how to fold fabric for cutting

In the image below you can see that this blue fabric from which I was going to make a skirt is not cut straight. The fold that results in the most economic use of the fabric. 2. These mats last a long time. Before cutting the fabric, iron and starch it to remove wrinkles and creases. - “Place on fold” or “Cut 1 on fold” → Line up the fold edge indicated on the pattern with the fold of the fabric. A standard quarter-yard measures 9″ by the width of the fabric (42″ to 44″, depending on the manufacturer). 3. Cutting boards are sold as simple mats, typically with measurement grids printed on the surface. Three: Fold the Fabric around the Ruler Spread out fabric carefully In preparation for cutting, fabric is usually folded. Cutting the Curtain. Heather then trues up an edge and explains how the fabric … Don’t cut the fold, because that side doesn’t have seam allowance to allow it to be sewn to anything. Lay your neatly folded fabric piece back down on your cutting surface. Allow the fabric to dry and iron any creases before cutting. Foldable table with plans 2. I’ll let pictures do the work here… So now you have a long piece of fabric with the selvage edge folded over to meet the cut edge. The best size for cutting strips is beginning from the selvedge and across the fabric width. The line that is created by the fold is parallel to the fabric's straight of grain. Here is how I fold my fabric if I have cut away from the fabric along the selvage edge and the fabric is no longer 44″ wide. To put it simply fabric is cut at a diagonal angle. You have already straightened and pre-shrunk your fabric. If your fabric looks like this, move on to the next section! If they don’t and the fabric needs to be straightened, gently pull on the fabric’s length from opposite corners. The way you do this is by making a cut a little past the selvage (see above), taking a crosswise thread and pulling it until it gathers the fabric. When I tried to fold my fabric selvage to selvage, before cutting pattern pieces from it, there was a bubble in the fold at the bottom. Press out the center fold to make sure it does not leave a mark. Then line up the straightened edge on … If you’re cutting large pieces of fabric out, start by lining up your bottom fold on the bottom line of your self-healing mat. The 'fold line' represents the grain on pieces cut on the fold. Fabric Alternatives . Most of the mats are called self healing because the cuts seem to disappear after you make them. Decide how to cut those scraps. To line up your pattern pieces with the grain: 1. When cutting yardage, you’re going to have to fold that fabric. To make handling the fabric more manageable, you can fold the left edge of the fabric yardage lack onto itself. Fabric Folding for Sleeves and Kameez I keep that fold closest to myself on the cutting mat, rather than away from me. 2. Make sure the top of this fabric piece, which consists of the original fold, and the selvages, is lined up straight too. Place the fabric on the cutting mat, fold near the bottom edge, side to be squared on the left. She also shares a fun tip on how to use a long ruler to make sure the fabric has a crisp fold and is as flat as possible. Begin with the biggest pieces you have. Press out any wrinkles. Once all the fabric is folded onto the ruler, turn it so it is perpendicular to you and slide the ruler out about half way. So when you are getting ready to cut, fold your fabric so that the grain-line is along the fold and place the pattern so the fold edge is along the fabric fold. 1. As is true for all pattern cutting methods, it is important to look at the grainline on the sewing pattern before determining whether to fold the pattern crosswise or lengthwise. 3. Ensuring proper coverage without unsightly wrinkles and tucks on corners presents a special challenge. Next fold the fabric so that the fabric matches the total height of the board. The seam allowance used to attach the binding should be equal to the desired finished width of your binding. Look at the fabric cutting diagram and find the one for the view you’re making. As you reupholster chair cushions, you will often find yourself covering corners with fabric. Keeping this fold in place, lay the fabric on the mat. If you can't find cotton fabric, consider cutting up an old shirt or using an extra tea-towel. The square ruler's left edge should be near, but inside the left edge of the fabric, roughly where you will make your square cut. Why? Heather then shows how to fold and align the fabric further to get it to fit on her cutting mat. But don’t worry, this can be fixed. Take the cloth fold lengthwise by right sides facing together such that the raw edges of the cloth are on top of each other (2 layers). Follow the layout guide found on the paper pattern instructions, these will show you how to position the paper pattern on the fabric depending on your fabric’s width. Identify the grain lines on your pattern. Once the fabric has been washed and dried she explains how to fold the fabric selvage to selvage, explaining where to find the selvage on a piece of fabric. Or sometimes, there’s both types of cutting layouts for a single view. It may not fall right on a cutting mat horizontal line but it should be an equal distance from the cutting mat line all the way down the fabric. If your pattern says to "Cut 2", you'll want to fold your fabric half with your selvages together. Begin by making sure that your fabric is folded with the selvage edges even and is as flat as possible. If I were to fold this fabric selvage to selvage, but with the cut edges together, the fabric would not lay flat but have wrinkles and a twisted fold. In this case, there are two ways to cut your blocks depending on the size that you’re cutting. Pipe and butcher block wall mounted table 4. 