Fussy Cutting: The basics

Fussy Cutting: The basics

Fussy cutting=the best thing!! Fun and quirky fabrics are what drew me to sewing and quilting. Fabric is art and being able to create art.. out of art, is just amazing. Fussy cutting encourages you to feature and focus on those precious little details.

What is fussy cutting?

Fussy cutting is intentionally cutting fabric to focus on a specific part of the print

Fussy cutting tools:

You don't need any fancy tools and you can use the rotary cutters and rulers you have already but I will share with you my go-to tools to make fussy cutting easier.

  • A self healing cutting mat (of course)
  • A small blade rotary cutter, I like to use 28mm
  • Small rulers (I'll be using 'Cute Cuts' rulers by Lori Holt, find them HERE)
  • Lots of fun fabrics!

 

Picking out fabrics:

Picking out fabrics is the fun part. You want to look for fabrics that have images spaced out along the print with background space in between. You want to be able to cut out an image without lots of distractions in the background so you can really focus on the picture.


Check out my shop for a dedicated section of fussy cutting fabrics HERE

Process:

 

Examples:

Here I went fussy cutting crazy! This is a mini quilt I made featuring 100 tiny fussy cuts. Only 1" each! It won me an honorable mention at a local quilt show 🥰

Here I used fussy cutting to cut out letters to spell out a fun phrase for a pouch I made to hold my spare binding rolls.

Fussy cuts can be big or small.. or teeny tiny! Here I made the smallest quilt ever for a fun Instagram challenge 😂

So grab some fabric and look it as individual images instead of as a whole. Look at the details! Then grab a ruler and start to frame up those little bits and make them shine in your next project.

I hope you learned a little bit about fussy cutting and you can start to look at your fabric a little differently 😁 Tag me on IG with your fussy cutting wins! @fabricpop

Keep makin stuff!
-Christina 💕
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2 comments

You were at our quilt guild last night and I really liked your information and ideas. You really have a talent for fussy cutting. Very inspiring

Kathleen Krivenko

Thankyou for such great ideas for fussy cutting !!!!! Your video was so interesting !

Penelope

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