Rotary Cutter Ratings

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month? To celebrate sewing, Oda May has cooked up a new Rotary Cutter Ratings System that will help you decide which Moda Bake Shop recipes to tackle based on your sewing skills.

Dear Oda May,

I am a huge fan of the Moda Bake Shop! I spend hours looking at all of the recipes and imagining all of the things I am going to make. I am a new quilter so it is so helpful to have all of these tutorials available. But because I am a new quilter, I am sometimes intimidated to try some of the recipes. I worry that I will start and will be too overwhelmed by the techniques to finish. How can I decide which recipes are right for me and my skill set?

Practice Makes Perfectin Peoria

Dear Practice,

I am so pleased to hear that you enjoy the Moda Bake Shop. We have a talented group of Chefs who come up with such clever ideas. Your question is one that I have pondered myself so to that end, I have developed a Rotary Cutter Rating System.

1 Rotary Cutter (EASY) – These recipes are simple and quick to put together, usually no sew or can be sewn up in a couple of hours. Easy recipes involve minimal cutting and only basic sewing/quilting skills (backstitching, edge stitching, making a quilt sandwich, precise measuring and cutting).

2 Rotary Cutters (MODERATE) – These recipes are slightly more difficult and/or take more than a few hours to sew together. For quilts, moderate recipes require more cutting and squaring up than easy recipes. Moderate recipes use all of the easy level skills plus the following: matching points, using interfacing, and top stitching.

3 Rotary Cutters (AMBITIOUS) – These recipes take several days to complete and involve a special skill such as embroidery, applique, paper piecing or the use of a special tool. Be sure to read through these recipes before starting because lesser-known techniques may be part of the construction.

Hope this helps you sort it out! Don’t forget to share your finished projects in the Moda Bake Shop Flickr group or on our Facebook wall.

Cutting the Day Away,

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