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Cutting fabric accurately

Cutting fabric accurately

Old 05-17-2010, 07:29 AM
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When cutting fabric how do you line up your fabric edge with the lines??? Do you do it the same with every cut, like inside the line, outside the line or middle of the line??? I took a class on precision piecing and she said to always put the edge of the fabric right in the middle of the line... On the Omnigrid ruler there is a tiny space between the lines and she said to have the fabric edge just showing in that space... I have been doing this and it seems to be making my piecing much more accurate...
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Old 05-17-2010, 07:35 AM
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If that's what works for you then by all means do it. I just cut and try to figure it all out later. Not really, but I don't usually stress too much over it. Then again, I don't usually stress too much about anything. LOL
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Old 05-17-2010, 07:55 AM
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I am having the hardest time cutting these days. I am trying to use old shirts that my husband loved to make him a quilt. It is very hard to cut them correctly. Anyone have any suggestions?
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Old 05-17-2010, 08:26 AM
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Have you tried using your ironing board? Just take the padding off or put a wide board on it then your cutting board. That way the sleeves and excess of the shirt will hang off and not be in your way or pushing the fabric you're trying to cut. Might work, sounds like it would but I haven't tried it either.
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Old 05-17-2010, 08:33 AM
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How ever I cut I just make sure I cut the whole quilt like that. That seems to work.
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Old 05-17-2010, 08:36 AM
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Originally Posted by sunshine0411
I am having the hardest time cutting these days. I am trying to use old shirts that my husband loved to make him a quilt. It is very hard to cut them correctly. Anyone have any suggestions?
Do you cut them apart at the seams first so that you are able to work with flat pieces?

It's not a video, but it might give you some ideas -

http://www.ehow.com/how_5252790_cut-...lt-fabric.html
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Old 05-17-2010, 08:42 AM
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Originally Posted by luvrazz
When cutting fabric how do you line up your fabric edge with the lines??? Do you do it the same with every cut, like inside the line, outside the line or middle of the line??? I took a class on precision piecing and she said to always put the edge of the fabric right in the middle of the line... On the Omnigrid ruler there is a tiny space between the lines and she said to have the fabric edge just showing in that space... I have been doing this and it seems to be making my piecing much more accurate...
It can make quite a bit of difference in the finished size of a block - especially if there are a lot of pieces in it.

Which also makes it more "interesting" if trying to work with several people -

I also noticed that after cutting - due to the space between the cutter and the edge of the ruler, that most of my pieces are "slightly" larger than whatever the template is.

My blocks are reasonably accurate using the my current methods. Some people are using devices (I think?) like accucut and the strip cutter template thingy (someone will know the name of it) and I'm wondering if those end up being more or less "exact" And, if so, do the seam allowances need to be more "scant"

(I worked with people that thought 0.005 inch deviation was sloppy) Don't even want to think about procedures that require accuracy to millionths or zillionths of an inch.

Good question - I've wondered that, too.
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Old 05-17-2010, 10:33 AM
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I have the Accucut Go! It's the only way I can get perfect cuts. The seams are true 1/4".
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Old 05-18-2010, 06:23 AM
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No matter how well I cut, it still has to go the machine, and that is my problem those darn 1/4" seams. Been quilting for years, I keep hoping I will make one perfectly, but it has not happened yet. I will keep trying though.
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Old 06-09-2010, 05:33 AM
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My mom tells me that it adds to the character of the quilt...LOL
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