Fussy cutting tips

For years, I believed fussy cutting was a tedious process unworthy of my time. But it wasn’t until I started using it more and more that I realized how powerful it is.
Combine that with a fascinating technique, and you’ll be excited to spend time creating one-of-a-kind blocks and quilts.

To make fussy cutting easier, sometimes a transparent plastic template is required. Depending on the complexity of your project, this template could be a simple shape, such as a square or triangle. For other projects, it could be more complex than this.

Here is how I made my template for the technique used in the TEXTURED BLISS II pattern. This is useful if you have this pattern!

Place a ruler over the motif you wish to cut to get an idea of the approximate size of the piece. For my pattern I need squares.

Regardless of the shape of your piece, mark the seam allowances on the template.

For my pattern, only the area marked in red in the picture below will be visible in the final block. So here is how to draw it: mark the center of all edges on the blue lines then join these marks with straight lines.

Now when you place the template on fabric, you will see the exact motif you will find in your final block.
You can draw around the template and then cut on the drawn lines, but there is an easier method…

Place the template on a ruler (you could use a little tape to keep it in place) then cut.

I cut quickly nine red squares…

then four more…

Here are my fussy cut squares folded between 4 background squares…

Then I added the other four squares.

Here is my finished project!

Quilted easily and quickly, with straight lines, marked with a Hera marker.

Go to my Instagram page to view work-in-progress videos of these projects.

If you haven’t tried my KALEIDOSCOPE and TEXTURED BLISS patterns yet, you’re in for a delightful surprise!
Buy the TEXTURED BLISS and TEXTURED ELEGANCE patterns and get the KALEIDOSCOPE double pattern FOR FREE!