margecam52

Do you have a rotary cutter and mat? The trick, using the rotary cutter and mat is in the folding of the fabric. When you fold the fabric for cutting, pinch each fold...all along the edge of the fold, smoothing away from the fold as you go...you want to keep the folds inside right against the outter fold...if you don't, you get waves/jogs in the strip. I first press out the fold that is from the material being on the bolt (it's not always straight), then I fold from selvage to selvage, matching the selvages as close as I can, smoothing away from the fold as I go, this gives me a 20" width to cut width of fabric strips. If I need to, I fold a 2nd time fold to selvages...pinching along the new fold to make sure the inside fold stays right at the outter fabric..that's the key...keep the inside fabric right at the outside fabric at the fold. This gives me about 10-11" width of fabric to cut. I try to do about a yard at a time because I have limited cutting space. Even if I am doing binding...I cut width of fabric (there is a bit of give). I rarely do bias binding.

If I need to cut borders, say 100" long... I fold the fabric cut edge to cut edge..smooth and press the fold. I then fold again...and that gives me 25" length...I use my 24" ruler to cut the strips...I first line the edge of the ruler with the folded edge of the fabric...and cut off the selvage on the side I'm going to get the borders from...then I again check by pinching that all the inside folds are against the outer fold (again, that is the key to no waves in the cut)..and cut my borders...making sure to stop, move my hand up, cut, stop, move my hand and the ruler up, cut..only cutting where the reach of my hand is..that's all the control of the cut that you have. Since I started doing this...I get nice straight cuts. Once you learn the process..you get better as you go...it will be 2nd nature.