Granny Core QAL Week 1 - Cutting

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Granny Core QAL
Week 1: Cutting

Welcome to Week 1 of our Granny Core Quilt Sew Along! This week, we’re diving right into cutting! 

Cutting your fabric is one of the most exciting parts of the process because you get to see your quilt start to take shape. Let’s get started!

 

A New Quilter's Guide to the Glossary & Cutting Tips

Before we get started on cutting, there are a few terms we should go over that you'll see frequently in quilt patterns:

WOF or Width Of Fabric - The measurement of fabric from selvage edge to selvage edge. Most quilting fabrics are around 44” wide. You will see this abbreviated term throughout our cutting instructions. 

Subcut - The process of cutting a larger piece of fabric into smaller pieces after an initial cut. Our cut charts are designed with sub cutting in mind. We start with cutting strips of various measurements  by the WOF and then cut these strips down to size. This is a standard method used in quilting patterns that helps speed up the cutting process, while keeping you organized. It also ensures the most efficient use of your fabric.

Check the pattern glossary for more frequently used terms.

If you're new to quilting, you may not have used a rotary cutter before. It's similar to a pizza cutter but designed for fabric. This handy tool can cut through multiple layers of fabric at once and offers greater accuracy than scissors, as it keeps the fabric stable while cutting. Here are a few tips for rotary cutting:

*Always cut away from your body!* Always push the rotary cutter away from you, never toward you, to reduce the risk of injury.

*Keep a finger or two off the ruler when cutting.* When holding your ruler steady, let your pinky and ring finger rest lightly off the edge of the ruler. This acts as a natural bumper, helping to prevent slipping and keeping your ruler secure as you cut.

**Adjust your hand placement when needed.** When cutting long strips, placing your non-dominant hand near the bottom of the ruler can cause it to shift as you reach the top of the cut. To maintain accuracy, pause mid-cut—keeping your rotary cutter in position—and carefully move your hand to the top of the ruler before continuing. This helps keep the ruler stable and ensures a clean, precise cut.


Why Cutting is Crucial

Cutting sets the foundation for your quilt. Accurate cuts ensure that all your pieces fit together seamlessly during piecing. The cutting process can sometimes feel daunting. But don’t worry — we'll share some tips to help you stay organized and confident throughout this stage.

Getting Started: Prep Your Workspace

Before you make your first cut, it’s important to have your tools and space ready:

1. Clean Your Workspace It’s always nice to start a new project in a fresh and clean space. 

2. Sharp Tools Treat yourself to a fresh rotary blade!

3. Cutting Mat & Rulers A large self-healing cutting mat & clear acrylic ruler are your best friends. We recommend one at least 24” wide so you can fit a full 45” width fabric (folded) for a cut without having to shift your fabric. Our favorite size rulers are 6”x24” and 2.5” x 10”.

4. Iron Press your fabric before cutting to remove wrinkles. Quilting fabrics are usually sold “doubled & rolled” which means the fabric is folded in half to fit on the bolt at the store. You may need to realign the selvages and create a new center fold to ensure you are cutting on grain.


Tips for Staying Organized

1. Read Through the Instructions- Maybe Read Them Twice It’s always good to familiarize yourself with a pattern before getting started! You will find the cutting charts on pages 3 & 4. If you are working from a PDF file it can be helpful to print these pages so you can highlight or make notes as needed. Reading through the pattern will give you more context for the pieces you’re cutting, and when and how they’ll be used.

Small post its work great for labeling your pieces

2. Label Your Pieces As you cut each piece, label it immediately using our provided pattern markers, sticky notes, or painters tape. This will help you keep track of all the pieces and will speed up the sewing process later. We've designed piece markers for this pattern that you can download and print. The Piece Markers were a recent addition to the pattern to so be sure to check your email for an updated download link.

Once your cut pieces are labeled; store your pieces in a labeled container to prevent them from getting lost or mixed up. If you plan on making a throw size quilt or larger it can be helpful to keep each block’s pieces together. 

 

3. Work in Batches Break your cutting into smaller sections. Cut all pieces for one fabric at a time or complete each block section in batches (e.g., checkerboard, plant 1, plant 2). If you’re taking a break between cutting it can be helpful to leave yourself a little note of where you left off. 

4. Keep Your Scraps Save larger scraps as you cut. They might come in handy later for miscuts or piece them into your quilt backing.


Take a Scrappy Adventure

Like most sewing patterns, the Granny Core Quilt can be modified and customized. Natalie is making a scrappy version using up smaller pieces of fabric in her stash for each main fabric section of the quilt block.

Since the elements of the block are broken down in the cutting charts, it’s easy to figure out how much fabric you’ll need for the main pieces. If you have larger scraps you can go by the Cut amounts for your necessary yardage. If you have smaller scraps, use the Sub Cut measurements and amounts to make sure you have enough fabrics of the correct size.

Checkerboard: Kona Dusty Blue

Plant 1: Kona Flame for Strip Set A and Kona Wasabi for the Stem

Plant 2: Kona Orangeade for Strip Set B, Kona Carnation for Strip Set C, and Kona Zucchini for the Stem. 

Background: Kona Pepper

Here’s a visual of what Natalie’s scrappy groupings and strip sets look like.

 

This Week’s Goal

By the end of this week, your fabric will be cut and ready to sew! Take your time, enjoy the process, and find your own meditative flow in cutting.

Share Your Progress & Enter This Week’s Giveaway 

We’d love to see how you’re doing and cheer you on! Share pictures of your cutting progress or organized pieces on Instagram and/or the Discord channel this week using the hashtag #GrannyCoreQAL to be entered to win this week's prize! This week's prize is a notions bundle, there will be three winners. 

Entries for this week's giveaway close on Tuesday 2/11. 

Next week, we’ll start in on piecing our checkerboards. Until then, happy cutting!

 

PS: We linked a few of our favorite cutting notions in this post and Stonemountain & Daughter is offering our QAL participants 20% off their orders with code GCQAL20 now through March 12.