Baby Quilt Kit Tutorial - Cutting the Fabric Pieces

This Baby Quilt Kit Tutorial includes a series of five blog posts.

1. Intro & Getting Started
2. Cutting the Fabric Pieces - You're Here!
3. Machine Piecing the Quilt Top
4. Layering, Basting & Quilting
5. Binding the Quilt

Cuddly Quilt Kits are a popular line of baby quilt kits available in the Weekend Kits store.

I created this Baby Quilt Kit Tutorial to help beginners work through the process of making one of these cuddly quilts for baby.

I'm making the Simply Chic design for this tutorial.  Visit the Baby Quilt Kits section of the store to see our complete selection!

The Cutting the Fabric Pieces post uses photos and written explanation to help beginners apply basic rotary cutting techniques to cutting the fabric pieces for their quilt. This tutorial is intended to be a supplement to the instructions provided with your kit. Be sure to read through all of the instructions before starting your baby quilt.

Outline:

Use the following outline to jump to a specific section of this post.

• Rotary Cutting Tools
• Fabric & Instructions
• Laying Out the Fabric
• Squaring Up Leading Edge
• Square Up - Option 1
• Square Up - Option 2
• Cutting Strips
• Cutting Strips Greater than 6" - Option 1
• Cutting Strips Greater than 6" - Option 2
• Cutting Blocks

This tutorial assumes that you know how to safely use a rotary cutter.  Always keep your rotary cutter in safe mode until you're ready to make a cut and always return it to safe mode whenever you put your cutter back down.  When cutting, always be sure that your cutting path is completely clear prior to starting your cut.

Rotary Cutting Tools:

This is the basic set of rotary cutting tools you'll need for your baby quilt kit project.  A 45 mm rotary cutter is a good standard size cutter to have and works well for this application.  The blade is very sharp and I recommend making a habit of always closing the blade whenever you put the cutter down.

You'll need a self healing cutting mat made specifically for use with rotary cutters.  A cutting mat size of 18" x 24" or larger will work well for this quilt project.

If you can have only one ruler, the standard 6" x 24" quilting ruler is the one you want.  As you do more quilting, you'll find that it's really nice to have an assortment of quilting rulers so that you can choose the best ruler for the job.

Fabrics & Instructions:

You'll find the instructions wrapped up inside the fabrics.  Be sure to read all of the instructions before starting your baby quilt.  A couple important reminders are to NOT prewash the fabrics and to be very careful when ironing the fabrics.  The plush and satin fabrics are especially sensitive to heat.  It's recommended to use a pressing cloth to protect the fabrics and iron from being damaged.

The first step in the instructions provides a detailed chart of Fabrics and Cutting Sizes.  This chart will tell you the quantities & sizes of the pieces you need to cut from each of the fabrics.  This is the point in the project I always like to remind myself of the familiar woodworking saying "measure twice, cut once".  Like wood, fabric can't be un-cut, so it's really important to take your time here.  That being said, if you do make a mistake in cutting, take heart, there's usually a creative solution you can find to patch things up!

The following sections show basic rotary cutting techniques for laying out the fabric pieces, squaring up the leading edge, and cutting your strips & blocks.  It's important to look at the overall dimensions of each fabric piece and have a layout plan that ensures adequate yardage prior to cutting the fabric.

For some fabric pieces, your Cuddly Quilt Kit instructions may show an alternate layout to make best use of the fabric.  Always follow the layout shown in the instructions to ensure adequate yardage.

Laying out the Fabric:

Fabric strips are generally cut from selvage to selvage across the crosswise grain of the fabric.  Fold fabric pieces in the middle so that the selvages meet together and are aligned at the top of the cutting mat.  Shift the selvages left and right until the fabric lies flat without wrinkles.  It's OK for now if the cut edge on the left or right is uneven, you'll take care of this in the next step. Lay out the fabric pieces so that the fold is towards you.

For rotary cutting, right handers will start cutting at the left edge of the fabric and move to the right.  If you're left handed, you'll move from right to left.  The photos are labeled for right handers.  Left handers will need to reverse directions, changing out left for right and vice versa.

