Thread: What would you do?

I was told when I started quilting that the mat lines are just guidelines and very few are precise for accurate measurements and never change brand of rulers when cutting out a quilt pattern. I read an article some years ago that the mat lines are stamped on the mat so many variables can happen to make the lines a smidgen off.

Jeanne S If you are left handed do you do the same thing but from the right side.

Originally Posted by Jeanne S

I used to cut fabric the way I think you are doing: you lay the fabric across the mat, with the cutting edge to your right and the bulk of the rest of the fabric folded on your left, slide the ruler on top of the fabric to your left until you have the right strip width and then cut your fabric on the right side of the ruler with the strip to the right of your ruler and the rest of the fabric under the ruler and to your left. You have to use the lines on the mat to do it this way, and you are simply using your ruler as a straight edge for the rotary cutter. Then one day I was watching a quilting video and the presenter cut a different way--using the ruler as the measure of the strip width. To do it this way, you straighten the edge of your fabric the way you usually do, but then FLIP the entire length of fabric over so that the new straight edge of the fabric is on the left side of the mat and the rest of the length of the fabric is on your right. Then place your ruler on top of the fabric, and then look through your clear ruler to line up the straight edge of the fabric under your ruler to the right strip width. If you are cutting a 2 1/2" strip, the right edge of your ruler should be 2 1/2" right of the end of the fabric--the strip you are cutting is UNDER the ruler. Remove that strip and keep going down the length of the fabric to your right. With this method, you are only using the ruler lines for vertical and horizontal measurements and don't look at the mat lines at all. I hope this makes sense. I am getting much more accurate cuts now with this method, but it took me a little while to adjust to it. Here is a photo of the placement of the fabric and ruler if I was cutting a 2 1/2" strip.

Originally Posted by Jeanne S

I used to cut fabric the way I think you are doing: you lay the fabric across the mat, with the cutting edge to your right and the bulk of the rest of the fabric folded on your left, slide the ruler on top of the fabric to your left until you have the right strip width and then cut your fabric on the right side of the ruler with the strip to the right of your ruler and the rest of the fabric under the ruler and to your left. You have to use the lines on the mat to do it this way, and you are simply using your ruler as a straight edge for the rotary cutter. Then one day I was watching a quilting video and the presenter cut a different way--using the ruler as the measure of the strip width. To do it this way, you straighten the edge of your fabric the way you usually do, but then FLIP the entire length of fabric over so that the new straight edge of the fabric is on the left side of the mat and the rest of the length of the fabric is on your right. Then place your ruler on top of the fabric, and then look through your clear ruler to line up the straight edge of the fabric under your ruler to the right strip width. If you are cutting a 2 1/2" strip, the right edge of your ruler should be 2 1/2" right of the end of the fabric--the strip you are cutting is UNDER the ruler. Remove that strip and keep going down the length of the fabric to your right. With this method, you are only using the ruler lines for vertical and horizontal measurements and don't look at the mat lines at all. I hope this makes sense. I am getting much more accurate cuts now with this method, but it took me a little while to adjust to it. Here is a photo of the placement of the fabric and ruler if I was cutting a 2 1/2" strip.

Ok that's the correct way I have been told many times I am doing it wrong. my rulers all differnt brands range from 4 to 6 inches wide I sometimes need wider cuts 8.5 10.5 how do you do that and still have accurate cuts?

Also Jude by the sea I would absolutly contact the mat company we buy them assuming they are a correct measurement I have never seen a notation on any mat stating the lines and "measurements are not necessarily accurate".

Billi, You are right, in that my 24" ruler is only 7" wide and only works alone for strips up to 7" wide. For wider strips, I use my 16 1/2" square ruler to add on inches. See the photo below, I set up an example of cutting a 10" wide strip. You can see that all 7" of my long ruler is on top of the fabric as well as another 3" of my large square ruler, so if I cut on the right side of my long ruler I will have a 10" strip. Of course I can also just use my large square ruler by itself for any strips up to 16", but if you just have smaller rulers, just line them up side by side to get the width you want. Hope this makes sense. Others may have better ways to do it, but this is what I do and it seems to work.

When I started quilting (years+ ago) and took a 101 class at my LQS, the instructor had us turn our mats over (no lines, on the green ones). So that we would learn to us only our rulers for measuring. IMHO that was a great learning lesson.

I've taught my classes for years that they should use rulers for measuring and mat line for cutting....in fact I make them turn their (Olfa) mats over to use where there are no lines! We also use only Omnigrid (the yellow lines of which I personally don't care for) or Olfa rulers, too.

Jan in VA