You know that moment that you pull out that quilt pattern you’ve been dreaming about stitching up? It’s such a thrill, isn’t it? So much anticipation… so much excitement. So much adrenaline!
Until… you realize something.
That gorgeous quilt pattern you’re ready to start is made up of thousands of little pieces that will take HOURS to cut.
Never fear; Power-Cutting will save you!
What is power cutting?
Power cutting is a collection of clever methods of folding fabric and using a rotary cutter, developed by Debbie Caffrey. There are really only four important tools you need to purchase in order to power cut. Here are my favorite.
A 60 mm rotary cutter – Unlike the 45 mm cutter rotary that most of us have, the 60 mm rotary cutter safely cuts through more layers of fabric!!! I don’t know why I never thought of this myself!.
Rotary cutting blades (60 mm). Your blades MUST stay sharp for this process to work.
A 12 x 18 cutting mat, (This size is just the right size. It’s not too big, and it’s easy to pick up and rotate during the cutting process so you don’t disturb the fabric you’ve carefully folded and cut).
A square rotary cutting ruler (Creative Grids is my personal favorite because it has just the right grip on the fabric, and is the most clear and easy to read).
Here are a couple of my favorite go-to videos on the concept of Power Cutting. The first video hails from 2008, where Debbie shows the most correct and efficient way to cut strips using power cutting.
The second and third videos are by Nancy Roelfsema.
I love all of these videos, because even if you aren’t using all the skills for fast and easy fabric cutting (“power-cutting”), they show the basic concepts of good, safe rotary cutting habits.
If you’d like to see the genius way Nancy folds her fabric to get the most out of power cutting, check out this video.
I hope you find these videos helpful! Now you’ll never fear that incredible quilt with 3000 pieces that you drooled over on Pinterest!
Need a planner to track all those wonderful projects once they’re cut? Try our Quilter’s Planner or the Quilter’s Planner Design Book.
