Cutting Fabrics

[Ashwoody]

Hi Ladies,

I purchased my SB24 2 months ago but I had not had the chance to cut any frabrics until now...it has been quite the challenge. I have some laminated fabric that is very easy but linen has been so far impossible...any comments? has anyone cut fabric before? what type of fabric?

Thank you so much!

[Gigi]

There are quite a few people cutting fabric. Some use washable stablizers to give it body and then remove it or a watered down starch solution. The sticky mat is the key to fabric so it doesn't budge. Some have used sandwiches with fusible stabilizers or contact paper (more often used on felt). Most use the 30 degree blade but others have had success with the 45 degree. It is pretty much just practicing until you get the combination that works best for you.

I would think linen would be challenging because of the intersecting threads - it's not a "smooth" material like a cotton, for instance. Just my thoughts. I am sure if someone has cut linen they will pop in and share.

[Elizabeth]

Hello. Welcome to the forum! I have not cut linen with my Silver Bullet, but I would be happy to run a couple of tests for you tonight. Can you tell me a bit about the linen you are trying to cut? Most of my linen scraps are fairly "slubby", so I'm guessing if that can be cut, most any linen can be. Because of linen's typically loose weave, I would expect it to be in the "hard to cut cleanly" category.

In general, to cut fabric I use the 30 degree blade, and an iron on interfacing, although, as Gigi mentions, wet stabilizers or starch can also be effective. For the linen, I will also experiment with contact paper as a top layer.