by Lynett Muhaso I love to buy my fabric in yardage which means cutting width of fabric strips can be a bit tricky. Have you ever cut your width of fabric strips and find they have a curve or bow along the fold. The cut, though you made sure to line up you fabric with the lines on your cutting mat and ruler, still resulted in a curvy wonky strip? That was totally me when l started but have since found a foolproof way to cut my fabric strips and have them come out nice and straight all the time. Today l would like to share with you my way of cutting width of fabric strips that will result in a nice clean straight cut. I use this method all the time when cutting my strips and thought to share with you too, if you also run into this problem of the curved strip. You can use this method to cut multiple strips without the need to move your fabric too. You will need:Fabric yardage Rotary cutter Cutting mat Quilting ruler Press your fabric if needed. Lay the fabric down on your cutting mat and fold it in half lengthwise, with selvedges matched together. You will have the newly folded edge closest to you. Make sure that the fabric is lying flat without creases or wrinkles. Smooth these out if they do happen as you want your fabric to be completely flat and smooth. P.S don't worry about the lines on your cutting mat, in fact, ignore these lines altogether and just worry about your fabric and ruler. Squaring up your fabricRemember earlier l mentioned not to worry about the lines on your cutting mat? Yep, here's why; lining up your fabric with the lines on your cutting mat will not always result in achieving consistent accurate strips. It's harder to make sure that your fabric remains aligned with the lines on the mat with each cut you make. What you want to worry about though, is your ruler and fabric and how these two are sitting together. As you can see, l'm using the back of my mat without the lines to cut my fabric strips. With that said, let's begin by squaring off your fabric in order to have a nice clean straight cut which you will use as a starting point for cutting your fabric strips (the base, so to speak). Align one of the horizontal lines on your quilting ruler with the folded edge closest to you, making sure to clear the uneven edge of the fabric. I find my go to 6 1/2" x 24 1/2" ruler works well for this, if you have a square ruler, that works perfectly fine too. Check to make sure that the fabric is cut through before moving your ruler. Using a sharp rotary cutter will be super helpful to ensure you get a nice clean cut. Ooops, l forgot to take a photo to show how to position your ruler before l squared up my fabric but second photo shows you how to. Cutting Single StripsWith your fabric squared up, it's time to cut your strips. For the purposes of this post, l will be cutting 2 1/2" strips. Align the horizontal line of your ruler with the folded edge closest to you and the 2 1/2" vertical line with the cut edge and cut. You will want to make sure that you are cutting your strips at a right angle because failure to do this will result in wonky curvy strips. You do this by aligning your vertical line measurement with the straight edge of the fabric and the horizontal line on your ruler with the folded edge. Cutting Multiple StripsIf cutting multiple strips from the same fabric, calculate the width of one strip by the total number of strips you are cutting e.g If l'm cutting (4) 2 1/2" x WOF strips, l will need to multiply 2 1/2" x 4 = 10". Lay your ruler on top of the fabric with the 10" vertical line aligned with the cut side of the fabric. You are essentially going to be cutting backwards going down 2 1/2" steps e.g 10" - 7 1/2" - 5" - 2 1/2”. Begin by cutting at 10” then move your ruler to align the 7 1/2” vertical line with the straight edge and so on. If your ruler width does not cover the fabric, fold your fabric over again in half as shown below. There you have it some nice straight strips with no curves along the fold for your binding or quilty project. I hope this tutorial helps you with cutting your fabric strips for your quilty projects or making binding strips. Remember to always focus on your fabric and ruler placement to always cut at a right angle. Want to exercise your newly found way to cut your straight fabric strips for your next quilt project? Shop these beautiful patterns below!
25 Comments
Sue
12/3/2022 07:41:44 am
Thanks for the method to avoid curvy strips. I have that problem when cutting strips.
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LynsAvenue
15/3/2022 12:25:05 pm
You're welcome. Hope it makes a difference in cutting your strips😊
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Carol
12/3/2022 09:25:25 am
Thank you, I will do this from now on.
