Do you remember life before rotary cutters?
I do!
The first bed sized quilt that I pieced and quilted in the early 1980s was a log cabin. I received a gifted box of scraps from a neighbor. I used an old yard stick and a pencil to draw parallel lines on my fabric, cut them out with an 8” pair of old dress making shears. I still have this log cabin quilt, but what a CHORE that was!
Then rotary cutters entered my life and there was no turning back. By far I think the invention of the rotary cutter is the greatest tool known to quilters. How many of us would NOT be quilting today if it weren’t for the rotary cutter!
And this is where Olfa comes in.
It’s the 35th anniversary of the event that made OLFA a well known word in every quilter’s vocabulary. And we are celebrating with a giveaway!
Rotary cutters don’t work by themselves – they require a partner – the Olfa Mat!
Happy Birthday, Olfa!
To celebrate, we are drawing for one lucky winner of the olfa gift pack shown here!
Leave me a comment telling me what year you first discovered rotary cutters! ((And how many of us have scars to prove it?? If you have a scar from a mishap…tell me that too! LOL!))
We’ll be drawing for this winner on Sunday Evening, July 20th! I’ll be back home from the cabin after dropping Mickey back at the airport!
Leave your comment in the comments section below on this post only. I will be using the random number generator to draw our lucky winner. If you are signing as anonymous, please leave your name and email address or we will have to draw again if we cannot contact you. That also goes for those of you who don’t show your email address in your blogger or google profile. No contact, no win!
If you are reading this post after clicking a link in facebook or some blog reader services, you need to open this page in a new browser window so you are directly on the page to be able to leave your comment. It may be better to just come to a real computer to leave your comment. Good luck!
So what’s been going on here?
Lisa and Mickey are in the house!
I got busy sewing super secret stuff!!
And there were lots of yummies to keep our sewing strength up!
More photos to come ---
Love from Buck Mountain!
992 comments:
1 – 200 of 992 Newer› Newest»I bought my first rotary cutter, mat and ruler in about 1984! What a wonderful invention! I'm sure I'd have given up quilting long ago if not for Olfa! Of course then I probably wouldn't have a stash which is taking over my life either! Lol!
Happy Birthday, Olfa! I'd love to win!
Debra McQuillen
debs.savings@yahoo.com
Oh Bonnie - the memories!!! My first quilt was a sampler quilt made with cardboard templates and a yardstick. My first experience with a Olfa rotary cutter (which I still use) was an Eleanor Burns Log Cabin Quilt which is still being used. How the rotary cutters changed our lives. I would love to win a new one. Enjoy your quilty time with friends - there is nothing better.
Faith in Maine
I started quilting using cardboard templates and scissors, and clearly remember seeing s rotary cutter for the first time. Talk about life changing!!! Thank you Olfa, for making quilting easier and better!
I bought my first cutter in the mid 80's and I remember thinking what a splurge it was to spend that amount of money on a quilting tool! I have one battle scar from when I was cutting fabric barefooted and dropped the cutter on the top of my foot. I danced as fast as I could and luckily only ended up with a ''nick" rather than a slice:)! Got lucky!!
I still use EVERY DAY the two original OLFA rotary cutters that were a Christmas gift from my husband in 1990. Cannot imagine life without them!
the first 10 years of my quilting life I used scissors then I broke down and got the rotary cutter it was around the year 2000
Wow, it's really hard to remember, but I'm thinking back around 1988 or so. I was doing alot of sewing then. Thanks for the giveaway
I started quilting 5 years ago and cut out a zillion 2" squares with scissors...i had no idea there was such a thing as a rotary cutter! Duh! While shopping for backing for that quilt, I discovered them....note to self...don't wear shorts and stand while rotary cutting..and cut AWAY from your legs!
Boppiesgirl at gmail dot com
I bought my first rotary cutter about 1985--it changed my quilting life!
