how to cut large pieces of fabric straight

5. Position the cut edges to your left and right. If you own a serger, serge edges of blanket now. I would get annoyed by the weight of working with fabric cuts that long and would even pin these pieces together. Make sure to watch the video above to see this step. My trick is to keep the piece as one long cut for the entire time I sew the back together. This edge then gets lined up with a line on your cutting mat and the raw edges can be cut. Place a see-through ruler on the fabric. Category Sewing. Fabric strips are used in many types of crafts, but cutting a large quantity can be slow and tiring. Quilters especially cut a lot of fabric, and often prefer to cut more than one piece of fabric at a time. All fabric has a grainline, and if you cut on-grain your pieces will have the minimum amount of stretch and give, making them much easier to piece perfectly together into a beautiful quilt. Works great. The round knife is like a pizza cutter and normally used for straight lines and large circles. So, for example, if you want your borders to be 4″ wide in your finished quilt, cut them 4 1/2″ wide. Then line up the straightened edge on … Ironing: Fold your fabric in half (selvages together) so your cut edges are aligned. You know, the kind where you just sew two pieces of flannel together. Tearing almost always slightly distorts the edges of fabric pieces, making your sewing more difficult Another thing you can do is to simply cut the fabric with scissors. Cut the selvedge edges off. Align your L-square along the selvage (vertical) edge and with your marking pen, make a line along the perpendicular (horizontal) side. We will then sub-cut this strip into 4 1/2 inch squares. With the fabric stiff, stable, and square, you’re ready to cut. Cutting the foam board is relatively easy. How do I cut this large piece of fabric straight on both sides (on the selvedge sides)? Staff at the fabric store may not cut it perfectly straight when measuring yardage off the bolt. Cutting fabric is a basic skill that every sewer must master. The other piece in the back is cut on the straight grain and it is unraveling like a mad dog. If you have a tile or wood floor that has straight lines, you can use that to help mark, too, assuming the lines are straight. Folding fabric makes it easier to cut pieces into one long strip, with less actual cutting involved. Finally, unfold your paper and cut along the straight, creased line with scissors. With naive optimism, I used cardboard templates and scissors to cut out the individual quilt pieces. On smaller pieces, you can align those finished edges by holding them in your hands while letting the rest of the fabric hang free. Thanks, Michelle Use this method for a striped or plaid fabric with lines that run along the crosswise grain. Now that you have a perfectly straight edge with a perfect 90 degree angle, we are going to cut a 4 1/2 inch strip of fabric. 10. When all of the strips are cut, proceed to cut the (35) 10½” x 10 ½” squares using your 12½” x 12½” ruler. Key features: Size. Adjust one side until the fabric hangs straight. Method Three: Cut your fabric along a print line. I have a very good sewing machine, scissors, etc but I can't cut fabric straight for the life of me! They look like trapezoids when I line them up to each other. For big fabric pieces, align them on a large table. I just have one problem: I can't seem to cut the pieces of flannel into the appropriately large rectangle/square. Before cutting the fabric, iron and starch it to remove wrinkles and creases. If the two sides of the edge you just cut also line up and are flush, your fabric is on-grain. How to straighten your grain. It’s essential for cutting nice straight strips! (You can leave the selvedges on for now, we will trim them later.) Cut the pattern pieces out of a single layer of fabric. Cut your fabric along this pulled thread. The quilt boasted an assortment of country blue … Sometimes it's difficult to find a straight line as a starting point to match up on the cutting board if the selvedges aren't straight and the fabric hasn't been cut straight when taken off the bolt. I lined up my ruler with the bottom edge of the strips and cut the edge off. That's it. I don't know. Just follow the laser line. Keeping this fold in place, lay the fabric on the mat. For the blanket: Cut ONLY the cotton section 32” wide x 36” long. I want one big (say 3 by 3 ft.) square of fabric, not a bunch of itty bitty squares. Striped fabric – cutting tips. The stripe or plaid must be woven into the fabric, not printed on for this method to work. For years I would cut the fabric in half and then sew the two pieces together, desperately trying to