cutting precision and accuracy
 

is it possible to cut fabric with a rotary cutter and ruler with the same precision and accuracy as with a die cutter? (i am only referring to straight sided shapes with this question.)

I try but my GO does it better and faster! I basically just use it for strips but have found it is worth it for me!

I use both rotary and die cutting. I like die cutting the best. With a ruler it's too much fussy work to get it exactly right.

I have a real problem with accurate cutting. Love my GO but it doesn't do everything so I try to make my blocks a bit bigger so I can trim down. Of course not everything works that way so I keep struggling with it.

I don't worry about a slightly uneven seam allowance as long as the "finished" area is correct. Hence I love paper piecing.

A perfectly cut square will only lead to a perfectly sewn square in one sews perfectly! I think we get too caught up in the idea of perfect/precise...IMHO.

I think you are right, oksewglad.

I really can't give a fair assessment as I have no die cutter and have never tried one. But in my experience and observations most people who have problems cutting strips isn't so much their cutting technique but how the fabric is folded before they make their first cut. If the fabric isn't folded correctly the resulting strips will have a dog leg in them or be uneven in some places. I take a lot of time to ensure my folds are straight which often means the cut ends of the fabric piece don't line up (before I take my first cut from yardage). Even then I will sometimes have a strip that may be just a wee bit off somewhere. I make up for it when I piece by lining up the edges opposite of where I am sewing so the short fall in my cutting is in my seam allowance. So accuracy in piecing can have a bigger impact on the end unit than cutting. That said there are certain patterns I want to make but have not tried and would love to have them die cut. Like winding ways, but that is curved so irrelevant to your question. ;)

Edited to add that I have found my cutting is much more accurate if the fabric is well starched but I don't always take the time to starch before I start cutting.

on the other hand, erratically cut pieces sewn with eneven seams seldom result in a well done block.