Don't know what we would do without the rotary cutter. Makes life as a quilter a lot easier. I "think" when I started quilting in 1991 the rotary cutter was out so guess that is when I started using.
I got my first rotary cutter in 1994 and I still have it and use it. I had one mishap on my finger (so far). I know I would not be quilting today if it weren't for the rotary cutter. Thanks Olfa!
I probably discovered them about 20 years ago. I taught beginning quilting for years and I always, always reminded students to close their blades!
Omg, I got on and read this early! Please enter me in the drawing! I have used rotary cutters since the early nineties, but I learned to use then correctly from Trudie Hughes in 1992. It was a light bulb moment and there has been no turning back since! Your techniques have made things go so much faster on top of all that, so thank you for everything. Julie, plutosmom@gmail.com
cl_wynne@att.net
I made a Bear Paw in 1985,cut out all those triangle with scissors, part of a class exercise w/templates.
I was introduced in 1985 to the Olfa cutter.Cathy
I bought my first rotary cutter in 2011 (!) I only started quilting then, but I have been sewing for a long time.
I bought my first olfa mat and cutter when we came back from the UK in 1990. I had never been to a Wal Mart at that point and my mom came for a visit and took me. We were in the sewing department. I didn't have my stuff yet but fell in love with this idea and had to have one.
I purchased mine at the recommendation of a LQS...for cutting fabric to make totes. That was long before I became a quilter. I love Love LOVE my Olfa's...all of them...big, small, and pinking!
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
You are such a blessing,
I couldn't quilt without you.
:)
*Time to blow out the candles :)
2006 when I got started quilting. I do not know any different. Sure makes cutting a snap and much more accurate. Happy Birthday OLFA!!!
I bought my first rotary cutter, a Fiskers, about 1989...was not interested in quilting but my kids were grown so I needed an outlet for my sewing obsession(it keeps me sane). I have that original cutter yet but only use it on paper. I discovered Olfa a few years later and have not looked back. About 4 years ago someone gave me a Fons and Porter cutter as gift and I have a scar to prove it, I cut off a chunk on my left thumb while reaching into my organizer for something else. I lost that one in a fire when I lost my whole fabric stash, 3 machines and most of my tools. Thank God for good insurance.
Lila Helm lila.helm48@gmail.com
I love birthdays it gives me another reason to quilt
Cherimccurdy@yahoo.com
I always wanted a small rotary cutter. My friend gave me one last year. I love it, I used if go almost all my cutting!
I started quilting a little less than 3 years ago and my first purchase for my new hobby, aside from a beginners sewing machine, were an olfa rotary cutter and mat! I can't imagine having to cut all the little pieces for my quilts by hand since I'm already a somewhat sloppy cutter ;-) My rotary-cutting-cuts were all on my left index finger because I always seem to hurt myself when hold the fabric/ruler with my index finger too close to the edge -.-
I only started quilting in the year 2000 after I retired from teaching school for 33 years. Rotary cutters were a plenty at that time and I have scars to prove it...LOL
Pat
Paattt@live.ca
Would be great for my DGD who has started quilting.
I didn't even know how to thread a sewing machine when I decided I wanted to learn to quilt. I couldn't find anybody to teach me to sew first so I had to learn it all at once, I was in my late forties at the time about 6 years ago. Thank God for rotary cutters! I would not have the patience to do that entire log cabin you did Bonnie without. I know too many people who have cut themselves with a rotary so I started using a Klutz glove to protect my hand. I knew it would be my turn eventually to injury myself. Happy Birthday Olfa!!!
I think I first bought a rotary cutter in the late 1980's. I originally bought it to speed cutting of garment patterns for the new babies, and then got more into quilting. I have lopped of the "blade side" of the tip of my thumb and nicked the side of my index finger several times also. Bloody mess - literally. Thank you for your caring, generous spirit.
Bonnie S.
Wordjean1@yahoo.com
I think I used a rotary cutter on the very first quilt I made in 1982, but I could be wrong. It may have been a couple of years later...
