I bought one of those early black Friday morning. Saturday I took it up to my Mom's to show her how I could cut up her wool fabrics so she can make braided rugs.

We cannot get it to work!! The directions said to tighten the drum - didn't work. We switched from the pinking blade to the straight one and still had no luck. I watched the video on their web site and tried it again this afternoon and I'm heartbroken. I was looking forward to easing the cutting!

Does anyone have any advise for me?

I'm wondering if the wool fabric is too thick for the cutter. I think it is marketed to quilters, who typically want to cut cotton fabric.

I was looking at those but waiting to hear what others thought before I bought one. I get frustrated with things real easy. I dont need another shelf sitter.
I to am wondering if its the wool. have you tried cotton with any luck?

Haven't tried one yet -- I would certainly be taking that sucker back and asking for a replacement!

I Googled braided rug cutters and they seem to be considerably more expensive than the Simplicity cutter -- I think because they can handle heavier fabrics like wool. Here is a link to the least expensive cutter I found:
http://halcyonyarn.com/products.php?...gn=gb_products

Does the box or instructions have any info regarding the reccommened thickness of fabric? Is there an 800 number anywhere on the box, instructions or warranty card?

I used one at a quilt shop. It was easy to run the cotton fabric through it but two layers of cotton fabric was about all it would cut. Felted wool is dense so that may be the problem. I can't see why regular wool would be a problem for one layer though.

Thanks for your replies.

Prism99 - thanks for your search! I'll talk to my mom to see what she says. So far she's enjoying doing the practice rug she'll give to me for my cutting donation, and she has old wool clothes she wants to braid, then we'll see if she wants to do more.

amma - no 800 number, there is a web site that just had a video to watch but said nothing about thickness of fabric.

BellaBoo - It's not felted and I feel the same way you do. I called the store I bought it at but they had no ideas, either.