This is the only way I was taught to do it and it has always worked.
Originally Posted by Lacelady
I have always done it this way - lining up my fabric on the mat, then putting my ruler over all of the fabric except the part I want to cut away, aligning it with the markings on the mat.
I read all the reasons why I should put my ruler on the piece I wanted to cut off, and it never made any sense to me, especially if I wanted to only cut off a small piece.