Did you know that using a rotary cutter is the fastest and most efficient way to cut fabric? Let me help you determine which tools to buy and show you the best way to use them.

How to Elevate Your Fabric Cutting Skills with a Rotary Cutter

Rotary cutters are as sharp as a kitchen knife, so you need to be aware of that and treat your cutter with the same respect as a knife. 

Using Scissors to Cut Fabric Instead

The first rotary cutter hit the market in 1979, and they became quite popular with quilters in the early 80’s. Prior to this, the only way to cut fabric was with scissors.

There are two problems with cutting fabric with scissors. The first is you have to take the time to mark the fabric before you can cut it, which is time consuming. The second problem is most people lift up the fabric in order to cut it and this often results in miscut fabric.

While using scissors to cut fabric may be less scary (if you find rotary cutters scary), it is more time intensive and can result in you having to buy more fabric if you miscut your fabric.

Which Rotary Cutter?

Rotary cutters come in a variety of sizes, but the two most commonly used sizes in quilting are 45mm and 60mm. Most quilters start with a 45mm cutter. It has a smaller blade and comes at a smaller price point.

The advantage of using a 60mm cutter is it glides easier over the fabric due to the larger blade size. If you are cutting a lot of fabric, or you need to cut for a long period of time, a 60mm cutter would be your better choice of cutter.

Which Brand?

There are many rotary cutters on the market and this is a place you don’t want to go cheap. I recommend Olfa rotary cutters to my students. They are fairly inexpensive and work well. I am still using my original Olfa rotary cutter from 2003.

If you have a larger budget and want a higher quality rotary cutter, then choose Quilter’s Select. Their cutters are heavier than Olfa cutters since they are mostly constructed of metal. This may not sound like a good thing, but the advantage of a heavier cutter is you don’t have to press down as hard to cut with it. When I had a wrist injury, I could cut with my Quilter’s Select cutter since I didn’t have to press as hard. Quilter’s Select rotary cutters come at a much higher price point, but they are good quality rotary cutters that will last you a long time.

How to Use a Rotary Cutter

Going back to the beginning, please don’t forget that a rotary cutter is as sharp as a kitchen knife. Pay it the same respect please.

The best way I can describe how to hold a rotary cutter is to hold it in your hand with your index finger on the top and wrap your hand around the cutter. Your hand should be parallel to the table.

You should not hold a rotary cutter vertical or grasp it in your first. Hold the cutter as described above for best results.

Never use your cutter to cut towards yourself. You should always be cutting away from yourself. This way, if you slip, you can’t accidentally hit yourself with the blade.

How to Cut with a Ruler

Using a rotary cutter and ruler can be a little daunting at first, but it is by far the fastest and easiest way to cut fabric for quilting.

When cutting with a ruler the goal is to keep your ruler hand in the area where you are cutting. You do not want to place your hand at the bottom of the ruler and be cutting in the center area of your ruler. There will be no pressure on the center and your ruler will slip, even a ruler with grip on the back will slip.

As you cut, when you reach the area next to the top of your fingers, gently lift your hand off of the ruler, move it up and place it down higher on the ruler without moving the ruler. Do this every time to achieve better cuts.

Close your Blade

Although this may sound tedious, it is best to close the blade cover on your rotary cutter every time you put your cutter down. It is far safer to do this.

I have knocked an open cutter off of my cutting table a couple of times and almost impaled my foot with the blade. I have also cut my hand when I accidentally moved an open cutter that was covered by fabric. Be safe and close your blade cover every time. It will soon be second nature.

Cutting with Gloves On

If rotary cutters make you nervous, but you understand the ease and accuracy of using one, there are gloves that can be used on your hand holding your ruler.

Fons & Porter makes the Klutz Glove which can be found at quilt stores and on Amazon. The gloves have grips on the palm to help hold the ruler and they are made with Kevlar so they can’t be sliced. I have never used them, but many quilters swear by them.

They are a small investment in money if they will bring you peace of mind in rotary cutting.

Replace your Blade

When you find that you start to have trouble cutting through with one pass of your rotary cutter, it will soon be time to replace your blade. Yes, I am aware that blades are not cheap, but it is best to replace your blade earlier than struggle with a dulling blade. In fact, a blade that is starting to dull can damage your self-healing cutting mat.

I will always recommend Olfa replacement blades. I know there are super cheap blades available on Amazon, but I have no experience using them.

My Final Thoughts

I hope this article was helpful. I know that rotary cutters can be scary, especially when you’re first getting started quilting. However, you now know that using one is the most efficient way to cut fabric, outside of using something like an Accuquilt GO cutter.

Pay attention to your blade at all times, keep your cutter out of reach of kids and pets, and take your time learning to become efficient using a rotary cutter.

For more helpful quilting tips and tricks, make sure you follow me on YouTube,and Pinterest.