Jordan

I always made a clean cut of fabric with fabric on the left and then flip and cut my strips with fabric on my right.

Snooze2978

I'm left handed and I keep my fabric to the left of the ruler so the ruler is over the section I need cut.

Conchalea

When I lay out my fabric, I tend to cut to straighten with the fabric on my left. Then I remember how I watched someone use the ruler with the fabric to the right so only the ruler is moved, & I walk.around my cutting table, only repositioning my ruler. Like many who have posted here, I'm right handed.

Rose_P

Me too, unless it's a big piece that will go wonky if I move it. Then I use a second ruler to determine the width and continue to use the long ruler on the left, just moving it as needed for each strip. Since it can be harder to be sure that the ruler stays in position this way, I put a piece of foam shelf liner under it - a fantastic tip I learned from a Pat Speth video on Youtube.

Alternatively (and I don't know why I don't do this more often), my cutting table is made from a two foot wide door, which means that after squaring off I can easily walk around to the other side and continue to cut on my right, measuring and cutting with one ruler.

It seems to me that cutting on the side opposite your dominant hand would be pretty dangerous.

sewingsuz

I do the same with most fabric to the right and I am left handed.

platyhiker

I've seen videos that demonstrate how you can (potentially) get better accuracy when doing many cuts by using the original straightened edge as the measuring point for all your cuts. So, if you are cutting 6 2.5" strips, you first cut 15" from your straight edge, the second cut is 12.5", then 10", 7.5", 5", and finally 2.5". As a right handed person, I would set this up with the straight edge on the left, but the first cut would be the right most cut, with each following cut 2.5" to the left of the previous cut, but always measuring from the straight edge on the left.

If you make your cuts in the "usual" way, there is the potential for the angle of the cut to be just a bit off, and then using that new cut as your measuring point, the angle of the next cut can again be a just a bit off, and after a bunch of cuts in this manner, you are no longer cutting the shape you want. This potential problem is why it is often recommended to cut a fresh straight edge after a batch of cuts, to remove any skewing.

To answer your original question, the bulk of the fabric is to the right of me, with either cutting method - what changes in alternate version that the cuts progress from right to left.

scrappingfaye58

For me, (right handed) I cut with the piece that will be used, to the right, so that if I am cutting multiple slices, I can cut, remove that section, move the ruler, cut, rinse and repeat

Iceblossom

Another thing to mention about cutting, is the idea of always cutting away and not towards you. There are reasons for this that involve the ways our bodies work as well as safety. I will position squares so I can do two sides at a time, but otherwise am always cutting away.

So, since I didn't clarify before, no matter what direction the fabric is, and whether I use two rulers or one, I am always cutting away from myself with my rotary cutter in my right hand. My left holds down the ruler, and I cut along the right leading edge of the ruler

I went for decades with no cutting accidents -- haven't turned 10 years safe yet but then I had a run where I cut myself badly like 3 years in a row. I am a little sloppy about always covering my blade, but one of my Tuesday group ladies is big on preventing accidents that way. I can say recently I was very happy when I dropped my cutter on my bare foot but the blade was safely covered.

juliasb

I cut things backwards because I ma left handed. It always confuses people to see me do this.

Karamarie

I am very left-handed and cut my fabric with the bulk of fabric to the right of me and the ruler is on the left and I then cut with my left hand on the left side. That might not be correct, but it is what works for me. I learned long time ago that it is a right handed world out there and I need to do what works for me. I attended country school (am not a young chicken) my first two years and my teacher tried to make me use my right hand - I started stuttering real bad. Mom took me to the doctor and he said - God created her to be born left handed so let her be. Within a week, I no longer stuttered.