As a quilt cutter I'm often asked, "how do you do this all day?" "Easy", I respond, "I love what I do!"
But yes, there are certain tools that make my job much easier and allow me to spend less time cutting quilts and more time designing them.
For instance, I highly recommend using a good quality ergonomic rotary cutter. One that fits nicely in your hand, has a good grip and does not have any edges that you feel when holding it. There are many different types of rotary cutters and blades sizes. I have three different rotary cutters for each of the following blade sizes, a 28mm, 45mm and one for the 60mm blades. These different sizes in blades allow for the precise cutting of many different quilt block patterns and also for the varied thickness of the layers of fabric that you are cutting through. I also happen to like the rotary cutters that have the safety feature of retracting the blade.
Another invaluable tool for the quilt cutter, is the acrylic ruler. As anyone who quilts will tell you, a straight cut makes for easier piecing. It is important to replace your ruler if you have too many nicks that prevent a straight cut. These nicks will happen after repeated use with your rotary cutter. For fussy cutting of your fabric, there is no better tool than the see through ruler with graduated inch increments. A good eye for centering doesn't hurt either!
And finally a good quality cutting mat, rounds out the tools needed to cut your quilt pieces. Again, there are many shapes and sizes to choose from. I have several different sizes, but find the one I use most measures 18 inches by 24 inches. And while cutting mats do wear out from repeated use, changing your rotary blades when they are no longer sharp will prolong the mat's use before they need replacing.
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This article was published on Saturday 09 February, 2008.