I do know that my first cutting mat did not have lines on it!
I got my first rotary cutter, mat and ruler in the 1980's. I was sewing a lot of my clothes and my daughters clothes. I can't imagine going back to using dressmaker sheers.
Happy Birthday dear Olfa, Happy Birthday to you!
I got my first rotary cutter and mat probably around 2000. My first quilt was a Trip Around the World. Thanks for the giveaway!
I'm not really sure what year I started quilting but it was back in the early 90's. Happy Birthday Olfa!
I've been needing a new mini mat and a rotary cutter to put in my quilting "to go" bag...I'd love to win. P.S. I remember helping my Granny cut out quilt squares by drawing lines on fabric using a card board template...if only we'd had a rotary cutter back then in the 70's!
I started quilting in 1998 and bought my first rotary cutter that year. My first quilt had some wide pieces that I didn't know how to do without a template so I used cardboard to make it work. No battle scars (yet)
maureendixon@comcast.net
I have half square triangles that my grandmother cut with scissors. I know she would have loved the rotary cutter and mat. I enjoy mine and would love to have a new one.
I probably did not discover the rotary cutter until the early 90's. I did cut my first quilt with a scissors also. Never have cut myself with the rotary cutter (hope this does not jink me!) Happy Birthday and thanks for the giveaway.
Love the greyed out photo Miss Bonnie... you are so sneaky :D
I started quilting when my son was stillborn, so rotary cutters were always a part of my life. My mishap - i had the cutter in my right hand and went to put it in my left and just touched my hand with the blade and it cut, I dropped the cutter and cut a whole in the fabric. So much for that strip :)
Thanks for doing this! My little mat is about worn out :)
Hope you girls have fun!
I wish my grandmother could have known about the rotary cutter. She used scissors and cereal boxes and a pencil to make templates. I used my first Olfa rotary cutter in 1978. I love their mats also. I would love to win and for sure would use this wonderful invention. Diann
kyquiltymama@hotmail.com
I started quilting in 1973, with templates! WOW! The rotary cutter made such a difference, so I am adding my voice to the chorus of HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Olfa!!!! Thanks for coming into my life and making quilting so much easier!
Yvonne
yvonnequiltsalot@yahoo.com
I got my first cutter and mat before I had my last child. He is 22 next month. Before that, I had made a couple of quilts using cardboard templates and cutting with scissors. I cannot say "Thank You," enough, for such a great invention!-dwynette@appleberryquilts.com
I bought my first rotary cutter soooo many years ago, I can remember the year. It must have been when they first came on the market. I do remember using my "Joann's" coupon to save money. I'm still using my first cutter and I'm glad to say "NO" battle wounds..but..I have destroyed a few rulers....!!
Love the give away.....Linda in West Jefferson.....
The good ole days before the rotary cutter - not!
skeshlaman@comcast.net
I started with cardboard and scissors in 1993with a group of quilters at the Baptist church making a Sampler quilt...it took about 5 years to finish....I discovered the rotary cutter and mat sometime around 1998... not sure...but ive been using one ever since ....
The first time I used one was in 1984! My last year of high school. I was making the Trip Around the World Quilt!
I got my rotary cutter in the mid-80's and can't imagine life without it! One of my first quilts the strips were torn - I hated all the strings!! Judy 7easystreet@gmail.com
I discovered rotary cutting in 2007...and have cut my thumb, fingers, the backing of a quilt while attached to a finished quilt (that was not funny then, but hilarious now). Thank you as always for being so generous Bonnie =)
I got my first rotary cutter (which I still have) in 1985, and other than a nick or two, I haven't had any major cutting mishaps. I can't imagine making quilts without it!
Yes! I do love my Olfa mats and cutters!
Love these tools. Thanks gor the giveaway.
I discovered Olfa cutters and mats in 1986...it took a while to get the hang of using the cutter-especially for cutting clothing patterns-I was in heaven when they made the 8mm one for those curves - and I love the easy to hold handles and the automatic retractable ones are great when little ones are around!!!!
