clem, it's not difficult! Honestly, it's not. My best recommendation is to take some muslin or inexpensive fabrics that you won't be too concerned if the cuts are not immediately perfect, and just start.

There is one thing that really gets me, though, about these TV quilters, in that I see them just putting the selvedge edges together and doing the rotary cuts. What they don't tell you is that the selvedges don't always run perpendicular to the cross-wise threads of the fabric. So when you cut, you still end up with wonky cuts sometimes.

Maybe I need to do a tute on this? At least show my method? I've never done one, so don't hold your breath, but I'd be willing to try it ...

Happy quilting (errrrr, I mean, "cutting")!

Odessa

[walks away, shaking head, muttering to self "....now, what in heaven's name have I gotten myself into here?.......just gotta help the newbies, don't I?....if only I wasn't such a giving person......oy!........]

Make sure you are holding your blade perpendicular to your fabric when you cut. Tipping it one way - in or out, will make a big difference in the end.

I've found that I have to be consistent in where I stand in relation to the ruler. I found that by shifting a little left or right changes the way I line up the markings. It doesn't sound like much but I can be off by 1/16 for a few cuts and that starts showing up very quickly when the seams don't line up. Frustrating. I now have a small rug that I stand on to mark my position in front of the cutting area to make sure I stay in the relative vicinity. I know this sounds way too picky for some but it works for me.

Do you have a ruler with a lip (on one of the narrow ends) that you can catch onto the cutting mat? I got one for my granddaughter and it's made a world of difference because the ruler doesn't slip so her strips are straight.

After you've cut and before you move your ruler, check to make sure
that you made a straight cut. If it's slightly off, now is the time to trim.

For HST, I agree with quilterguy27. Cut slightly bigger then square up.
Check out Lneal's post on squaring up HST's. I bought the ruler and love it.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-34271-1.htm

Only thing I can think of is that either you are not putting enough pressure on the ruler and it's slipping or else..............

are you SURE that your cutting mat is really flat? If the cutting mat is bowed then you won't get an accurate cut.

Odessa, could you adopt me so I can come live with you? Would ya, huh, huh, huh? I could migrate with the seasons (I don't really like that cold flaky stuff that falls from the sky. So you wouldn't be stuck with me ALL the time. I guess I've lived here in Central Texas too long. :-) )

lab fairy,

you just THINK you don't like that flaky stuff! It can be such fun!

Tell you what: you take my 18-year-old out of the house permanently and you can come for an extended visit!

Odessa

(......muttering to self ........ "......now just what in the H*** is DH gonna say about THIS turn of events ......??????????.................)

Uh...I just thought I finally got rid of my two when they up and got married. So essentially I'm now stuck with two more! :roll: Exponential growth in seven weeks (2 kids became 4) is just not a fair thing to do to this mom.

I think I'll join you in the grumbling thing... paying for those college classes, the "hey Mom, will you" calls, can you help me with my homework, ... Do they grow up? They never ask me to cook though. Got them scared of that request. I think it's the bread bricks I turned out for Christmas. :oops:

I do have to say that I still like the migrating with the seasons idea. Its darn hot down here.

I just had this turn of events, too! I have an extra child around now, too, LOL!

But, there is a silver lining! I've always wanted a daughter, and she is learning to quilt with me! YAY!!! I got her some Tinkerbell fabric today actually I was going to post about. Its a panel and I've got 2 coordinating fabrics, trying to decide how to lay it out for her to do. The panel has one big block and 3 smaller ones. I just don't know how to figure that! I'll post it in a few minutes.

I'm going to keep this one and get rid of mine,LOL! (just kidding......maybe.....girls are so much cleaner!)

I'm getting ready to go practice some. It pains me to do this, LOL! I don't have a lot of "stash", so I really love every piece! I think I will try to cut some common size squares so that if they turn out ok, I can still use them.

I think I'm just not being as "careful" as I think. From what everyone has said, it has to be either me letting the ruler move, or just not having them lined up right to begin with.