It may be pretty counter-intuitive, but changing the blades on your rotary cutter is a great way to save things. At first it may seem like just another expense and time waster in the world of quilting, but changing out blades frequently will save time, save yourself, and save fabric – all of which, in the end, saves you time and money.
First off, how does changing the blades in your rotary cutter save time? Simple. Cutting with a dull blade takes far more time than cutting with a sharp one because you have to run over the cut multiple times to sever all the wayward threads. You also have to use less pressure and have less of a risk of slipping and cutting the wrong thing or at the wrong angle.
Remember when I said that a sharp blade will slip less? I meant it. You may think that a dull rotary cutter blade would be safe enough to graze your skin, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Even dull blades are dangerous and could mean you head to the hospital instead of finishing part of your quilt that day. Changing out dull blades for new, sharp blades on your rotary cutter tool will definitely save yourself pain and exasperation.
Lastly, using only sharp blades in your rotary cutter will also save fabric. Since dull blades require more force and tend to slip, it’s easy to cut the wrong part of the fabric or veer off in the wrong direction. With sharp blades, you will have much more accurate cuts, so you won’t have to waste expensive fabric or, worse, have to go back to the store to get more because you and your dull rotary blade ran out of usable fabric for your quilt.
As you can see, changing out your rotary blades frequently will really pay off in the end.
