Betsi Beem – Page 2

F is for Fussy Cutting

What a great letter to follow E is for English Paper Piecing!! Whoever invented the alphabet and put the letter F is for Fussy Cutting after E was a legend. These two just go together so well.

Fussy cutting is the art of deliberately cutting a piece of fabric to showcase a particular pattern or print within it. It is usually done with novelty prints, but can also be done with marvelous effect with florals or geometrics. It can be used to isolate and highlight a picture or to transform one element to something completely different. Once you tuck into it, there are so many possibilities. Fussy cutting can be used for all sorts of patchwork techniques; from EPP to Broderie Perse (applique) and so on….

These bits of Gerri’s Aunt Green Coverlet by Sue Ross highlight floral prints that have been appliqued by Broderie Perse technique for magnificent effect.

I’ve been having SO MUCH FUN trying out all kinds of ways and methods for fussy cutting and spectacular tools to make it even more fun. I have been primarily fussy cutting for EPP and have a number of tools that really help that build on each other.

First off is the essential TEMPLATE. These are transparent acrylic shapes that have the seam allowance cut in that you can use to frame the fabric and cut out what you want..

However, I have found that it is sometimes challenging to isolate what it is that you are really looking at when using a template only. The next step is to use a VIEWER. These nifty sets allow you to isolate the shapes that you may want to fussy cut so that you can select exactly what you want to cut. I’ve also made my own for Little Miss April by laminating printer paper and cutting out the shapes.

The next MOST MARVELOUS TOOL IN THE UNIVERSE is the mirror. This is truly an amazing tool for fussy cutting. It can help you see how to transform fabrics!