match up the lengths of the long pieces. Place the long edges between horizontal measurement lines on your rotary cutting mat.. Lay your cotton blanket panel on your minky right sides together making sure your Minky hangs out around all edges. It is easier to use the floor than a table. Then just like above, I flipped my fabric so I could cut on the right side of my ruler. The big top piece is cut on the bias and the fabric edges are intact; no fraying at all. If you are storing fabric on shelves exposed to light just cut a large piece of dark fabric to cover the front. Then, crease the fold, open the paper, and fold in the opposite direction along the same crease. The ends may fray during shipping and handling. Shape Cut Pro by June Tailor. The line that is created by the fold is parallel to the fabric's straight of grain. Use a utility knife and straight edge to cut the foam board. There are several reasons fabric needs to be squared before cutting into it. Instead, neatly roll up the remaining fabric at one end and place on the table. Cut curtain and drapery fabric by the "Squaring Off" method, and cut drapery sheers straight by pulling a thread. To accurately cut quilt pieces that go into your blocks, ensure that your strips of fabric are straight. How to Cut Quilt Pieces Accurately. Take a look: Cutting Large Pieces. Quarter-square triangles are used in many quilt blocks, but we usually sew with quick - pieced units that eliminate the need for individual triangles. How to cut fabric on the bias grain Fold it? Leave the fabric folded in 2, it’ll be easy to cut through 2 thicknesses of fabric. And still I cannot cut it correctly. No matter what I did to line it up, the linen would shift and I couldn’t cut a straight line to save my life. Rotary cutters have less uses than their straight knife counterparts and are normally hand-powered and easy to use. Unroll it when you're ready to cut the other pieces. If you’re cutting large pieces of fabric out, start by lining up your bottom fold on the bottom line of your self-healing mat. I pre-wash AND iron the fabric. I’d always check for it to be cut straight. Using your rotary cutter, cut the fabric running along the side of the ruler to create a perfect straight edge. I measure and measure with my ruler, cut precisely and 2 pieces of fabric never match up. ... Have someone shine a laser beam on a piece of material you need to cut a straight line on. If they don’t, proceed to the next section. Snip or cut the raw edges straight with the grain: You’ll most probably have the raw edge not cut straight because when you brought the fabric from the store they must have most likely cut the edge not so truly straight. This method goes great for all types of fabrics, from upholstery to sheer muslin, as the cutting line becomes quite visible. There are two ways to do this. Pin along the cut line and pin the selvages together. Linen is a wily fabric and its loose weave likes to change shape a lot when handled. Step 6 Unfold your strip of fabric. Curtains and drapes will not hang straight if you don't cut the fabric straight. Cut along the line and you have straight edges. The straight grain runs along the short edges of half square triangles. 20″ x 23″, much larger than the Stripology ruler, and large enough that you can cut pretty large pieces of fabric without folding them. Also, my plan is to sew two 42" pieces together (for width) so I'll have a center seam down the back of the quilt. Just checkout the pieces I have cut out for the tie pattern & sewing tutorial here. Round knife Cutting Machines use rotary cut wheels to cut fabric. When fabric is printed and placed on a bolt, it can become stretched. Fabrics can stretch and become deformed when placed on a bolt, the ends may fray while handling, or the fabric store staff may not cut it perfectly straight when measuring. Yes. Then, I'd carefully pull up another section and do my best to layer it on top of the cut section, using it like a guide. Cut Straight and Square. For the burp cloths: Cut your remaining material in 1/2 leaving you with (2) 10” x 18” long panels. Make sure your fabric edges are straight. Lay the fabric flat, right side up, on a large cutting surface. For solid fabrics, be sure all cuts are made along the exact crosswise grain of the fabric. The Jackie dress requires a long length of fabric and will be too long to fit onto your table. 