Squaring Up Leading Edge:

The first cut you'll make is to square up the leading edge.  This ensures the edges are even and that they're at a 90 degree angle to the fold.  Only cut the very minimum amount of fabric necessary to get a clean cut.  If you find that the leading edge is already squared up, then you can skip this step altogether.

There are a couple ways to square up your fabric and I'm going to show you both.  The first one requires one additional quilting ruler, while the second approach can be done using just your 6" x 24" quilting ruler.

Square Up - Option 1

You'll need one additional square quilting ruler for this option.

Step 1) Align the bottom edge of a square quilting ruler with the folded edge of the fabric.

Step 2) Place your 6" x 24" quilting ruler to the left of the square ruler, making sure it's right up against the edge and that the square ruler is still aligned with the fold.

Step 3) Carefully remove the square ruler.

Step 4) Use your rotary cutter to square up the leading edge.

Step 5) Remove excess fabric & you're ready to start cutting strips.

Square Up - Option 2

You only need your 6" x 24" quilting ruler for this option.

Step 1) Flip the fabric piece over so that the leading edge is now on the right.  Place your 6" x 24" ruler on the fabric, aligning the markings on the ruler with the folded edge.

Step 2) Use your rotary cutter to square up leading edge.  Cut the minimum amount of fabric needed to get a clean cut.

Step 3) Remove excess fabric & flip your fabric back over so that the squared up leading edge is on the left again.

Cutting Strips:

Once the leading edge is squared up, you're ready to cut strips.

Always follow the Fabric & Cutting Sizes chart in your instructions to determine the appropriate strip widths & lengths you need to cut for your particular Cuddly Quilt Kit design.

Be sure to follow the alternate layout provided in your Cuddly Quilt Kit instructions when cutting your backing fabric.

If you need a strip that is less than or equal to 6" wide, simply align your 6" x 24" quilting ruler to the desired width from the edge.  The ruler should line up evenly with both the edge and fold.  In this example, I'm setting up to cut a 3" strip.

There are a couple ways to cut strips that are greater than 6" wide and I'm going to discuss both.  The first one requires one additional quilting ruler, while the second approach can be done using just your 6" x 24" quilting ruler and a water soluble pen.

Cutting Strips Greater than 6" - Option 1

You'll need your 6" x 24" ruler and one additional quilting ruler for this option.  Place the extra ruler on the left edge of the fabric, adjusting placement to achieve the extra width you need beyond 6 inches.  Be sure that both rulers are aligned evenly to the edges of the fabric. In this example, I needed a 6-1/2" strip, so I'm using my second ruler to add an extra 1/2" to my 6" wide ruler.  Use your rotary cutter to cut along the right edge of the ruler.

Cutting Strips Greater than 6" - Option 2

Step 1) You'll need your 6" x 24" ruler and a water soluble marking pen, such as Mark B Gone, for this option.  Align the ruler to the left edge and mark the fabric to the desired width in at least two places.

Step 2) Align your 6" x 24" ruler to the fold and both markings.  Use your rotary cutter to cut along the right edge of ruler.

Cutting Blocks:

Once you have your strips cut, you're ready to cut individual blocks. Cutting blocks uses all the same rotary cutting techniques discussed above.  First, unfold strip and lay out horizontally on cutting mat. Then, square up leading edge if needed and cut your blocks to the desired lengths.

I want to show you how useful a square quilting ruler is for cutting blocks.  The size of the square ruler you'll need depends on the size of the blocks you need to cut for your quilt.  In the following photo, I'm using a 12-1/2" square ruler to cut a 6-1/2" square block.

Continue to work through each of your fabric pieces until you have all your blocks completed. Here are my blocks - ready for piecing!

Once you have all your blocks cut, you'll be ready to move on to the next post in the Baby Quilt Kit Tutorial - Machine Piecing the Quilt Top!

Weekend Kits offers a unique collection of Art & Craft Kits across a variety of crafting categories. Our goal is to help make crafting convenient, easy, and fun for all skill levels! Stop by today & be ready to make a baby quilt on your next Weekend at Home.