Learning rotary cutting with my square Omnigrids - but sometimes I nick the corners
 

Just wondered if that's a common problem for a newbie. :o I think I'm progressing okay overall; only been at it a couple of weeks. The nicking of the corners on the rulers tends to happen when I'm bringing my cutter down and I guess I misjudge where the edge is. I did read one piece of advice to hold the cutter at a 45-degree angle and that helps some - provided I position it on the fabric and not on the ruler!

Is there any way to fill in the nicks? Right now they don't affect the cutting really; I'm just being a perfectionist :D - kind of like when you get the first door ding in a new car, you know?

It's happened more on my small squares - mostly the 2-1/2" and a little bit on my 4-1/2".

Ah well, if they get too bad, there are always the 50 percent quilting notions sales at JoAnn's.

Seriously, I have done that a time or 2 myself. Don't know of any filler though. Haven't had any problem with my rulers so far. Still using the same ones.

Position slightly 2-3" below corner to start. Angle ruler and roll backwards to top of fabric ,this should not be the edge of the fabric and then go forwards to the top. This way you should be nowhere near any corner as you are cutting on the straight. We have I think all knocked corners.

luckily that little blip is in the seam allowance so it shouldn't matter to the overall correctness of your measurements. It is annoying though ;-)

I try to start cutting a little in front of the edge of my rulers and then back track and then go forward again, that way I'm established in the right spot for cutting. Did that make sense to anyone?

yes. i've learned to drop my rulers down and over a quarter inch. so simple to do, but so hard to remember at first ;-)

That was how I was taught to start cutting too at an Omnigrid seminar. No nicks this way at all. Start about 1/2 inch from the edge and cut backward to the edge then go forward. It's automatic for me now. Works perfectly every time. If you ruler is nicked put a piece of packing tape on the back of the edge.

The ruler that I use the most has the same nick. Don't think anything of it.

I wonder if one of my Golden Acrylic mediums that I use with my Golden paints would fill in the nick - there are different ones and one is very hard and clear gloss . . . :thumbup: Dotty and Donna, that's what I'm learning by trial and error! Which is how we all learn, right? Thanks ladies!