Country Quilt Co

How to Cut Fabric with a Rotary Cutter

Successful quilt making requires accurate cutting.

To cut fabric for patchwork you need three special tools:

• Rotary Cutter
• Acrylic Ruler
• Self Healing Mat

Using this equipment properly will enable you to cut your fabric accurately and quickly.

When you bring your fabric home from the store you don't want to rely on the 'fold' in the fabric. You may be surprised to discover that it isn't straight. It's important to start with a straight edge across the width of the fabric, so you will need to 'square it up'.

To find the straight edge align the selvages allowing the fabric to drop in front of you. Keeping the selvages even, move the fabric along with your fingers until it falls perfectly straight and smooth. You will see that the raw edges don't line up.

Lay the fabric on the cutting mat with folded edge toward you and the raw edge to be straightened facing right. Place rotary-cutting ruler on fabric. Align a crosswise measuring line  along the fold. Pressing down firmly on the ruler with your left hand, place the rotary cutter along the edge and cut away from yourself.

Now turn the cutting board around so that the newly straightened edge is facing left. You can now proceed to cut strips using this edge. Every subsequent edge should be straight if you continue to line up the markings on your ruler properly.

Check out this video for more hints on cutting fabric.

How To Fold Fabric

Rearranging your stash is nearly as much fun as shopping for fabric. While organising all your material you can admire the different colours and prints you've accumulated.

You'll probably discover some fabric that you forgot you had, along with inspiration for a new project.

Here's a video with some handy tips for folding all that fabric into neat and tidy bundles of joy.

Making a Quilt Possible

Do you want to make a quilt but just never seem to get around to it?
Consider the convenience of a Block of the Month quilt. BOM's make it easier to fit quiltmaking into your life by saving you time, money and stress.

Many of us are time poor, and although shopping is fun (especially for fabric) finding the time to fit it into a hectic schedule can be difficult. Some quilters also find the time needed to figure out just what colours and how much of each print is needed takes the enjoyment out of quilting.

Nowadays time isn't the only issue - money can be tight too. Paying for just the fabric required and having the cost of the quilt top spread into manageable payments makes economical Block of the Month programmes more popular than ever. 

Once you've picked out the BOM you know just what you'll be making and can be confident that the colours and fabrics chosen will work well together.With fabric cut into sizes that's suited to each block, you don’t have to plan, cut, sort or even store an entire unmade quilt top… it's all done for you.

Each month you receive a package in the post that has all the fabric you need to complete a section of the quilt top. You get to look forward to receiving a wonderful parcel each month, as you watch your quilt grow. Generally the backing, wadding and sewing thread are not included in the price.

A Block of the Month can be especially great for beginner quilters. Facing an entire quilt pattern can be overwhelming for those who are new to patchwork and applique. The BOM provides a starting point and working a block at a time builds skills and confidence. Look for projects that are recommended for beginners.

A block of the month quilt is achievable. If you really want to sew a quilt... there's no excuse left not too!.

To Wash or Not?

One of the most frequently asked questions in patchwork and quilting shops is “Do I need to prewash my fabric?"

Opinions differ on this topic, and whether you do or not is a personal choice. Some of you probably always prewash, while others never do.   

Prewashing all new fabrics (yard goods, or precut patches) before using them in quilts ensures that there will be no uneven shrinkage and no transfer of colours when the quilt is laundered for the first time.

How to Prewash
There are right ways and wrong ways to go about washing your new fabric. Don’t just toss it in and turn the dial. You need to unfold all fabric before placing it into the washing machine. Keep lights separate from darks as dark colours are more likely to bleed. Choose a gentle phosphate free detergent and select the gentle cycle.

Light coloured fabrics can be washed in lukewarm water but you should soak dark colored fabrics individually in cold water for at least half an hour to set the dyes and then machine wash in cold water.

Tumble dry fabrics almost dry, then remove from the dryer and press with an iron.  To avoid wrinkling, do not put more than six yards (approx 5.5 metres) of fabric in the dryer at one time and do not leave the fabric sit after the cycle has ended.

Take Extra Care With Precut Kit Pieces
Precut samples or kit pieces should not be machine washed or dried. Separate the pieces into piles of same colored patches, being careful not to handle them anymore than necessary. Preshrink them by soaking in cold water.  If color bleeds, repeat until water runs clear.  Place patches on toweling to dry.

If you’ve purchased high quality quilt shop fabric following these hints should provide satisfactory results. Keep in mind that quilts made with both light and dark colored fabrics, should only be washed in cold water.