Guide to Quilting: How to Cut Your Fabric

Part four of our Guide to Quilting series is all about taking the plunge and cutting into those lovely fabrics. Read on for the dos and don’ts of measuring, cutting, and keeping track of all those little pieces.

Getting to know your fabric

The machine finished edges of fabric on either side are called selvedges. We avoid including them in our quilts because they are often woven tighter than the rest of the fabric.

Selvages of a Quilting Cotton

Woven fabrics like quilting cotton have a grain, which refers to the direction of the woven yarns that make up the fabric. This is important to know in quilting as fabric that is cut “off-grain” may create issues when you are sewing your quilt, like bubbling or shifting. The straight grain runs parallel to the selvedges, while the cross grain runs across from selvedge edge to selvedge.

Printed fabrics can be either directional, meaning it has one right way up, or non-directional/tossed meaning there is no right way up. For directional prints, you may have to consider the cutting layout more carefully if the desired result is a print that is aligned throughout the quilt.

It’s hip to be square

When you bring your fabric home from the store, it may not have been cut perfectly on grain because of how fabric shifts when rolled onto bolts. It’s important to square your fabric before we cut so our pieces are on grain and don’t turn out wonky!

Open the fabric and press/steam out any major folds or wrinkles. A bit of spray starch here helps keep the fabric crisp and easier to sew, if you have it. Pick up your fabric by both of the selvedge edges and hold it in front of you. Align the selvedges on top of one another and shift them until the folded edge hanging loose is smooth and straight. There should be no ‘inflated’ folds that run diagonal to the bottom. It does not matter if the cut edges align, and in fact they probably won’t!

[Off Grain & On Grain images with captions]

Rotary cutter safety

At this point, it’s important to take a moment and emphasize best practices for working with a rotary cutter. When used correctly this tool will save you significant time and effort in cutting, but like any implement with a sharp edge, there are common sense precautions that should be followed.

Measure twice, cut once

Once your fabric is pressed and squared, it’s time to put your cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter to work. Begin by aligning the folded edge against one straight line on your cutting mat close to you. 

Using your ruler and rotary cutter, cut one of the uneven edges so that it is square to the folded edge without removing more than necessary. This is now the edge you may measure from when cutting your quilt pieces.

Align the squared edge against the straight line on your cutting mat on your non-dominant side (i.e. if you are right handed, align the squared edge to the left-most grid line on your mat) and begin cutting according to your pattern. 

Typically, you’ll begin by cutting strips that are the width of fabric (abbreviated WOF). Once the strips are cut, you can then subcut them as directed into smaller pieces for your quilt. 

Use your ruler as shown above whenever possible to measure your pieces for cutting. Sometimes the printed lines on a cutting mat aren’t 100% accurate, but rulers always are. If the size of your cut piece exceeds the width of the ruler, you will need to use the mat for measuring.

To do this, line up the edge of your piece at the vertical zero line. This is the grid line all the way to the left when measuring as a right hander. Consistently measure from the zero line – it’s easy to make a cutting mistake when starting anywhere else, even with small cuts.

Line up the edge of the ruler with the desired measurement of your piece. In this case, we’re cutting an 8 inch piece, and the right edge of the ruler is lined up on the 8 inch line, which is marked at the top and bottom of the mat. 

Proceed to cut while holding the ruler firmly at the intended mark.

For newbies and experienced quilters alike, it’s always worth your time to measure very carefully. Cutting too large can potentially cause a fabric shortage, while cutting too small could result in unusable pieces and fabric waste. Make sure to make sure before the rotary cutter touches fabric.

Cutting lists in quilting patterns

A well written quilting pattern will include specific directions on what size pieces to cut out and in what order. Some will even include helpful diagrams. The cutting directions follow logic intended to reduce fabric waste and ensure that you end up with all the pieces that you need. It’s advisable to follow them closely. There’s nothing quite like the sinking realization that you don’t have enough fabric for the pieces that you need because of cutting errors…

Organization is your ally

Keeping all those little pieces organized during and after cutting is key to saving yourself from headaches later. Start by checking off the pieces that you cut as you go along. Label like pieces clearly as soon as they’re cut. Post-its, painter’s tape, and fabric markers are a few great options for identifying pieces and piles as needed. At the shop, we love using Wonder Clips with added lettered labels that can be reused for any project. Small trays or boxes are helpful to keep stacks of pieces that go together close at hand. These quick extra steps will save time and aggravation when you’re in the thick of piecing your quilt top!

Check out the past posts in our Guide To quilting series below, and stay tuned for our next post!

Guide to Quilting: What are Precuts?

Guide to Quilting: The Right Tools for the Job

Guide to Quilting: Beginner Quilt Patterns

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