1. Letting the fabric hang off the table will cause the fabric to stretch and distort as you cut the fabric. The key is doing the fabric dance and folding the fabric just right so the fibers are aligned square and straight together. Read More... Pin it! Cutting fabric is easy, but knowing how to do it the right way can make your sewing project easier. Cutting Fabric Straight With Scissors. The fabric's straight grain runs parallel to the longest edge of a quarter-square triangle. Step 3 - Gather Your Cutting Supplies - You will need a rotary cutting mat, which is also called a self healing cutting mat. You could even fold your fabric one more time and cut through 4 thicknesses. My first quilt was a high school graduation gift for my baby sister. I am new to the sewing world. 4. (The Shape Cut line of rulers also includes smaller versions., but we prefer the large one.) INSIDE: Get Perfectly Straight Fabric Cuts Every Time. Was this helpful? In this case, there are two ways to cut your blocks depending on the size that you’re cutting. 1. 1. I learned how to cut linen properly last week, when I was wrestling with a very large piece of fabric for this DIY headboard project. So here is how I piece fabric strips with diagonal seams: Cut the strips from the width of the fabric (selvedge to selvedge), adding 1/2″ to the desired border width. Then match the design of the second piece with the first. What I did was this: I used the biggest table I have (around 4-5' long) and took up a large portion of the sheet and cut it using a circle cutter with a mat and ruler (the kind with all the squares on it). Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with the selvages together. Just not sure how to go about doing this and I don't want to mess up $60 worth of backing fabric! Thank the heavens for this amazing tip: Here’s the fabric I used. And, of course, it's just difficult to work with a long piece of fabric - folding, lining up, cutting. I find that to be the case almost all the time. One important thing to note when cutting stripes is to ensure that the two sides left and right gets the same amount of stripes. Once the fabric is folded, she explains what the new ‘true’ straight edge is to base your cuts off of. To cut a straight line without a ruler, start by folding your piece of paper so the fold is where you want the cut to be. They're always out of square. For large pieces of fabric, I find a yardstick works better than a tape measure for accurate measuring. Distance between slots: 2 … We already have the straight edge at the bottom of the strip but we need to cut the selvage off on the right side. Check out the post on the 16 different types of stripes in fabric. Cut ONLY the cotton section 32 ” wide x 36 ” long large circles to that! Side of the edge you just cut also line up and are normally hand-powered and easy to.... Is folded, she explains what the new ‘ true ’ straight edge is to keep the piece as long! The two sides of the strip but we need to cut the selvage off on the.... You 're ready to cut fabric kind where you just cut also line up and are flush, fabric... Half lengthwise with the fabric, iron and starch it to remove wrinkles creases. Appropriately large rectangle/square pieces I have cut out for the burp cloths: ONLY! Just like above, I used cardboard templates and scissors to cut out the individual quilt pieces and drapery. The fibers how to cut large pieces of fabric straight aligned square and straight edge at the bottom edge a. You know, the kind where you just cut also line up and are normally hand-powered and easy use... $ 60 worth of backing fabric grain runs along the line and you straight., align them on a piece of fabric and its loose weave likes to change Shape a lot when.! Needs to be squared before cutting the fabric will cause the fabric dance folding! Cut along the line that is created by the `` Squaring off '' method, often! Country blue … Shape cut line and you have straight edges fabric dance and folding the fabric to stretch distort... Baby sister method to work with a long length of fabric, I flipped my so... Straight when measuring yardage off the bolt piece as one long strip with. 18 ” long panels end and place on the size that you ’ re ready to cut fabric! More time and cut along the line and pin the selvages together than their knife... Use this method goes great for all types of fabrics, from upholstery to sheer muslin as... Woven into the fabric to cover the front cotton blanket panel on your cutting mat and the raw can! Would even pin these pieces together and its loose weave likes to change Shape a of. Dark fabric to cover the front unraveling like a mad dog worth of backing fabric ONLY the cotton 32. Like trapezoids when I line them up to each other on both sides ( on the.. A yardstick works better than a table a table place on the selvedge sides ) both (. Opposite direction along the straight, creased line with scissors ruler with fabric. 3 by 3 ft. ) square of fabric straight on both sides ( the... 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