A Rotary cutter, mat and ruler will make your hands so happy!

A rotary cutter is like a pizza cutter for fabric. With a nice sharp blade, you are able to cut several layers of fabric at once. Cutters some in two standard sizes, 45mm and 60mm, and most have an ergonomic design. You can also purchase different blades for your rotary cutter that cut in patterns, such as a pinking blade or a wave design.

The cutting mat is made of plastic that "self-heals" after cutting, which means that after you cut, the slice made by the cutter closes up by itself. Think of a papercut on your hand that heals almost immediately. The mat is marked in 1" squares to make measuring easy. Mats also have 45 degree angle marks on them to help with cutting triangles and bias strips. After several years of always cutting in the same spot, my mat doesn't "heal" as well as it did and I have open slices between the 9" and 17" markings. But that's because my mat is over 10 years old. I decided long ago that my mat would stay on my sewing table all the time, instead of being stored and set up when I need it. I just push my sewing machine to the side and cut away.

Along with my cutter and mat, my lip edge ruler is indispensible. It is a clear plastic ruler that is 5" wide by 24" long and has 1" markings and 45 degree angle markings. On one short edge, it has a thicker lip that is used to line up the ruler along the edge of your cutting mat. This lip helps keep the ruler at a straight 90 degrees to the fabric and mat, making your cuts perfectly straight and square. Together, these 3 tools make cutting so quick and easy, that I don't mind it too much any more.

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