New quilter/New to Message Board/Help in cutting squares & using cutting mat.
 

Hi there everyone, I am grateful to sites like this and so many knowledgeable people with wonderful ideas. I am new to quilting and have started my first quilt by learning some online tutorials. Though, i am so lost as to how to use a cutting mat and the cutting squares to cut my fabric squares. How would I cut more than one square at a time. It seems when I do this, they are not all square if I cut multiple layers of fabric at a time for my quilt. Are there any YouTube videos or other tutorials on how to do this correctly?

Thank you in advance! I appreciate any tips and help I can get. My first quilt top is not square at all and I wonder how in the world it will really turn out once I try to put the batting and the backing on. Yie!

Also, my daughter wants a purple backing to this quilt because the black has purple dots in it too, what are your opinions? I was thinking a lighter, brighter backing because of the black. She's set on those neon colors.

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For the back I'd piece it using fabrics from the front! I don't think I'd add purple to it as at least in the photo purple doesn't show.

Cutting more than 1 layer......I'll do 2 layers, but no more. I'm not confident enough to do more than 2 and when I do 2 I really hold the ruler down and make sure I have a new blade in my cutter.

Here is a good video showing how to use the ruler and rotary cutter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXGIbHH1Ydo
She has some other beginner videos, also.

Ignore the lines on your cutting mat and use the ruler exactly like the video shows. I have my mat upside down - I like the plain side better. If all fails, look for the June Tailor Shape Cut. You still have to square the fabric and measure carefully, but it does keep the cutter going straight and makes it easy to cut repeats without repostioning.

If your daughter wants purple, then she shall have purple. Don't sweat the little stuff if she in the teen or preteen years and that is little stuff.

I agree if it is her quilt and she wants purple, then purple it should be. I would also bind it in the purple so that there is just a touch of purple showing in the front to blend it all together.

BTW- Welcome to the board and welcome to quilting! Where do you live? There may be board members close by, or a quilting guild that could also lend a hand to help you learn. I'm self taught, but it came from lots of help here, and from co-worker who quilts and several of my customers. I now own my own quilting company but am always learning new things.

Phyllis
QuiltingGrannie
Quilter's Pantry

Welcome to "the family".

Welcome. I agree that if she wants purple she should have it. Just not a real dark purple so it won't just blend with the black.

Welcome. I would purple on the back.

buy a june tailor strip ruler... it has slits every half inch so that you fold straight and WELL and then place the bottom black line on the near fold....now every half inch, you have an opportunity to slice thru the 4 layers of fabric with no ruler movement at all... then move those strips, line up the '0' line with the new raw edge and work away again...the standard is 12" wide and so you have multiple slits before you have to move the ruler. Now either lay one strip (still folded) down, line up the bottom black line again and repeat across to get squares....or much better still.... sew the strips together first....THEN, fold the new 'striped fabric' you just created and put the ruler on it...now when you slice it, you will have your squares all sewn in a long line with less than half the work...learn to line up a straight line with the bottom black line before cutting and you will have perfect squares every time...

Many comments here I agree with. Purple the back shall be! And also ignore the lines on your cutting mat. Line up a perpendicular line on your ruler with the folded edge of your fabric. Try cutting from the opposite side of your table for the first cut - if your arms are long enough! - and then start measuring your cuts from the 'clean' edge of the fabric. I only cut 2 layers as well...feel I have more control and don't have to worry about 'v' s or 'doglegs' with multiple folds of the fabric.

You did a fine job for your first quilt. And if your daughter wants purple for the backing go for it. It will be beautiful.

I agree with everyone else--if she wants purple, then purple it should be. Welcome to the board, and your quilt is very pretty. I really like your colors. Don't worry about the squares and cut one or two at a time at first and you will be cutting many more layers in no time. Practice practice practice.
Sue

I'm a newbie quilter as well, started back in Oct. Along with this great board and a wonderful LQS I went to youtube and watched a bunch of videos on everything. I even watched different ones of the same technique. I google a lot of techniques, names and quilt themes to see what my style.

Wow! Amazing info and so much help!
 

Thank you all so much! I bought the :thumbup:

Welcome to our family, I'm sure there are many here that can help you out. I'm relatively new to quilting myself, and I cut the stripes as required double check the measurements, then I layer the stripes on top of each other, clean up the selvage so you've got a straight cut and then cut up the squares to the dimensions needed.

Hi and welcome! I am fairly new too, but I can cut pretty well with my rotary cutter. For me, the trick is pressing down with the ruler. You have to have a firm hold on it when you cut. There are also some little rubber things you can get that attach to your rulers to keep them from sliding around on your fabric. I got mine at JoAnn's, but other places probably have them too.

As for the purple ... well, I guess if that's what she wants, I would probably do it. I once let my teenager paint her bedroom a purplish-gray and red! It was hideous, but it was her room and her choice. Later, after she'd moved out and come back from college, she asked why we let her do that, and we told her that it was her room and we wanted to give her a say in the decorating of it. (I am happy to report that her taste has improved!) LOL

Hi, and welcome to the board. Here you'll find some wonderful advise that you might not find the time to quilt. We're all family and willing to help. Happy quilting.

Morning Ladies

I would like to add three things to help make your cutting more than one block at a time possible. First, startch your fabric really stiff. That helps take some of the stretch out of the fabric. Next, make sure your rotary blade is really sharp and not dull. Third, you can buy small circles of fine sandpaper that sticks to the back of your ruler so that it doesn't slip. Also being a woodworker, I just use regular self-sticking fine sandpaper and cut my own strips or dots to glue to the back of the rulers.

Along with holding firmly I spread my fingers out across the ruler and is possible place my pinky on the fabric snug up against the the ruler. This also keeps it from slipping.

Also try and get the same brand ruler to use - it is amazing how the rulers all measure differently and it can throw your measurements off - I have sent you a PM

I am also a new quilter. I started sewing and quilting in Feb. 11. Having never sewed at all I am having a blast. Once you make a few quilts you will be knowledgeable in all the tools and measurements.

Such great advice everyone! Thank you so much!

Very good instructions. I'm going to follow her suggestions next time I cut.

Nice job, I like your quilt.
Purple on the back would be fine, especially since it's your daughter's wish.