I just saw the posting on whether the binding can be cut on the length of the fabric, and decided it was time to ask my 'dumb' question. How do y'all do that? Do you fold the fabric into several folds and then cut through them all? Or do you keep sliding the fabric and cutting a little at a time? Being a self-taught quilter for the most part - this is a piece of info I've never gotten. I've just been cutting on the width and piecing it, but I now have some gorgous striped fabric I want to use for long borders and have been afraid of cutting into it. When I fold and cut for the width, I'm apt to end up with a "curve" in the strip, and I don't want that to happen on my nice (read: expensive) fabric. Cutting is the scariest part of quilting for me, since I don't feel good at it.

I have a 24" piece of countertop material that I use to cut my long lenthwise pieces with. I butt it up to my ruler to measure the strips. I am going to have a 36" one cut next :wink:

I know many quilters frown on it, but I rip when I want to use the length of the fabric.

For striped fabric borders, I would cut along the stripes to keep them even. Not conventional, but......

I can see how that would work. It's most likely what I would do too.

I have ripped some but that is such a tangled mess that I went to the sliding method. I use a long ruler but never cut clear to the end for fear of the weight of the fabric pulling the cut line. Usually, I put my ironing board at the end of the table to catch the rest of the fabric.

Whenever I need to have long strips of fabric, I never cut. Just tear the strips. Make that little nic k at the top edge, and pull apart. You will need to press, and will have some loose threads, but this is fast and accurate.

I want the give in my binding from cutting selvage to selvage.
2wheelwoman, the "bump" is from your fabric not being folded straight. I always check each strip and if I have a bump, I refold it; sometimes I have had to repress it. When you have two folds together run you fingers over the fold if you feel two fold lines refold it, you should only feel one fold line

Ditto

When using a stripe fabric I would do it the way Prism99 said and cut it on a stripe. Cutting with a rotary cutter will not keep the stripe even. Takes more time but, you will be much happier with the results.