What is one of the most important tools when you are starting a new quilt project? Rulers! Using them correctly is the best way to not ruin that expensive fabric with cutting mistakes. That’s why I chose this week to cover ruler use and tips as well as tips for the fabric you are cutting.
Rulers Cutting Tips
I’ve talked about caring for rulers, along with other quilting tools, in past posts. Now I’m going to talk about tips when using these tools starting with rulers.
Tip #1: Learn how to read your ruler. No matter the brand you use, it’s always a good idea to be familiar with all the markings and lines on your rulers. I prefer Creative Grid (photo on left) rulers because they are clear, they have gripper dots and strips embedded on the back for less slipping (photo on right) and the markings are designed to be easily read no matter which side of the ruler you are working off of.
The markings between to 1″ lines are different lengths which I think helps me to read the ruler more quickly and accurately while I am cutting.
Look at the photo below. Notice how the 1/8″ lines are slightly shorter than the 1/4″ lines and the 1/2″ line is longer than both of those. This helps me find odd measurements like 2 3/8″ and 3 3/4″ quickly on the ruler. I also like that the numbers go in both directions so no matter how the ruler is turned, they are easy to read.
Tip #2: Always line up the ruler with the edge of your fabric and double check that your ruler is placed correctly. If you are cutting multiple strips of the same size and you don’t have a specialized ruler that helps with that, mark your ruler with a piece of painter’s tape.
It’s a good idea to use the same brand of ruler, if you need to switch between sizes, for all the pieces you’re cutting. Different brands of rulers can have lines of different thickness. Even if they are off by less than 1/16 of an inch, it could cause a problem when you are piecing.
Tip #3: Keep the ruler from shifting when cutting. A shifting ruler can send your rotary cutter “off course” and cause cutting mistakes and perhaps injuries to your hand. Even pressure from your hand holding the ruler keeps it from shifting.
“Tent” your hand as shown in the photos above with your pinkie on the edge to keep the ruler from moving. If you place your hand flat on the ruler, you may inadvertently push the ruler forward. Tenting your hand makes the pressure your are exerting go down instead of forward. When you are cutting a long strip, you may want to stop briefly and move your hand up the ruler so you can keep the pressure even through the entire cutting of the strip.
Tip #4: Make sure your rotary cutter is straight and hugging the edge of your ruler all the way through the cut you are making. You want your rotary cutter straight like in the photo on the left, not slanted like the photo on the right.
Fabric Cutting Tips
Tip #1: The most important tip I can share is to make sure your fabric is squared up before you cut strips. Especially if you are cutting long strips that you will sub-cut into smaller pieces. If you start with a distorted strip, all the pieces you cut from that strip can be off in their measurements.
When fabric is rolled onto the bolt at the manufacturer, the lengthwise grain of the fabric can end up not being straight. That’s why it is important to square it up so strips that you cut from the fabric are not bent in the middle. Here are two strips side by side:
Notice how the strip on the left bends away from the line on the mat? That happens when fabric is not squared up. Below is my mini video tutorial demonstrating the process of squaring up fabric.
I square up all sizes of fabric I’m cutting into strips, including fat quarters and fat eights.
Tip #2: Whether you pre-wash your fabric or not, always press the fabric prior to cutting. Obviously washed fabric will have wrinkles and creases to press out before cutting. But, if you don’t pre-wash, there will still be creases to press out from where the fabric was folded to fit the bolt.
A crease or a wrinkle can cause your rotary cutter to skip or can cause your strip to be distorted.
Tip #3: When figuring how much fabric you need for the pieces you need to cut, don’t forget about selvages. (photos below):
Selvage is the tightly woven, finished edges of fabric on the lengthwise grain. This prevents the woven fabric from fraying or unraveling. When cutting smaller pieces from a strip, selvages are cut off before you start. So remember, the actual usable fabric width is between those selvages.
Tip #4: This last tip is a fun one. Once you are done cutting your current project’s pieces and there is a bit of fabric left over, if you are lucky, continue to cut strips in the sizes you like to collect for future scrap projects. These strips can also be used for scrappy borders and scrappy quilt binding. I keep mine stored in bins organized by color and size.
So those are what I think are the most important tips to remember. If you can think of others that you follow, leave a comment. We can always learn something new from each other!
Happy Quilting!
Deanne
