Every once in awhile, a sewing tool is released that is an absolute “must have”. When I first laid eyes on the Shape Cut Pro from June Taylor, I knew it would be on my gift wish list.
I have mentioned in many previous posts the need for the original Shape Cut Ruler (Intermediate Quilting Tools and Giveaway, Modern Quilted Potholders, and A Heartfelt Mug Rug Tutorial to name a few). It is a ruler than I use every week on projects. But now, with the Shape Cut Pro I can easily cut binding strips, jelly roll strips, 5″ squares, 10″ squares, and sashing for my quilts in no time at all.
This ruler is much larger than the original Shape Cut. It’s wide enough to fit across the entire width of a 45″ folded length of fabric right off the bolt, which makes it so easy to use. The original Shape Cut is only a 12″ square so you have to slide the ruler up to finish cutting or fold the fabric in fourths before cutting.
Here I have lined up the fold with one of the lines and began cutting binding strips for my baby quilt.
The cutting spaces are every 2.5″ inches, which is the size that I always cut my binding. The ruler is fairly heavy compared to other acrylic rulers, so it does a good job of staying in place while you make your cuts.
These strips were made very quickly. Under 10 seconds if I had to guess.
For another quilt project I needed 10″ blocks to make half square triangles. I first made my 10″ cuts in one direction, then lifted and turned the ruler so that I could make the cuts in the opposite direction. This resulted in 8 perfect 10″ blocks in under a minute.
If you are a pretty serious quilter or a craft store owner who would like to make your own pre-cuts, I highly recommend this ruler. I will warn you, it is a bit on the pricey side as far as notions and tools go, but with a half off coupon or sale at your local craft store it is worth every penny. You can also purchase it directly from June Taylor’s website.
Crafting time is valuable and anything that shaves minutes off fabric cutting and preparation is money well spent!
I’m looking at how you are cutting your strips. Are you by any chance left handed? I would find it hard to cut on the left side of the ruler, as I always cut to the right of whatever ruler I am using. Just thought that was different, or maybe I have been doing it wrong all this time!?
No, I am right handed. I probably just did that because I laid my fabric out with the cut edge on the right. If you put the cut edge on the left, you can cut the strips from the right. Make sense? I usually cut my fabric on the right side of the ruler too, but with this ruler (and the other shape cut rulers) it does not matter which side the cut edge of the fabric is on. You should continue to do whatever feels most comfortable for you.