To accurately cut cable knit fabric, always use a rotary cutter, weights, and a cutting mat instead of pins and scissors. This method prevents distortion and ensures your pieces are precisely sized.
The Essential Tools for Precision Cutting
Cutting cable knit fabric effectively requires the right tools to manage its stretch and texture. Using a rotary cutter, fabric weights, and a cutting mat is crucial because they prevent the fabric from pulling and distorting, which often happens when you try to pin and cut with scissors. This ensures your cut pieces are accurate and consistent.
Here's why these tools are indispensable:
- Rotary Cutter: Designed for clean, precise cuts through multiple layers or slippery fabrics. Its rolling blade cuts rather than shears, minimizing fabric distortion. Various sizes are available, with larger blades (45mm or 60mm) often preferred for fabric.
- Fabric Weights: These heavy objects hold your pattern pieces securely in place on the fabric without stretching or creating holes, unlike pins. They are essential for knits where even slight tension can lead to misshapen cuts.
- Self-Healing Cutting Mat: This mat protects your work surface from the rotary cutter blade and provides a smooth, stable base. Many mats also feature grid lines, which are helpful for aligning fabric grain and cutting straight lines.
- Clear Acrylic Ruler: A thick, transparent ruler with clear markings is vital for guiding your rotary cutter along straight lines and for accurate measurements.
- Sharp Blades: Always use a fresh, sharp blade in your rotary cutter. A dull blade can snag, chew, or pull the fabric, resulting in ragged or uneven edges.
Preparing Your Cable Knit Fabric
Proper preparation is key to successful cutting and ensures your finished project maintains its shape and size.
- Pre-wash and Dry: Always pre-wash and dry your cable knit fabric according to its care instructions. Knits, especially those with natural fibers, can shrink significantly after the first wash, so this step prevents future size discrepancies.
- Press (Gently): After washing, gently press the fabric to remove wrinkles. Use a low-to-medium heat setting, avoiding heavy pressure or stretching, which can distort the knit.
- Lay Flat and Smooth: Place your fabric on the cutting mat, ensuring it lies completely flat without any tension, wrinkles, or folds. Allow the fabric to relax for a few minutes before cutting.
- Align Grainline: Identify the fabric's grainline (usually parallel to the selvage or lengthwise ribs). Align your pattern pieces carefully with the grainline to ensure your garment drapes correctly and the stretch behaves as intended.
Step-by-Step Guide to Cutting Cable Knit
Accuracy is paramount when cutting knit fabrics. The method detailed below minimizes fabric movement and prevents distortion.
Avoid Pins and Scissors for Accuracy
It's important to understand that pinning and cutting cable knit with scissors often leads to pieces that are smaller or misshapen. This is because pins can stretch the fabric, and scissors tend to pull and distort the knit as you cut. A rotary cutter, weights, and a cutting mat are specifically designed to counteract this, providing accuracy by stopping the fabric from pulling.
- Position Pattern Pieces: Carefully place your paper pattern pieces onto the prepared fabric. Ensure they are aligned with the fabric's grainline and that the fabric is not stretched or skewed underneath.
- Use Fabric Weights: Place fabric weights evenly around the edges of your pattern pieces. This holds the pattern firmly against the fabric without piercing or distorting the knit. Use enough weights to keep the fabric completely still.
- Utilize Ruler for Straight Edges: For straight cutting lines, position your clear acrylic ruler directly along the line on your pattern piece. Apply firm, even pressure to the ruler to keep it from slipping.
- Cut with Rotary Cutter: With a sharp rotary cutter, press down firmly and smoothly roll the blade along the edge of your ruler or the pattern piece. Always cut away from your body for safety. For curves, you may freehand with the rotary cutter, keeping the blade pressed against the pattern edge.
- Maintain Fabric Stillness: As you cut, be mindful not to shift the fabric or the pattern pieces. Move your body around the cutting mat if necessary to maintain a comfortable and stable cutting position.
- Lift and Remove: Once all pieces are cut, carefully lift the cut fabric from the mat and remove the pattern pieces and weights. Handle the cut pieces minimally to avoid stretching them.
Tips for Handling Cable Knit
- Sharp Blade is Key: A dull rotary cutter blade is the enemy of knit fabric. Change your blade frequently to ensure clean, snag-free cuts.
- Cut Single Layer: For the highest precision with textured fabrics like cable knits, it's often best to cut a single layer of fabric at a time. This prevents the layers from shifting.
- Mind the Stretch: Always be aware of the fabric's direction of greatest stretch. Cut pattern pieces in a way that aligns with how the garment is intended to stretch and drape on the body.
- Practice Cuts: If you're new to rotary cutters or cable knit, do a few practice cuts on a scrap piece to get a feel for the pressure and technique required.
- Minimize Handling: Excessive handling of cut knit pieces can cause them to stretch out of shape. Transfer them carefully to your sewing machine or storage area.
Post-Cutting Care
After cutting, knit fabrics, especially those with a loose weave, can unravel or fray. If you're not sewing immediately, consider finishing the cut edges with a serger or a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. This will help stabilize the fabric and prevent unravelling until you're ready to sew.
