Making the Cut

Cutting fabric is sew SERIOUS! I’m not kidding. If you’re not going to take the time that it takes to properly cut your pattern AND your fabric, “may the force be with you” because you’ll definitely need it. The picture below represents a project that I’m working on. It’s a skirt. I’ll be cutting four pieces of the same panel. I won’t mention the brand of the pattern because not only is it not important, the maker of the pattern isn’t paying me. #ohwell

Ok, so let me tell you a little bit about what’s going on in the photo.

The 6×6 squares below are bathroom tiles that I am using as fabric weights. If you Google “fabric weights” you’ll find a wide variety of fabric weights that look NOTHING like what I’m using. So, why am I using tiles? They make me feel secure. I’ve taken a look and feel of other fabric weights and the heaviness of the tiles works on my brain like a Jedi mind trick. I actually believe that the heavier the weight, the less likely it is that the pattern will move. The purpose of fabric weights is to hold down the pattern while you cut. I was quite concerned with the possibility of less heavy fabric weights moving while I was trying to cut the fabric. Notice that there are no pins holding the pattern to the fabric. This is because I am using the weights in place of pinning. Why? I stopped pinning because the fabric kept buckling every time I would try to pin the pattern to the fabric and my cuts would be uneven.

There are a few important things to keep in mind when cutting fabric:

1. You cannot use your scrapbooking scissors to cut fabric.

2. If you’re thinking that there is a short-cut to cutting fabric, you’re wrong.

3. Iron your pattern before cutting it out.

4. See rules 1-3.