deemail

I fold twice and use the june tailor strip cutter...the crux of the problem is not folding along the grain...get rid of the selvedges, they will put the fabric off-grain, and then hold the fabric up in the air, folding raw selvedge edges together...if a 'fold' is showing, off-kilter, then align the raw edges till it hangs straight...for the fold to lie straight is more important than for the ends to be even...move the sides till the fold is flat. Now fold in half again and do the same thing...they must hand straight when folded to cut straight. Now line up the bottom fold on a line of your cutting mat...lay strip cutter on top and line up the big black line even with the bottom fold line.... cut as many strips as you like, if the folds were straight, the strips will be straight. When cutting several pcs of cloth, i offset them by 1/2" or so... then they will cut better and straighter. it also allows you to go 'up and over' the folded edge so they will not cause you to go offline. I love this tool so much, I bought the 36" version when it was on sale just so i didn't have to move it so often... I use it ALL the time...

Tartan

Using a large square may help you in getting straight cuts. Lay your fabric with the fold at the top on your cutting board. Make sure the fabric is smooth and lay the lg. square along the fold. Cut your strips on the side of the square making sure to keep the top of the square right on the fold.

katz_n_kwiltz

june tailor shape cut- its all i use for any size strips!! always straight!!
good luck
katz

b.zang

This works for me, too, even though it really goes against my grain (ha, ha) since I learned the "pull-a-thread" method for squaring up fabric back in the old days when home ec was taught in school. It irks me to lose the wonky end pieces.

raedar63

I don't understand what is ment by lineing up the ruler on the fold. Please explain further.
Thanks

Holice

press the fold so there is no bumps in the edge and then place the ruler so one of the lines will line up with the fold. This will give you an accurate 90 degree straight edge with the fold.

Prism99

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is a link to a tutorial. About midway down the page is a very clear photo of a ruler that is lined up with the fold. Hope this helps!
http://www.purlbee.com/rotary-cutter-tutorial/

cmw0829

There's a 36" version?? Where did you find it?

I went looking for it and the largest I could find was a 20x23" but it only cuts 2 1/2" strips. I have the Shape Cut Plus which cuts 12" strips but allows you to cut across 18" of fabric.

Thanks,
Cathy

justsojanie

I want to thank you all for the great ideas, and a special thank you to Izy for the suggestion to watch the Leah Day video.
This is a wonderful group and always willing to help those of us who are new to the quilting world. Your kindness is overwhelming!!!!
janie

SueSew

I align with the cutting mat line at the fold, but I also re-check it at every cut, and I verify my eyeballing the fold lineup against the mat by lining up with my 12" sq ruler shoved against the cutting ruler. When I go to cut I slide it sloooooowwwwwly and gently away from the cutting ruler. I also use a binder clip on the far end of the ruler so it doesn't slip that little 1/8 as you get to the end where you are reaching farther and more likely to go astray with the cut.
If my cut did go astray, I re-line it up, then shave it back into a perfect 90 degrees before the next cut.
Whew.