I briefly mentioned in my first quilt top tutorial on how to square up your fabric. I said I would post later on how to do that, and in the mean time just to Google it if you had any questions. Well I am finally living up to my word. Here is a quick tutorial on how to square up your fabric to get ready to cut all those lovely exact little pieces for your quilt top. Measuring, I have found, is the key to a beautifully pieced and mostly no headache quilting. So without more jabbering here is how to square up!
Tools
Rotary cutter
Cutting mat
A very long ruler or yardstick (I would love to have a nice metal one, my mom had one growing up, but for now I had a home depot yardstick that cost me $0.68 laying around, it works fine.
Materials
Pre-washed Fabric that needs square up
Tools
Rotary cutter
Cutting mat
A very long ruler or yardstick (I would love to have a nice metal one, my mom had one growing up, but for now I had a home depot yardstick that cost me $0.68 laying around, it works fine.
Materials
Pre-washed Fabric that needs square up
1. After your fabric is washed I find that ironing helps me get my fabric squared up faster and nicer
2. Take your fabric and fold it in half with the selvage edges together
3. Iron it nice and flat and smooth
4. The raw edge where it has been cut won't line up nice and perfect like the selvage edges, that's why we are square it up, so don't about those edges yet. Make sure the selvage edges are lined up perfect.
5. After you have iron out any wrinkle move over to the cutting mat.
2. Take your fabric and fold it in half with the selvage edges together
3. Iron it nice and flat and smooth
4. The raw edge where it has been cut won't line up nice and perfect like the selvage edges, that's why we are square it up, so don't about those edges yet. Make sure the selvage edges are lined up perfect.
5. After you have iron out any wrinkle move over to the cutting mat.
6. Place your fabric on the cutting mat, the selvage edges at the top, and the fold of the fabric at the bottom next to you
7. Line up the selvage edge perfectly with a straight line running across the top of you cutting mat
8. Do the same with the bottom folded edge. You will see that the side edge over hangs a straight line, the overhang will be what is cut off to get a nice straight edge on that raw edge
9. When everything is lined up, take your yard stick and lay it across the fabric raw edge lining it up with the same number/straight line on top as the bottom.
10. You will be cutting away the excess over hang, make sure you hold the ruler down snug so it doesn't move and mess up your pretty straight line.
11. Cut from selvage edge to fold
12. Bam! You just squared up one side of your fabric, now repeat on the other side. DON'T UNFOLD ANYTHING! We want a perfect square (well rectangle really).
See not so hard! Now when you make cuts they will measure up perfect!
Hope this tutorial was helpful! Like us on facebook!
Thanks,
Lizzy
11. Cut from selvage edge to fold
12. Bam! You just squared up one side of your fabric, now repeat on the other side. DON'T UNFOLD ANYTHING! We want a perfect square (well rectangle really).
See not so hard! Now when you make cuts they will measure up perfect!
Hope this tutorial was helpful! Like us on facebook!
Thanks,
Lizzy
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