New blades
 

Just had to share...I'm starting to cut pieces for a king sized quilt...I changed my rotary blade..again, second time this year and it's only April...maybe I've set a precedent for myself, lol.

for some reason I delay in changing my blades. I was still using one and had to re-cut to spots every time. I moved recently and know I have some new blades somewhere but ended up buying more and then did change it out. Lovely and smooth cutting again.

My blade gets nicks in it because I sometimes run it into the sides of the ruler. I'm getting better at not doing this and the blades last a lot longer.

I change the blade at the first skip. I don't wait for it to get worse. One guild member was struggling with cutting and I said you may need a new blade. She said this one is still good. I just have to recut several times with it. I said that's kinda dumb isn't it? She said a new blade is expensive! She huffed over to her $12,000 Dream Machine. LOL

Good lady!! I just ordered a bunch more!! Feels so right, doesn't it?

There was a while I ordered new blades every time I saw them on sale. I think I have 20 in my blade box. And yet I always wait to change my blades until the skipping stitches drives me nuts. Then when I make the change, I wonder why do I wait? The blades go on sale all the time. I have a large supply and no excuses.

Nicked blades definitely need changed. But,. . . .maybe a blade isn't dull, just needs some "help". I found my blades get a minutely thin layer of lint, same as a sewing machine. It just needs a careful wipe. Also found the nut can loosen after a while. So now if it skips I loosen the nut, wipe and tighten then test. If it skips, off it goes and a new blade is in order.

Apparently you are a very busy and prolific quilter! Go you!

When I get nicks, I generally change the blade -- generally because if I have nicked the new one I will work with it until it gets dull. It is truly annoying to nick a new blade.

I am absorbing your advice.

I am now cutting scraps, one layer at a time. A not so sharp blade cuts through one layer pretty easy.

I'm surprised that new blades don't come in pretty colors now. I bet that will be an option soon.

I watch the quilting and sewing shows and I see them just whizzing through their fabric effortlessly with their rotary cutters. I've had countless new Olfa blades through the years and mine never cut well without applying a lot of pressure which is why I really detest the cutting part of quilting. Anyone else have this problem?

For me, it's the mat... My big mat has some deep grooves in it and needs to be replaced (but OH the cost!). I think I'm dulling my blades running them over those deep grooves.

I change mine whenever I have to go over the cut several times because it's just not going through. But I also have a blade sharpener so it prolongs the life of the blade a bit longer.

This is interesting to me... I don't have this problem at all. I hardly use any pressure, especially with a new blade. I would be curious to watch you cut... I feel like something other than the blade is contributing to your difficulty. Do you belong to a guild, or have a LQS nearby that has sewing days? Maybe someone could watch you and make suggestions.

It might help to change the way you hold the rotary cutter? I was watching the Midnight Quilt Show with Angela Walters, and she has a real death grip on her cutter, and seems to use a lot of pressure and wobble a lot. Many times these problems are fixed by extending your index finger in front along the rotary cutter.

I am teaching a good friend how to cut fabric, and in watching her, found that she was better able to cut without difficulty when she held the rotary cutter more horizontally than vertically.

You probably know this but it is worth mentioning since you are having such a hard time cutting. Are you also using a Olfa cutter with the Olfa blades? The Olfa blade has a different shape in the center of the blade & some cutters only work with the round center. If you are using a cutter other than an Olfa then try & buy some blades w a round center like maybe Fiskars or whatever brand. The Olfa blades are great with the Olfa cutters.

My sew group found out that the surface the mat is on plays a big part in cutting. We had a mat on on table and the rotary cutting was horrible. Skips and had to use a lot of pressure. Same mat and cutter on another table top and it was like cutting butter. ?

I can use any blades in any of my cutters, Olfa, Fiskars, and I think I have an off brand. I finally figured out why some places I cut are better than others. It has nothing to do with the blade (although a sharp one helps) or the mat or the combination of mat and blade. Speaking only for me, it has to do with the kind of table. I have one that sort of "gives" in the middle when I exert any pressure on the cutter. It always happens in the same place, so I move cutting places and it is better. Go figure. The surface the mat is on really does count!!

We were typing at the same time!!!

I used to mow through blades very quickly until someone on an online forum asked if I was tipping the cutter blade inward against the ruler. That was it!

hugs,
Charlotte

My blades used to wear out a lot and I had been using a large off brand mat from JoAnn Fabrics. It was not until I bought a new mat (Big Mat) as a quilt show special from Sewingemporium.com that I realized a good quality mat does make a difference. Once I got it, the blades did not have to be changed as often as before.

I have found this to be true even though I use the same brand blade with the cutter. I switched cutting surfaces. I either use my kitchen table or my new cutting surface. No give whatsoever. Any give will also throw you off (make you wobble slightly). Makes a difference.

I generally don't realize how dull my blade is getting until I change it and wonder why did I wait so long as I'm just zipping through cutting with little effort. I guess I need to make a mark on a calendar as blade changing time.