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The advent of the rotary cutter and strip piecing in the 1980's brought about revolutionary changes in the quilt world. Ladies who could not dream of taking all the time it took to trace around templates and cut the pieces with scissors now ventured into quilt making. (I started a Grandmother's Flower Garden in the late '70s. I sat before the TV many an evening drawing around the hexagons required for that pattern and cutting them out with scissors. I put the whole thing away a dozen times and dragged it back out again to work on a few more months before I put it away again. I finished it in 1985.) If you have believed the REAL way to make a REAL quilt is with scissors and templates, think again!
My article A Mini-Quilt in NinePatch gives an overview of how the rotary cutter and strip piecing produce a pieced top in no time.
There are several cutters on the market. Check the safety features and choose one that fits your
situation (child safety, etc.) Replacement blades are available and are mostly interchangeable between the different brands. I have found a blade sharpener to be a money-saver.
Please don't economize on the rulers needed. The two you will use most in cutting strips are 6 1/2 x 24 inches, and a 6 1/2 x 6 1/2. Keeping in mind that this cutter is razor sharp, we don't want it to ride up over the edge of the ruler and nick your fingers, so the ruler must be about 1/8 inch thick and made of acrylic. There are cheaper thinner rulers out there but you will understand the importance of the heavy ones after your first tip to the ER!
The one I have used for years is a "Quilters' Rule", has 45 and 60 degree angles marked, and the measuring lines are raised. A square ruler, 12.5 x 12.5 inches is valuable for use in
"squaring up" completed blocks.
A cutting mat of 18 x 24 inches is the most useful in cutting the width of folded 42 to 45 inch fabric. Make just one cut and eliminate the possibility of crooked strips.
If you are new to rotary cutting, practice on scrap fabrics before cutting into the actual quilt fabric. Most strips are cut from selvage to selvage (cross grain) with the fabric folded from selvage to selvage. The fold of the fabric is VERY important. An uneven fold will produce a crooked strip.
The copyright of the article Strip Piecing and the Rotary Cutter in Quilting is owned by . Permission to republish Strip Piecing and the Rotary Cutter in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
3.
Sep 11, 2002 10:57 AM
In response to message posted by Merry_Sunshine:
Thanks, Jeanne. I gave all my quilting stuff to my daughter and once we g ...
-- posted by jerrib
2.
Sep 9, 2002 8:37 PM
In response to message posted by jerrib:
The two rulers I use most were designed by Betty Gault 1983, "The Quilters Rule". On ...
-- posted by Merry_Sunshine
1.
Sep 9, 2002 6:46 PM
Do you recommend any brand of ruler over others? I have heard some of them are not accurate. I know what I like, but am just curious. ...
-- posted by jerrib
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