2. FOLDING CUTTING TABLES. (If you are unfamiliar with the word selvage, check out our Fabric Anatomy post.) Double-fold binding is cut six times the desired finished binding width plus 1⁄4" to allow for turn of cloth (the fabric take-up resulting from folding and wrapping binding around the quilt edge). Step 3 Align the folded edge of fabric with a horizontal measurement line on your cutting mat. Quilters especially cut a lot of fabric, and often prefer to cut more than one piece of fabric at a time. Using the "table on a table" idea—or creating a custom table—you can make a large table surface that serves as a cutting table and an ironing board so you can cut and press in one place. This long, skinny cut is great if you want to quilt with fabric strips, but not so great for cutting other shapes like larger squares or triangles. Cloth Folding for Bodies Cutting. Position your pieces as indicated on the pattern. Cutting fabric is a basic skill that every sewer must master. However, because we already folded the fabric in half and that fold is still there, we actually need to measure half that amount, or 20″. Align a horizontal measurement line of a rotary cutting ruler along the folded edge of the fabric. Line the bottom fold up with a horizontal line on your cutting mat. Sometimes there will be one fold, sometimes there will be two folds with the selvedges folded into the middle. You need to use a tape measure or ruler to measure the distance from the grainline of your piece to the selvage of your fabric. You can use these strips in Rail Fence and Log Cabin blocks. As you remember from above, the finished width we originally needed was 40″. Cutting fabric using a cutting board system can make creating precise cuts and repetitious shapes fast and easy. For example, if you have a large rotary cutting mat that measures 30 by 36 inches, cut a piece of 3/4-inch plywood to twice that width, at 60 by 36 inches. It can protect your bed linens and provide a nice, flat surface for cutting. Fabric is usually folded right sides together for cutting. Easier to work with and faster to cut: Using cut-on-fold sewing patterns makes the pinned-together pattern and fabric more flexible to move around and turn for a more convenient cutting angle. This is because, ideally, your fabric fold should be right on the grain. Two: Fold the Fabric Selvage Edges Together. Take a look: Cutting Large Pieces. Carefully refold the fabric for cutting, following the grain. Anything wall mounted will obviously have to be properly anchored so having a stud finder would be handy. Then fold again width wise such that the selvages are together (4 layers). Lay down your fabric on the table in this way with the pretty side facing up. Lay your fabric on a flat surface. A cut on fold mark on the sewing pattern is usually depicted by a double arrow pointing downwards towards the edge that is aligned with the fabric fold (see image bellow). When you start to cut, place a weight in the center of the pattern and fabric to keep your fabric in one place. You'll end up cutting one symmetrical piece of fabric from a pattern piece which corresponds to half. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with the selvages together. Now, we’ll fold the fabric. How to make sure your pattern piece is straight. If space is an issue for you, consider tables that either fold up or swing down from the wall. Fold the fabric up … If you don't have any cotton you can use, cut the pieces out of an old t-shirt. Double-Duty Cutting Table . For pattern pieces not cut on the fold, your piece is straight if the grainline is parallel to the selvage of your fabric. How do we fold the fabric when cutting 1 See answer Amabelann Amabelann Fold it then grab it then cut it in any direction Pa heart nmn po ng iba kong answer thanks po thx sige k na Ty New questions in Technology and Home Economics. Line up the fold with one of the horizontal lines on the cutting mat, or, if your mat is unlined, use a square rotary ruler. I try not to fold it more than necessary and I like to have only one fold. Fold lengthwise, matching selvages, to see whether the ends now match. When it comes to laying out the fabric, you fold the fabric lengthwise making the two selvages meet- like they say “selvage to selvage” while keeping the pretty side of the fabric on the inside (right sides facing). Use the ruler to wrap the fabric around it. Place a see-through ruler on the fabric. Measure the desired curtain length from one end of your squared fabric -- allowing for hem and rod depths -- and mark it on the selvage edge. Folding fabric makes it easier to cut pieces into one long strip, with less actual cutting involved. Adjust one side until the fabric hangs straight. Cutting: The Fold in the Fabric. Fold your fabric in half, selvedge to selvedge which is the neat edge of the fabric. When you fold the selvage (finished edge) of the fabric at a 90 degree angle. Cut strips 1 ½ inches, 2 inches, and 2 ½ inches wide. Bias cut basically means cutting the fabric on a 45 degree angle to the straight grain so that the fabric will drape itself contouring to the shape of the body. If you must work on the bed (or on the floor), consider investing in a good-quality fold-up cutting board, which you can buy at most craft or fabric stores. Cotton fabric works best for this project. She then shows how to manipulate the selvage if needed due to it shrinking when washing. 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