Ten Degree Tuesdays: Cutting
Back with the second installment of Ten Degree Tuesdays--Cutting Tips.
Be sure you read the previous Ten Degree Tuesday on Preparation before you go on.
Before you place your wedge onto fabric, be sure your fabric is pressed. To pre-shrink or not pre-shrink...that's an ongoing debate among quilters. Side stepping the issue, I suggest you at least press your fabric, even with a bit of steam, to be sure your wedges won't shrink unevenly once you've sewn them together. Personally I like to spray starch the fabric to give it a crisp feel. It's so much easier to handle bias cut wedges if they've been stabilized with a little spray starch or sizing.
Consistency when cutting wedges is important. Use the inch lines on the tool to help you. If you have problems cutting wedges on an angle, try marking a second angled parallel line directly on the wedge. This can be very helpful.
It's easy to start cutting with the wedge pointing out in front of you, but that is not the best way to position your body. With such a long wedge, you loose accuracy when your arm is fully extended. The preferable way to cut is to place your wedge parallel to your body with the strip set perpendicular to it. Then you cut from left to right and from right to left. It's like aerobic cutting!! Watch the Brooke in the Beginner's Bargello video as she demonstrates this cutting technique.
Look for the next Ten Degree Tuesdays article for more tips and tricks on sewing your Ten Degree Wedges!
Look for the next Ten Degree Tuesdays article for more tips and tricks on sewing your Ten Degree Wedges!