Cutting question
#12
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
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Originally Posted by bstanbro
How do you cut your fabric? Do you lay the fabric out with the fold close to you? Or away from you? I've always done it with the fold away from me, but just now I wondered if there would be an advantage to doing it the other way. I know I can trust you to give me the right answer!
I use a second ruler to keep my cutting ruler perpendicular to the fold. (A medium-sized square ruler works well for the second ruler.) I make sure a line on the secondary ruler is lined up with the fold, then butt my cutting ruler against the secondary ruler. This keeps my cutting ruler perpendicular to the fold. It would be much more difficult to do this with the fold away from you.
#13
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Originally Posted by bstanbro
Also, I have had trouble getting a bend when I cut my fabrics--near where the fold is. I tried finding information about that and was under the impression that ironing a new fold could cause the grain to be crooked, which causes the bend. Maybe I'm misunderstanding that. Can someone enlighten me?
I do not like folding fabric twice before cutting because it is so hard to get the two folds exactly parallel to one another. If they are not exactly parallel, then one of them will not be cut at a true 90 degrees from the fold and you will get a bend there.
#14
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 851
Thank you very much. That helps. I actually feel more secure when I have my ruler butted up against another one. I'm hoping for one of those handles for Christmas (and if I don't get one, I'll buy my own). I have arthritis in both hands, and so it's hard for me to really hold the ruler tight.
#15
Originally Posted by bstanbro
I have arthritis in both hands, and so it's hard for me to really hold the ruler tight.
#17
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 851
Yes, unfortunately, I can't do that either. I had carpal tunnel surgery a while back and it has taken me a long time to heal from that. I'm thinking in another year I might be able to do it again. In my experience it takes about three years to COMPLETELY recover from orthopedic surgery so that there is no pain at all and the limb is completely mobile.
#20
I have serious issues with the selvages. They are wibbly-wobbly (no translation forthcoming for "wibbly-wobbly" and not in the dictionary I think) and they also go from skinny to wide, etc. In short, they are very unreliable! So, I square up and smooth my fabric as best I can and line up on the fabric a 20-1/2 inch square ruler with what I determine to be the center fold. Than I butt a 2-foot long, 6"-wide ruler up against the large square one and use the edge of that to cut off the selvages. Having started cutting from that side, I just continue to cut toward the fold, rather than starting at the fold side. Having said all that, I think there's no reason for you to choose the open side over the folded side if you feel secure that your fabric is folded as straight and evenly as possible. Getting rid of the selvage edges first just happens to be a personal preference for me.
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02-05-2011 09:42 AM