I have made an attempt this afternoon to master the Rotary cutter... and still I cannot make sense of it.. I cut a square, although the blade is new... it didnt cut evenly... then in an attempt to cut a triangle I wondered.. how do I cut a triangle when the ruler is ' over the fabric???

When I lined it up.. it didnt look right.. I am so annoyed with myself for not being able to use iether the ruler or cutter.. am I compelled to use templates forever??? :(

Is there a quilt shop or guild you could go to and ask Please someone show me!, you'll have more help then you need. :D

You just need practice. I didn't think I would like a rotary cutter either when I finally decided to try one but it gets easier as you learn to hold it confidently.

I practice alot of techniques on paper first. You can use your rotary cutter and cut copy paper. It is cheaper than fabric!

Make sure your ruler does not move and push evenly on your cutter.

Are you using an angle on a ruler to do your triangles?

Hope you get the hang of it! It is fun when you get used to it! It does take time and practice to get comfortable! Don't give up!

Can you take it in to your local quilt shop and ask them to give you a quick lesson? My shop is always very helpful!

Be sure you are holding your ruler straight and in place (it can slip very easily!) , and you will probably have to reposition your ruler to cut the third side of your triangle.

Hang in there! You will get the hang of it! My mom was a long time template user and was very dismissive of and frustrated with rotary cutting at first, but once she got it, she never used a template again!

and make sure you only have one blade in your cutter. they tend to stick together out of the packets. and the yellow Olfa ones are great. other brands can be good or bad. but as the other posters said, practice.
some info says to place the blade at an angle toward your ruler while cutting, i've never done that. i cut straight and it works fine for me.
good luck

It is possible that you don't have even pressure on the ruler. I find that I MUST be positioned (either standing or kneeling) over the ruler and look down on it to get the best leverage. I spread my hand to get good coverage on the ruler (making sure NOT to have any fingers peaking over the edge) and I make an even, deliberate cutting pass along the ruler's edge. With a new blade and even pressure the cutter should not skip.

Good luck and be patient with yourself. (The cutter beats scissors on straight cuts any day)

Definitely ask for a demonstration at a LQS or fabric store. I don't use my scissors for cutting fabric anymore, just for trimming threads, and ends when PP. When they mention holding the cutter at an angle, they are referring to the the handle, not the blade. The blade should be straight, perpendicular to the fabric. I was afraid of it at first becasue it is so sharp! But I have become a true believer in rotary cutters! :lol: :lol:

I agree, if you can go to a local quilt store and have them show you how. These things can cut you quick! I know if you slow down and think about it, you will get better at it. It is loke anything, you must just take your time and learn the ins and outs of it.

Have you used a round pizza cutter?

Works the same way - except on fabric and with a ruler for a guideline.

Seriously, check out the tutorials - they are very helpful.

Excellent advice. Sometimes all you need is someone there watching and correcting.

And practice is always helpful, too.

What kind of ruler are you using to cut? Are you using the clear quilting rulers - you lay them on top of your fabric?

Many thanks for all your suppoprt folks, the ruler is a 'Sew Easy, Quilt & Sew !!! friend sent it to me, I dont have a quilt shop here and not even a decent sewing shop at all, I am putting the right pressure on, the cutter is new it must just be me ' cack handed'!! as you all say.. have to just keep practising.. or buy/ make some templates I do have squares, but no trangle ones, to match and is it a case of just drawing the line corner to corner to get matching traingles to my squares...

You must all think I am really DIM !!! :lol:

There are times I can't find the "on" switch, so you are not alone in feeling "dim" at times.

I can understand your frustration -

Good grief, NO! I can't tell you how often I have sat with the easiest pattern and couldn't figure out something only to have a friend at work show me and me then hitting my forehead in a Homer Simpson Duh! moment.

THIS IS PRICELESS!! :lol:

Everything is simple when someone else shows you! That is why we have teachers and instructors. Why should we have to re-invent the wheel! I want all the short cuts I can get! I don't have the time to learn everything the hard way! :?

I can't tell you the time I have wasted trying to figure out somehting that was SEW easy when someone showed me what to do! I can be pretty thick about some things when I THINK I know what to do and I am coming at it from the wrong way! Doh! :? :lol: :?:

YOU ARE NOT DIM! As everyone else has said, a new technique takes practice to master and soon you'll be zipping through the cutout part of quilting like the pro you are or soon will become.

As for the jagged edges of your cut, do you have something UNDER your cutting mat? I USE to store my 6" x 24" ruler UNDER and at the edge of my cutting mat and kept having all these wonky "hiccups" on my cut edge. Took the ruler out from under the mat and sure enough, got a great smooth, straight cut. The 6x24 mat was just thick enough that it made an unever surface for cutting. So, check to see if you have something stored under your cutting mat and if so, remove it.

Around here we can go to our local glass store (windows store) and they will cut ruler templates for us out of heavy hard plastic like is used for the commercial rulers only a bit thicker. They sand the edges and make a pretty decent measuring tool, you just don't get all the measurement lines. If you don't have quilt stores near by this might be something you can do. Several of my quilty friends have gotten ruler templates made for JUST SLIGHTLY LESS than the cost of a commercial ruler template. These work great I'm told.

Good luck!

Ellie,

I found that it helps stabilize your ruler to put some little dots of sandpaper on them. They are sold in most sewing shops. There is also a clear film that does the same thing, but I've never used it. I'm left handed, but I've learned that sometimes it's easier for me to hold the cutter in my right hand. Experiment with holding the cutter at different angles. I find that holding it with the handle up at about a 60-75 degree angle works best for me, so I'm actually pushing DOWN as well as forward, but that is a personal preference. Like the others said, practice on paper. And be patient with yourself. If you get frustrated, put the cutter down and take a break. Remember, there is a learning curve for EVERYTHING. You'll get it! And if there aren't any local quilt shops, if there are any kind of sewing or fabric shops around, they may be able to help you.

Or I suppose you could convince your DH that you ABSOLUTELY HAD TO take a little two or three day excursion to the nearest big city that has a quilt shop. I'm sure you could convince him that the price of a night or two in a hotel room was worth it! :mrgreen:

thank you all for these comments and encouragement, decided i may get another RC?, as told some better than others, mat and ruler are flat.. tried again each day but no better at it!! never mind, as you say time will gain experiences!!

Use templates for now..

just cut 40 green and 40 floral triangles out, keep it simple :lol:

people did (and still do) make fantastic quilts cutting the fabric with scissors

no law against using them