TrueCut My Comfort rotary cutters and matching quilt rulers now in stock!

We've just updated our rotary cutter and quilt ruler selections with the addition of the TrueCut brand. Ergonomically designed to reduce stress on the wrist and arm, and the unique track and guide system interlocks the cutters with the rulers for straight cuts every time!

We have the TrueCut My Comfort cutters in 3 different sizes, 28mm, 45mm and 60mm, and the matching rulers are available in 4 sizes. The rulers can be used with any rotary cutters but the track and guide system makes them perfect when used in conjunction with the My Comfort cutters, especially if you have any difficulties (e.g. arthritis) when cutting fabric.

Olfa rotary cutter guide - what's the difference between the standard, deluxe and quickblade rotary cutters?

We stock 3 different styles of Olfa rotary cutter, so I thought it would be useful to write a brief guide to the differences between them.

The three styles are shown here on the left, the standard rotary cutter, deluxe rotary cutter and the newest quickblade rotary cutter. All these cutters have a 45mm diameter blade, but we do stock the standard style in 18mm, 28mm and 60mm sizes also.

Standard Olfa Rotary Cutter

The standard style of rotary cutter is the original, ground breaking tool brought out by Olfa. Allowing you to cut several layers of fabric accurately all at once, the rotary cutter is probably the most useful tool you can own (along with a mat and ruler) and this is the entry level model with the most modest price tag!
To use the standard cutter you simply pull the blade cover down with your thumb, this uncovers the whole top half of the blade. The cover is not spring loaded so it is important to get in the habit of pushing it back up when the blade is not in use (a few cut fingers in my case forced better habits!).

The blade can be changed on the standard style cutter by unscrewing the nut on the back and removing it along with the washer, this releases the blade spindle allowing you to replace the blade. The pictures below show the blade mechanism assembled and disassembled.

Deluxe Olfa Rotary cutter

The deluxe Olfa rotary cutter has the same function as the standard, but with a few extra features. To operate it you squeeze the black part of the ergonomically designed handle and the blade pops out from behind the cover. This is spring loaded, so as soon as you let go of the handle the blade returns behind the cover, although by pressing the red button on the handle you can lock the blade in either the covered or uncovered position, a useful safety feature.

The second picture above shows the cutter held in the left hand - all the Olfa rotary cutters can be used in either hand, you just need to reverse the blade assembly. Similar to the standard cutter, you replace the blade by unscrewing the nut and removing the washer and spindle. You may notice that the pictures show a pinking blade on this cutter - the Olfa pinking blades and wave blades are a handy way to make pinked edges without the sore hands that pinking shears leave me with! The pinking and wave blades can only be used with the deluxe cutters however.

Olfa Quick Blade rotary cutter

The newest addition to the Olfa rotary cutter family is the Quick Blade style. My personal favourite, this is the cutter I use every day due to its ergonomic handle and the quick blade replacement mechanism. 

To use the cutter you can pull back the blade cover - this is a similar mechanism to the standard cutter, but the cover is in two halves so you can choose to only uncover half the blade, making it safer in use (the first picture below has only one half of the cover pulled back, the second picture has the blade completely uncovered). Again, the cover is not spring loaded, so you must remember to push the cover back up after use!

The Quick Blade cutter lives up to its name when you come to change the blade. There are no fiddly nuts and washers, you just pull back the black clip on the back of the cutter and the blade spindle pops out. You can then just change the blade and clip it back in the same way. Personally I love this as I keep forgetting which way round the nuts and washers go on the other cutters, while this one is pretty idiot proof!

Hopefully this guide has been useful, if you do have any questions please don't hesitate to get in contact with us through the website!

Quilting and rotary cutting tool sale now on!

To start the new year with a bang, we have just launched our January sale - get 10% off all quilting tools and notions and rotary cutters and mats!

Our full range of rotary cutters, spare blades, sharpeners and rotary cutting mats are all now available at 10% off the standard price - no other tool has revolutionised patchwork like the rotary cutter, use it along with a self-healing cutting mat to cut quick, accurate fabric shapes - with the ability to cut several layers at once, this really is the tool to beat!
Why not take advantage of our sale to buy your first cutter, or to upgrade to a larger/deluxe version, or even just to replenish your spare blade supply?

All our quilting tools and notions are also discounted by 10% off the list price - from small necessities like fabric markers, thimbles and pins, to handy gadgets like the Clover Mini Iron, Microstitch basting gun or the Clover desk needle threader.
Now is the ideal time to invest in a tool you've always fancied trying, or to renew old tools - going back to basics, nothing is better than a new pair of quality scissors!