I bought my first rotary cutter the year they came out. I learned to quilt with plastic templates and scissors, so I loved this new way to cut fabric. Ollfa is still my favorite brand.
The first time I saw a rotary cutter was in 1985. Wow, it changed my life! No more rulers and drawing lines on fabric and cutting with scissors. The mats and rulers have improved so much from the early days. Thank you progress.
Think my first cutter was bought in 1999, wouldn't be without one now!
stephen@magicfactory.org.uk
My first rotary cutter was about 2004, and yes Ive accidentally trimmed my finger nails and given myself several "paper cut" cuts with my rotary. Thankgoodness no major cuts, love my rotary cutter.
Luckily when I started quilting 15 years ago rotary cutters were already a staple. I can't imagine how long it would take to cut all those pieces by hand. 614
It was Christmas of 1991, my boyfriend at the time bought me, a quilting starter kit. Rotary cutter, matt, ruler, book "Its Okay to Sit on my Quilt" and a class at the LQS. I took the class and have been quilting on and off ever since. I still have the book and cutter. Thanks for the give a way.
I don't remember when I bought my first rotery cuter and mats but I know I need to replace some of my mats. SO PICK ME
I first got my rotary cutter and mat in 1999. I made my first quilt by tracing the templates, cutting with scissors and piecing by hand. I then moved up to a rotary. In about 2009 I was cutting small pieces and lack of concentration then oops...... Off with the tip of my middle finger on the my left hand. The only good thing about it was there was no nerve damage and school,holidays. I could recover before going back to work in the school camp kitchen.
Lesson learnt.....CONCENTRATE
BLACK AND WHITE!!! You sure are good at being a (beloved) stinker! LOL! Would love to win. Thanks for the chance.
Lucy~
I think about 1999. I was sewing before then, but not quilting. Donnahfisher@earthlink.net.
Donna Fisher
Probably in 2003. Great invention. I've been lucky and fortunate, just a couple of nicks here and there, knock on wood. Thanks and have fun.
Happy birthday Olfa-I started quilting in 1981after visiting the USA and discovering patchwork My original mat and Olfa cutter I gave to a friend to get her " hooked on quilting and since discovering Bonnie Hunter my mat and cutter have been in constant use . To not have these valuable tools would be devastating as also would it be if you Bonnie stopped being such an inspiration to us all -
Thank you for all your inspiration
Pat
Thetrail@xtra.co.nz
Not sure when I began using a rotary cutter but I do appreciate how much simpler it is. I have never had an olfa tool and would love to try one, especially that tiny mat.
I'm not sure when I bought my first one, but I know I couldn't live without it. I have been hand quilting and designing for the last ten years and I love my cutter.
when i started quilting they were already there…can't say i remember when they came on the scene…i can;t imagine life without them...i do have a scar but rather it is from my sewing machine…sewed through my finger and right thru the bone…had to go to ER and have X-rays to see where it was and froze and removed…in hindsight i should have just pulled it out with the pliers when it was still numb…that was i my first instinct but then i thought hummm i think that is through the bone…go with your first instinct
A friend of mine invited me to a quilt program at her guild just after I started quilting. I had made whole cloth quilts but never a pieced quilt. The instructions called for over a thousand pieces. I went immediately to a quilt store for a rotary cutter and mat.
I used scissors for my first quilt in 1989, didn't start quilting again until 2010, I had no idea what an Olfa rotary cutter was but I learned real fast!! Would love to win!!
My first rotary cutter and mat were purchased back in 1995 - what a difference it made!
I got my first rotary cutter in the early 90's. So far, I've been lucky and still have all fingers intact!
I got my first Olfa rotary cutter in 2003 when my aunt introduced me to quilting. My rotary cutter has travelled on no less that 7 cruise ships and been to no less than 40 countries. Thank god no major injuries- yet.
