I don't know if you have JoAnn's or Hancock's nearby but I check to make sure I can use a coupon or go on their Senior days to get a discount. Also make sure your cutting mat is on a hard surface. If there is a dip in the line you're cutting that may seem to affect the blade. Another point, how many layers are you cutting through? I cut through no more than 4 and sometimes not even that many. Clean your blade, if you don't, lint can make it seem dull when it just clogs the process. May not be dull, just needs to be clean! Last note check the coupons or go on line. Couple weeks ago, I went to an estate sale. Opened a sticky old sewing box, no one wanted and it smelled awful. 3 pkgs. of blades in good shape unopened. I paid $5.00 for the box.

I would check how you put the rotary blade into the rotary cutter. Sometimes you can accidentally get two blades instead of one and then you don't get great cutting, or maybe you have put the blade in backwards. I think that using 3 out of a 5 pack of blades is definitely not the norm. Did you purchase the blades at a quilt shop or other fabric store? If so, I'd take them back to the store to ask them about the blades, as it's possible you may have gotten a bad set of blades.

I cut blocks for about six or seven quilt tops before I need to change the blade, but I use a Martelli and I do clean it often. I get my blades at Harbor Freight, and now and again will get one that will not cut, but they are cheap enough that it's not an issue to me.

I think if you are going through that many blades, you might be knicking the edge of your ruler. Try to hold your cutter at just a little bit of an angle and you won't be apt to scrape it along the edge.

Oh, and by the way. Welcome to the board from Central Ca

Just some advise, don't buy your blades at quilting stores like Joann's. The cost at Joann's was $9+ and Walmart was $3.47 I believe. I learned the hard way.

Congratulations on joining the quilting world.. I too think that part of your problem is a poor mat. If the mat is worn at all it will dull your blade real fast.. If you have a olfa mat you can wash them and it helps some, if you have one of the white mats they get scratched up real fast and they really dull your blades. It would be worth your time and money to invest in a good mat. You can get them at JoAnn's with coupons at a reasonable cost. Good luck.

Thank You al so much I definitely the wrong mat!! It was a hard blue one. I wish I had found this site sooner cuz I didn't use 3 from a 5 pack I USED 3, 5 PACKS lol ONWARD AND UPWARD!

HAve you tried to manually just turn the blade to a different spot that works for me

No comment about the blades, but you will find quilting a great hobby. My 82 year old SIL just made her first quilted project and it turned out beautiful. She has always been a good seamstress but had not sewn for many years until she lost her DH two years ago. The time is well spent and a therapeutic use of those times when she is at home alone. I am so proud of her.