletop
that you might need to either shim or avoid.
And your table is the foundation
that the other three work upon.
The rotary cutter is an amazing invention.
Previously quilters had to cut out templates
and then trace around it onto fabric
and then cut everything with scissors.
So we can all be thankful
for the time-saving in a rotary cutter.
Choose the right one for the job.
Small sizes are good for curves
and cutting notches.
The larger ones are good for cutting long strips
or multiple layers at once.
And there are a number of different styles and sizes
but choose the one that fits comfortably in your hand.
But the rotary cutter does not work alone.
You need a ruler with a ledge and cutting mat.
Be sure to buy your rulers and cutting mats
from established brands
like OLFA or Fiskars, Creative Grids or Omnigrid.
Just to name a few.
These companies have built their reputation
upon measurement accuracy.
Be wary of the no name brands
that you can find on Wish and Amazon,
which may be fine for other crafts
that don't require the precision
that quilting does.
Cutting mats come in all sorts of sizes,
for quilting, we need one
that has its longest side 24 inches or more
so that we can cut those with the fabric strips.
If you've had yours for a while, take a good look.
Is it still flat?
Cutting mats need to be kept away from heat,
that can be a radiator or sunlight
and be sure to store them flat.
For rulers, we want the ones
with an 1/8 of an inch ledge and are clear.
They come in all sorts of sizes
and with different types of markings.
Choose the size and shape
that works for what you want to do
and be sure that your cutting station
has a clear space
so that your rulers can lie flat
and your arms have room to move.
We have a ruler with a ledge
and we have a rotary cutter with a sharp blade.
The ruler serves to mark your line
and keep the rotary blade straight
as it travels up your fabric.
So it's very important that your ruler remains stationary
while you cut.
You place your hands
so that the force is coming straight down from above
and not from the sides.
And you might need a little bit of friction on the bottom
to help it stay still as well.
In my video, Sewing Hacks From The Dollar Store,
I showed how first aid tape
is an inexpensive solution.
And if your hands are not strong enough
don't hesitate to use a weight to make it work.
You want to be confident
that your ruler will not move
so that you don't clench up.
Your rotary cutter
should have the blade on the inside.
And if you can't remember
the last time you change your rotary blade,
do it now.
You roll your shoulders back,
let your arms hang from your shoulder blades.
You pulling your abs, like you're zipping up your pants
and you put one foot slightly in front of the other.
I want to be just to the side
so that when my arm goes out,
it's going in a straight motion.
We start here with your ruler
just before your fabric.
And then you're just going to shift your weight forward
and just push straight through.
So your arm is providing the power
and your hand is doing the guidance.
Let's watch that again
from another angle, there is no bend in my wrist.
The power is coming from my arm
and my hand is merely guiding my ruler.
Make sure it extends past the end of your fabric.
If you need to make long cuts
such as with the fabric strips,
stop your blade at your fingertips
so that there's still pressure
between the ruler and your blade
and walk your fingers up the ruler
then press down again
and then continue cutting
or use that weight I was telling you about.
I was really surprised at how well this worked
and I'm embarrassed that it took me so long to use it.
And what if your ruler is not long enough
you can use a method similar to what I just described.
Just adding an extra pause
to be sure that the ruler is aligned properly
or you can use multiple rulers with their edges lined up.
Understand that the cut is happening here
where the blade meets the cutting mat.
So if your blade is not sharp enough, we clench.
And when we clench several things can happen.
First, the fabric is no longer being cut here
but here, lower in the cutting mat.
And this pulls your fabric inward
and pushes your fabric forward in a wave.
Secondly, all that extra pressure messes up your form
so that your blade may no longer be straight
against the ruler
or it may actually push your ruler off its line.
And thirdly, if we are so focused
on whether our blade is actually going to cut our fabric
we are not concentrating on where our hands are.
If our measurement is correct
then other items that might be in our space.
If you are using a brand name ruler
and cutting mat
the lines on both should be accurate.
There are quilters out there
that say that you can not interchange brands
but in my experience,
that simply isn't true.
But what you do need to understand
is that the measurements
are made from the midpoint of the lines
which can be quite different depending on the brand.
The lines can also be different thicknesses
depending on the increment.
So get to know your rulers.
So you might be thinking everything I've shown you
is possible under ideal conditions
but we've all had times
where we've had to cut backwards, underhanded
or sitting down.
How can we cut straight then?
You can still apply the above.
Is your blade sharp?
Are you clenching?
Is your wrist bend or is it straight?
Is your ruler still?
Are you able to run the blade straight
along the ruler without pushing?
And if you were sitting, can you turn the mat towards you?
Or can you move your chair
so that you're in front of the cutting mat
and that you're cutting away from you.
Is the height of your chair adjusted?
So that your shoulder, elbow and hand
are in the right position.
Just a few more things.
Crisp fabrics are easier to cut.
So if one is giving you difficulty
use some spray starch or sizing
to make your fabrics differ,
unless you are making a show quilt.
It's rare that we need to measure anything in microns.
So understand that accuracy has its limits
and not all cuts are equal.
When you're trimming in between 2 HST blocks,
we can eyeball those with scissors, if needs be.
And when we are squaring up quilts, we can even cut twice.
We can cut once to remove all the excess fabric and batting
and a second one to make it square.
And lastly, not only does accuracy in cutting take practise,
it also works hand in hand with sewing in straight
and a really good ironing technique.
So get out your scraps
and start practising with some scrap sampler blocks
and some scraps strip blocks.
Last week on Karen's Quilt Circle,
I had Kimberly Jolly, a fat quarter shop
and we were talking about changes.
She gave us a great peek behind the scenes
and you don't want to miss it.
So I'll leave a link in the notes below.
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So take care and I'll see you next time.