Trouble with 'dog legs' when cutting strips - help?
 

It seems like no matter how careful I try to be, I end up with 'dog legs' in my cut strips about half of the time!!
What am I doing wrong, please?

What are dog legs?

if your talking about the "bow" in the fold ~ you have to make sure to make sure the fold is straight and not so much the selvage edges. There is a Fon's & Porter Rotary Cutting "primer" Book that I first saw this in. It was a light bulb moment for me. And I rarely ever have bowlegs anymore.

If the fold is on straight of grain and lined up with a grid line on your cutting mat and you cut at a 90º angle to the fold, you will not have bends in your strips...ever.

three word solution: June Tailor's "Shapecut". Check it out on her website. It's got slots every half inch (some models have quarter inch increments) where you run your rotary cutter up those slots. I love it and only regret I have is that I bought the 12" instead of the 18" so I just fold the fabric smaller before positioning the Shapecut over it.

I agree with PPM - June Tailor Shapecut has made a big difference in all my cutting, but especially the strips.

This was a great thread! Thanks!

Dog legs are created when the cut is not exactly 90 degrees from the fold. You can verify this by folding and cutting some pieces of paper! The June Tailor shape cut mat helps make straight cuts because you line up a line on the mat with the fold of your fabric so that you have the correct 90-degree angle.

Thank you all so much!! I will try the suggestions and book. I always appreciate how wonderful this board is!!

you need to make sure the ruler is lined up with the fold. One teacher recommends you realign about every 6" of cut.
As long as your ruler is lined up with the fold you will have straight cuts. If you are cutting 2.5" strips then re adjust about every 2 or 3 cuts and straighten the side if you need to before making the next cut. Your fold can be crooked but as long as the ruler is straight with the fold you will get straight cuts.