ROTARY CUTTING TIPS

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I once had a great quilting instructor, Marilyn Doheny, who would always tell the class, "Put a quarter in a jar every time that you leave your rotary cutter laying open, because you'll need some money for a trip to the hospital one day!".  Rotary cutters are an incredibly sharp, though wonderful quilting tool that we now find we can't live without. 

One of my favorite brands is Olfa.  I like the kind that you manually open and shut for safety reasons, rather than the type that opens when you push on it.

Rotary cutting tips to make your cutting easier: 

• Be sure that you change your blade regularly.  If you find that your cut fabric has evenly spaced bits that aren't cut through, then your blade has a nick.  If you are hacking your way through the fabric, it's probably been a long time since the last blade replacement!  Treat yourself to smooth cutting.
• Rotary cutters are more stable when cutting through multiple layers of fabric.  Whenever possible layer your fabrics.  The basic size 45 blade is built to handle up to 16 layers!  This not only saves time but also reduces the chance of a mistake, with less cuts made!  Some of you are wary of the cutter so if you have some old fabric laying around, spend some time and practice on it, just cutting multiple layer strips.  Practice makes perfect when determining the correct pressure required to cut through multiple layers.
• When you replace a blade, take note of how the pieces fit back together.  I taught quilting classes at one time, and it was amazing how many rotary cutters were put back together wrong after replacing a blade!
• Get one of the small cutters for more intricate curves, free form cutting and miniatures.  The right tool for the job is always a time saver.

Have fun with your projects!

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