DYI fabric cutter
 

I know some of you can place a ruler on fabric for sub-cuts and cut, cut, cut; getting exact sizes every cut. But when I tried that method my cutting seemed to drift over the wof fabric...just enough to cause issues.

I was playing around with some re-positional tape yesterday and devised a method to make sub-cutting wof go much more quickly. (And I can do it easily sitting at my desk.)

1-I taped a long ruler (longer than width of the initial cut) vertically on my cutting mat with re-positional tape (no sticky residue).

2-I measure the length of the sub-cut from the edge of the vertical ruler and marked that with the edge of a piece of tape (placed vertically).

3-I simply slid the wof cut of fabric under the ruler until the outer edge reached the tape line.

4-I made sure the fabric was perpendicular to the ruler by adjusting it to the horizontal lines on the cutting mat.

5-I remeasured the length (measure twice cut once) and made my cut at outer the edge of the vertical ruler.

6-I slipped the next length under the vertical ruler, straightened, measured and cut.

It went quickly, once I got the hang of it.

(I put dots in the pic below so everything would line up. I hope it does on your monitor.)

........................................ruler
........................................ ||
.........................................|| measure sub-cut length and mark with tape
..............<= initial cut wof...||----------------->|
.........................................||
.........................................||

...........................................^...cut line



If I have helped one person, I will have done my job. :0)

thanks for posting this method

I had trouble with my long ruler slipping at the far end of the fabric. Then I got one of those large handles that you snap onto the ruler. It made all the difference. Now I have no problem at all. I think I got is cheap at one of the swaps at our quilt club. Check it out. Very easy to use and I leave it attached to my long ruler all the time. Why take it off.

With long rulers...I was taught to hold your ruler on the fabric, with your fingers like spider legs and stop cutting when you just pass those legs, reposition your fingers down that ruler and then cut again. In reality it means you are putting full pressure exactly where you are cutting and there is no shifting...it has worked for me all these years... Can't be in a "hurry"

This is what I generally do as well. I also have little rubber dots on the 4 corners of my ruler to help keep it from slipping. Another thing that I have preached for a long time and actually remembered to practice this weekend - put painter's tape on my ruler for the size cut I need so I am more consistent with my cutting. Definitely helped. Now only if my original blocks had been better constructed...sigh.

I think the whole theory is "not to be in a hurry". Take a deep breath and relax before cutting.

Very clever solution. Something to try for sure.

I like this way of doing things!!! I will have to try it. I have trouble getting straight cuts also.
Lynda

I found that ripping for long strips does the trick for me....

A smart solution. This is an on going problem for a lot of people and this may be a helpful way that works.

Something else that I learned to do years ago was to make a release cut, about 1/2" to an 1" long at the far end of the cut you want to make before you do the full cut. The fabric doesn't shift at the end of the cut when I do this and it is my routine method of cutting now. I can cut double folded fabric or one piece and it never shifts.

peace