TUTORIAL: HOW TO USE A ROTARY CUTTER (PURL BEE; MOLLY)

To see how to use the best cutting system around, click TUTORIAL (above). I was a fabric person loooong before I became a paper person, so it's no surprise that my stitching and quilting tools were first tools I used with paper.

I do almost all cutting with rotaries; I don't own a paper cutter...no reason to. Long as the blade will cut it, I use a rotary. The list of supplies that can be cut is long and ranges from wrapping tissue to cardstock to matboard to metal sheeting to shrink plastic to acetate to uncured polymer clay to air-dried clay (think you get the idea!). The big guy (60mm) slides through foam board in one slice; the little guy (18mm) whips around curves quick as a wink. Don't fiddle with blades labeled, For Paper, use fabric blades. Yep...those fancy edge blades work on paper as well as they do on fabric (they also work on uncured polymer clay!).

Depending upon the thickness of a supply, up to seven layers can be cut at a time. A strip as narrow as 1/8" can be cut from an edge. Corners are square and edges are straight when cut with a rotary.

Other advantages: storage and portability. A complete set of handles, a slug of blades and a couple of quilting rulers fit nicely in a drawer; no big hunky piece of heavy equipment taking up counter space. Your cutting tools go where you want, when you want...without hassle.

Try rotaries...you'll love 'em!