Originally Posted by
bearisgray
How much "extra" do you need when using a die cutter?
Gay's estimate is right on for amount needed when doing "ordinary" cutting- assuming no mistakes!
That's true. You'll need extra because of the waste. I would guesstimate 10 to 15 percent.
Also, on the Go cutters, you need to cut on the length of the grain, not the width of the grain. If you cut on the width of the fabric, it will stretch and the cut will not be accurate. But, if you are planning to make the HSTs larger and cut them down, it won't matter. It shouldn't make much difference in the amount of fabric needed, though.
To some degree, that defeats the purpose of the machine. It is supposed to cut accurately, so that you don't have to square up the HSTs.
If it were me, I would add 15 to 20 percent to the estimate, just to make sure I have enough. 80 inches equals about 2 1/4 yards. If you add 20 percent, it's 2 2/3 yards. Depending on what I was paying for the fabric, a little less than 1/2 yard might be worth it.
JMHO
bkay