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LynsAvenue
15/3/2022 12:25:48 pm
You're welcome. Happy cutting😊
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LynsAvenue
5/6/2022 08:58:09 am
I'm glad to hear it was helpful
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Kris
12/3/2022 09:50:25 am
It may be "full proof," but it's not foolproof because I still manage it sometimes! But! I'd never heard of the "cutting backwards" technique. That's genius! I can't wait to try it!
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LynsAvenue
15/3/2022 12:30:31 pm
Haha, thanks for that Kris, l hadn't even noticed that. Yep, using the back made a massive difference for me. Hope you enjoy it that way too😊
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Robyn
12/3/2022 05:57:49 pm
Thanks Lyn, great tips, though the numbered photos in the last section got a bit out of order!
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LynsAvenue
15/3/2022 12:31:22 pm
Thanks for that Robyn, not sure why it was coming out that way on the phone. All fixed now😊
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Mary D
26/5/2022 07:52:10 am
I use a strip cut ruler which works awesomely. Creative Greds and June Tailor makes them. They may be others but I use June Tailor.
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LynsAvenue
5/6/2022 09:00:26 am
Oh yes, those rulers are amazing. I have one and now got the hang of it. It can be pricey though so just wanted to use a ruler l know most people will have.
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Gwen Keeble
26/5/2022 10:24:51 am
Nice, clear tutorial I hate those curves!
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LynsAvenue
5/6/2022 09:01:39 am
This makes me happy to hear. Thanks Gwen
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Teresa Brown
28/5/2022 06:40:50 am
Are you left-handed? Just curious. As I look at these pictures I think my cuts would be on the right-hand side and yours appear to be on the left.
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CARMEN DAMICO
28/5/2022 10:26:52 am
I agree Teresa. I’m right handed so using the method pictures above Id be using rotary cutter with my hand and crossing over my left hand/arm which is holding the ruler in place. Can you show your cutting technique for right handed cutting? Thank you.
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LynsAvenue
5/6/2022 09:08:45 am
Hi Carmen, sorry for the confusion. I'm right handed but can see the squaring up photos are confusing. I will change those and might do a video tutorial too.
LynsAvenue
5/6/2022 09:05:24 am
Hi Teresa, l'm right handed but can definetely see how the first three can be confusing now that you mention it. I did not even think about it, till you pointed it out. I cut and took the pictures from the other side. I will change those to avoid further confusion. Thanks for pointing that out.
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Vicki Fite
28/5/2022 07:20:26 am
Thanks so much for this informative tutorial. The last time I cut strips they definitely had that curve in the middle, so next time I should be able to get straight cuts!
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LynsAvenue
5/6/2022 09:09:38 am
Thanks Vicki, so lovely to hear this was helpful
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JESUSA DIAZ Figueroa
28/5/2022 09:31:41 am
El tutorial ha sido de mucha ayuda. Estoy comenzando en el trabajo de acorchado.
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Judy Ducrou
28/5/2022 10:33:00 am
These tips were great I now know why people are saying not to use the lines of the mat to do these strips. Great explanation. thank you Judy
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lynsavenue
7/6/2022 09:52:20 pm
I’m glad you liked the tutorial. It does make a difference not concentrating on the lines.
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Rosemary B
28/5/2022 10:05:48 pm
Thank you dear
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LynsAvenue
7/6/2022 09:53:27 pm
You’re welcome. l’m glad you liked it.
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Barbara
28/5/2022 11:51:18 pm
Thanks for the tire. I’m left handed, so I just start at the other end of the fabric.
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Hi there, my name is Lynett and welcome to my Avenue!
I have an insane addiction to fabric and can happily spend all day in a fabric shop just ogling, touching and maybe(most likely) buying some. l only need a teensy bit of encouragement and l will shop up. I find so much joy in seeing new life breathed into these fabrics, turning them into some lovely modern makes to use in the home or gift to a special someone. Categories
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