Welcome to the board! There are a lot of hand quilters out there, but I am not one of them....no patience for that kind of thing. But someone will come along and have some great help for you. A rotary cutter and mat require a straight edge or ruler to cut against, helping to ensure a straighter edge. There is a bit of a learning curve to using the ruler and mat, but once you get it down, you will be zipping that process. YouTube is a wonderful place to find tutorials on everything quilting and I am sure there is one that can guide you in using the rotary cutter and mat. The best tips I can give you are to keep those fingers out of the way of the cutter, and press hard enough on the ruler to keep it in place....if it slips even a tiny bit, your edges will not be straight. Have fun quilting!