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From: lendube
Date: 10-04-2006, 05:51 PM (1 of 15)
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you've made a cut and you just know it screwed everything up??? Well, I'm brand new to quilting and trying my best to learn. Been sewing forever so it's just the basic quilting I need to learn. Tried to take a community college free course fairly near and it turned out to just be a "cover" for the local chapter of the "good ol' girls" quilting club. There was more talk about shows and fund raisers than any actual learning to quilt. It was clique-ish with the snobby older hand quilters sitting on one side of the room looking superior. The whole atmosphere just stunk. I went twice to give it a chance. I have now signed up for a class that is $30.00 but I know it'll be a good intro. It's a class on the Crazy 9 Patch for 4 hours on the 16th. It's being taught by an old friend of mine whom I haven't seen in a while. She doesn't know I'll be there but she's wonderful and I expect a good experience. Now back to the sinking feeling. I was asked to bring 36 - 12" squares. Good, I thought, I have just the right amount of 4 different fabrics that I really love. Then I made a wrong cut and then another one. Oh well, time to replace that fabric but it's a heartbreaker when it happens. A question along with my vent; I put a brand new blade in my cutter and it skips even on two layers of fabric. Am I doing something wrong? Is is a cheap cutter? (Fiskars) Is it a dirty surface on the blade that causing that? Anyone know? I shouldn't have to go over it with scissors each time I cut a length.  Thanks, Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: esrun3
Date: 10-04-2006, 06:56 PM (2 of 15)
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Sorry you are having so much trouble-I hate it when I do that! As for your rotary cutter, Fiskars is a good brand. You might just have a bad blade-have you tried changing it out for yet another new one? The one in it might have a burr or a spot that just isn't sharp or maybe you aren't applying even pressure all down the length of the fabric you are cutting. Sometimes the blades are just bad-even though they are new. I'd try that first. Hope that helps. Enjoy your class! Lyn
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User: esrun3
Member since: 12-02-2004 Total posts: 2345 |
From: HeyJudee
Date: 10-04-2006, 07:06 PM (3 of 15)
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There could be a number of reasons. Did the blade cut OK in the beginning? Is your cutting mat "old"? Sometimes there are cuts in your mat that haven't healed and when you cut, your fabric goes into the mat and doesn't get cut. There could be a nick on your blade. This could happen if you have accidently hit your ruler when you were cutting something. Do you have another new blade that you can try to see if it is the blade or not? TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366 
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From: Sancin
Date: 10-04-2006, 08:26 PM (4 of 15)
I found this happened when I first started to use rotary cutter. I discovered it was because of the angle I was cutting. I needed to use a greater vertical angle. Interestingly I discovered this when I had purchased a new pen and it skipped until I was so angry I held it upright to try to actually break the tip. In analyzing the pen I realized that it was a roller ball and by using too horizontal an angle I was trying to write on the side of the roller holder. I don't know why I then tried my rotary cutter differently but I did and it worked! Let us know if this works! 
*~*~*~* Nancy*~*~*~* " I try to take one day at a time - but sometimes several days attack me at once."
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User: Sancin
Member since: 02-13-2005 Total posts: 895 
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From: Patty22
Date: 10-04-2006, 08:31 PM (5 of 15)
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Just a maybe.....but could you possibly have two blades stuck together? Try taking it apart and check. I'm suggesting this because you said the blades were new and I don't think they would skip except for this. Sorry about the quilting environment. Did you ever think of just getting a really good book and teaching yourself? That is how I learned to quilt (okay, okay, it was when there were stone wheels on my kid's stroller's) and it was the best investment in a good instruction manual. I learned making a sampler quilt which covered all the different techniques you would possibly encounter - 8 pointed star, y-seams, applique, etc. Sampler quilts were really popular back in 70's - 80's when the quilt tradition was on an upswing climb. "Out with macrame and in with quilts," the women in the craft stores would yell. Okay, okay, just seeing if anyone is actually reading this post. 
Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: lendube
Date: 10-04-2006, 09:26 PM (6 of 15)
How awesome you all are!  I think even pressure and the angle I'm holding the cutter might be the problem. I've been cutting at weird angles and I'm pressing way harder than I think I should have to. My mat is a little warped and might have dents too. Good idea. I'll check the blade closely. It's definitely one blade since I only buy one at a time. I think a book might be the answer for me. I'll check out what's at the library and then go from there. Any suggestions as to a good one to start with???? I really like the idea of a sampler. Seems like a good way to find out if I even like quilting  Thanks everyone, Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: Chrysantha
Date: 10-04-2006, 11:00 PM (7 of 15)
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You also might wanna start 'cutting' before you get to the fabric...take a 'run' at it...with the cutter straight up. I took lessons with a bunch of 'older' women (at 50 I was 20-30 yrs younger than all the others). But I managed to make friends with them by praising their work (whether I liked it or not...and I mostly didn't like it) and asking their advice...now they all talk to me. They were also all Bernina people...and I'm a Janome person...but I didn't make a point of telling them I hate their machines and they didn't make a point of hating mine....I also took time to 'help' them and now when I see them in the store we have something to talk about... Kath Chrys
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User: Chrysantha
Member since: 09-06-2002 Total posts: 2414 
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From: trini
Date: 10-05-2006, 11:21 AM (8 of 15)
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I am certainly no expert on the rotary cutter but I think that it may be a two-blade problem. I say this because Alex Anderson reported having a similar problem which was solved when she checked and found that she had inserted two blades instead of one. I hope that it works for you. 
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User: trini
Member since: 09-17-2005 Total posts: 74 |
From: lendube
Date: 10-05-2006, 11:41 AM (9 of 15)
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Kath, You're a bigger person than I am. I admire you for being able to overlook their pettiness. At 50 I was in the youngest 1/3 of the group and there were at least 40-50 ladies there. One girl in her late 20's stuck out like a sore thumb! I checked and only one blade. I'll report back after I've done some more cutting using suggestions here. Thanks, Lennie
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User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: HeyJudee
Date: 10-05-2006, 12:30 PM (10 of 15)
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Lennie, When I started I taught myself to quilt by making a plain rail fence quilt. Then I bought the book The Singer Quilt Bible. But since then I have discovered that part of that book is now available on a website. You will notice a pic of the book at the bottom of any page that is from the book. There are projects from the book too but they basically only have the pages to make the blocks. The book actually has quilts and wall hangings for the blocks. I made a 36x50 wall hanging using the card trick block. Here is the link to the site. Hope it helps. http://www.fabriclandwest.com/quilters%20corner/quilters_corner.htm TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366
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From: nativetexan
Date: 10-09-2006, 01:23 PM (11 of 15)
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and you might invest in a new mat too. Olfa makes a good one. i've had one for well over 10 yrs and got another one about 3 yrs agon which i put next to it. good mat, good rotary cutter and blades are very important. good luck.
CC
http://photos.yahoo.com/ccase5 |
User: nativetexan
Member since: 11-15-2005 Total posts: 57 
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From: lendube
Date: 10-27-2006, 05:40 PM (12 of 15)
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Hi Ladies, You were all so helpful that I had to get back to you to let you know that I discovered that it was the warped mat that was giving me headaches. My old cutter works fine on the new Olfa mat and my new Olfa cutter works even better! I'm not cutting everything twice anymore. What a waste of time! Thanks so much, Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: cowqueenie
Date: 11-07-2006, 08:52 PM (13 of 15)
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hi there everyone! I just have to say that I am taking in ALL of everyone's advice as I have had some of the same problem off and on in my new adventure in quilting. No classes yet, just a McCall's pattern that had wrong instructions and a little experience with dialing my mother's phone number. I think what I did is what they call a "Blind" leap into something! Thanks to everyone who posted ideas. It helped Lennie and it will certainly be helping me too! Jane "A trip to the fabric store is my therapy"
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User: cowqueenie
Member since: 10-30-2006 Total posts: 125 
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From: lendube
Date: 11-07-2006, 09:47 PM (14 of 15)
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Are you serious? A "big time" pattern company gave the wrong directions? How did you discover that? Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: cowqueenie
Date: 11-08-2006, 11:30 AM (15 of 15)
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I really hope you are kidding when you say that! LOL I have really never had luck with patterns to begin with. I tried to follow these directions because it was something new for me and well, I had to end up "winging" it on some of it and cutting things to make things match and so forth. REALLY Frustrating! I like making up my own patterns. Then I KNOW they are right! Or at least know how to change things to make them right! LOL
"A trip to the fabric store is my therapy"
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User: cowqueenie
Member since: 10-30-2006 Total posts: 125
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