TrueCut Rotary Cutting System by The Grace Company at Spring Quilt Market 2010

I am pleased to be able to say I got some stitching done today!!!

Unfortunately it was not Quilt or Embroidery Stitching :(   Poor Wall-E needed his head stitched back on.  Every have one of those days?  Where you just need your head stitched back on?  Wall-E did.  Good thing Momma IHAN knows how to replace heads.  After all, it isn't brain surgery you know.  Just cranial replacement without any spinal cord complications.  LOL

On to Quilt Market purchases....a bit more fun than head surgery.  Although I might need head surgery or at least  seek some sort of professional organizer or psychic because I have lost one of my camera cards and can't find my pix from Market of the TrueCut Rotary Cutting System by The Grace Company.   Doesn't really matter because....that's right....I bought the system while I was there!!!  Lucky for me that I drove because otherwise I would not have been able to bring it back on an airplane. (If you find my head or camera card...please ship it back....thanks a million :)

I'll start with the non-skid mat.  It goes down on the table first so the mat does not slip or move.  I'm certain it can be used for other projects as well.  (I'll use mine when I do my Shiva Paintstick rubbings:)

Then comes the two sided cutting mat. I got the 24"x36" cutting mat because that is the size I like working with. One side has markings for Bias, True Bias, Lengthwise Grain and Crosswise Grain.  And the other side has the angles marked as well as the inches divided by 1/4 inches.

I'll upload a pix from The Grace Company here so you can see the mat markings close up....

well....I guess if you really want a close up you can click here.

This is the TrueCut Ruler.  It is 6" x 24" and it has a lip/edge on both sides so it is great for both right and left handed people. 

Thin grips, True Grips, can be used on this ruler and any other ruler.  I liked them because they were thin and really gripped my fabric and the mat.

Majorly cool is the new TrueCut Rotary Cutter.  Now can you see why I like the ruler so much?  No chance I'll cut my finger tips off.  Every time I see or hear about someone doing that I cringe.  I know it is possible and I'm always careful....but there is always that one time when it might happen and I figured this cutting system was much cheaper than an ER visit every day of the week.  I get to enjoy it too....as opposed to going to a hospital....which I hate!

Yes, this time I read the instructions. The TrueCut Rotary Cutter has a lock at the bottom and then the slide thing (Tension button) in the middle adjusts how much pressure it takes to cut through your fabric.  For instance, if you were cutting through several layers of fabric you may want to loosen the tension.

Now you did not actually think I would iron a piece of fabric for a demo did you?  Good, you are finally getting to know me better.  The TrueCut Ruler has a lip on the edge that you can see here in the photos.

Here you can see the blade cutting down the lip of the ruler, like a track on the edge.  It keeps the blade steady so I'm not moving away from the edge.  Not like I've ever done that before....don't believe me?  Well, you shouldn't because I do that all the time and that is why I have to re-square up my fabric all the time.

 

The extra cool thing is the TrueCut Rotary Blade Sharpener.  It has a honing stone in it and sharpens rotary blades (most brands) by running the blade back and forth in the sharpener.  You don't take the blade out of the cutter and risk an accident while sharpening the blade.  Now keep in mind no sharpener will take out a chip or nick in a blade.  It does however sharpen dull rotary blades. 

Now you know why I bought the entire system.....cuz I don't want to find my phalanges on the mat when I turn around to start my sewing machine.  I like to feel safe around here....you saw what happened to Wall-E.  IHAN can be a rough and tumble sort of place sometimes....those co-workers can be real caballeros.

I put The Grace Companies You Tube video here so you can see the TrueCut Rotary Cutting System in action.  Besides, do you have any clue how long it would actually take me to make a video and upload it here?  Perhaps the rest of my life....or at least the rest of my sane life :)

So, that was one of my purchases while at Quilt Market in Minneapolis.  Each item is available separately at IHAN. There is a special IHAN price (you'll save $42.00 smackers) for those who would like to get the TrueCut Cutting System.  Since I bought it I figured there might be some other folks who have been wanting to avoid the ER too :)

Smiles,
Kelly