Cutting Fabric with Cricut

Here is a great tutorial. Thanks Oopsey Daisy!

Fabric Preparation

1. Preshrink if needed
2. Find Cross grain
1. Rip
2. Pull the Thread
3. Cut along a woven Design
4. Block with a L Square
3. Remove Wrinkles if necessary. Press the Selvage
4. Fold so selvages are on top of each other. Eliminate wrinkles by sliding layers if needed.
5. Observe position of cross grains. If They match Perfect! If not, pull on the short ends to re align. Or steam Press!

How Knits and Woven Fabrics Differ...

1. Knits have more give unless wovens have stretch yarn
2. Knits mold to the body better than woven
3. Knits vary widely in amount of stretch Based on kind of knit fiver yarn and fabric stitch
4. Lengthwise grain in knits is called ribs and cross grain is called course
5. Both have more stretch in the cross grain
6. Garments made form knits need less ease
7. Knits don’t crease as well as woven and resist wrinkle better
8. Both cannot be grained straightened if they have been permanently finished that way.
9. A crosswise yarn cannot be pulled in a knit. Square ends with a corner of table.
10. Knits shrink more than wovens. Preshrink a few times 1^st.
11. Knits should be cuts as one way print because of a sheen.(like nap)
12. Stretch fabrics need stretch seams and hems
1. Choose a stitch with a vertical component a zigzag or a serge it with a double needle
2. Seams that don’t need stretch (shoulders and hem) stabilize with twill tape.
13. Knits don’t ravel like wovens but they can run or curl
1. Lycra stretches 300% and have 100% return rate (spandex trade name)
14. Negative Ease- Take off ease to accommodate for fabric
15. Common Knits

1. Double
1. Grandmas Closet
2. Wool Heavy

2. Interlock
1. Reversible unless there printed. Run in one direction (put the end that runs at the bottom)

3. Jersey
1. Single knits
2. Face and back are different (Not reversible)
3. Cheap T-Shirts

4. Slinky
1. Poly or Acetate blended with lycra
2. Frequently ribbed

5. Sweatshirt
6. Pique
1. Golf Shirts

7. Sweater Knits
8. 4 Way Stretch