Originally Posted by
Wintersewer
I hate to admit it but, I CAN NOT cut a straight strip to save my life. I THINK I'm folding the fabric evenly....I hold it up in front of myself and "walk"it back and forth with my fingers until it hangs smoothly, BUT, I always have that V. I have given up even trying this method and I just cut the length of my rules and piece strips together if I need them long. It sounds easy, and I may be the only one who cannot do it.....can anyone help me??
I wonder if you are understanding how that V comes about. Getting the fold even with the selvedges has nothing to do with it. The angle of the ruler in relation to the fold is what determines that V. If the ruler is at an exact 90-degree angle to the fold, you will not get a V. If the angle of the ruler is off by 2 degrees or more, you will have a V.
You can check this out with a piece of paper. Fold the paper in half. Cut a strip with the ruler as perpendicular to the fold as you can get. Cut another strip with the ruler angled a little from the fold. Cut a final strip with the ruler angled even more from the fold. When you smooth out those strips, you will find that the farther the angle gets from the fold, the deeper the V in the strip.
When working with fabric, it's important to line up the fold with the longest ruler edge you can find. This is why it is often a good idea to use two rulers. Line up the cutting ruler, then butt another ruler against it with its longer edge along the fold. You want the fold to line up with the second ruler as far as it goes. This ensures that your 90-degree angle on your cutting ruler really is 90 degrees and not 87 degrees or 93 degrees from the fold.