I bought my first rotary cutter 5 years ago when I made my first quilt, but I bought my Mom a rotary cutter and mat in the early 90's. (I have never seen her use it, LOL)
Deb
ladara @ cfl dot rr dot com
I love Olfa! And would love to get some new Olfa equipment!
i only started quilting a short while ago...but i know i would not be quilting today if not for the rotary cutter!...i'm a left-hander who always stumbled before she started by not being able to cut a straight line with a pair of scissors! thanks for the chance to win, ela rhiela@hotmail.com
I have a good friend I could give this giveaway too. She wants to learn to quilt.
I bought my first Olfa cutter and mat in 1979 or 1980 and I still have that first mat. The mat was/is rather stiff, thick and shiny and not nearly as nice as the "new-improved" ones we have now, and the cuts into that first mat didn't "heal" as well as they do now, either. You just can't beat a rotary cutter and mat!!
1999 when making my first quilt...a memory quilt full of growing up pics of my son and his fiance. Actually turned out so beautifully that my soon to be daughter-in-law's mom put it over the gift table at the wedding. Olfa and I became new best friends over that project!
I think it was the late 80s when I got my first rotary cutter
Have cut some fingers, some pretty bad, some not so bad. Would love another mat and cutter! Thanks for all you do for the quilting world Bonnie, love your patterns .
I love your HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS. Other brands don't last as long!!!
Elaine
emphillips@gmx.com
Happy Birthday, Olfa! I can't work without you!
Got my first rotary cutter in 2001 I guess. Opened up a new and wonderful world.
nadinevining@yahoo.com
Wow, not sure how long ago I got my first rotary cutter and mat, but I believe I am on #3 of my Olfa mat and cutter. I upgraded not that long ago to a self closing cutter and very large mat for my cutting table. I have not yet cut myself but I think it has just been lucky! That and since I am a chemist I take safety very seriously!
I started using a rotary cutter in 1999, when I started quilting. I cut part of my pointer finger off in about 2010 and now where a glove to protect myself from myself! :)
I don't remember when I bought my first rotary cutter and mats, but the mats are needing to be replaced badly HAVE A GREAT DAY
Forgot to leave my email address: Cathy at FarmgirlCHB@aol.com
I'm thinking about 1993 I got my first rotary cutter! So far so good on the rotary scars, I've come close though!! I'm looking to purchase the Olfa circle rotary cutting system in the very near future, I have a project planned with circles and don't think my hands could handle all that scissor action.
I think I bought my first cutter and mat in the late 90's. Seems like I have had them forever!! They have made quilt making so much easier. I still remember helping my grandmother cut out diamond shapes for lone star quilts. Her templates were cut from sandpaper. THank you for a great giveaway.
I bought a rotary cutter only a little over a year ago, when I started quilting. I became a grandmother (twice) so I "had" to make 2 baby quilts :-)
There are no quilt shops in the area where I live (Netherlands) and I hadn't found my way to web shops back then. I started cutting using cardboard templates and scissors and was very happy to discover a low-budget(the only one) rotary cutter in a nearby craft store.
It is sharp but not easy to use, therefore a giveaway like this would be very welcome!
So, so many years I was a garment sewer, then decided to take up quilting in the 1980's, I scissor cut many many 2 1/2" squares and hand quilted for the first few years. Much too slow for me... Then found the rotary cutter and this changed everything about 1989 and used the sewing machine for piecing. Wow, so much faster and accurate, I have never looked back, just need more time to play with my stash! Thanks Bonnie for the chance and all that you do and introduce to all of us. Happy Birthday, Olfa (I'd sing but that would be scary).
mnels72012@gmail.com
Not sure of the exact year, but it was the early 90's when I got back into quilting again. Before that it was all templates and scissors and I got tired of that so got out of quilting. The rotary cutter brought me back. I definitely have a scar - cut off the tip of my right index finger - a piece of skin was cut from my inner upper arm to sew over it!!
I inherited my aunt's quilting supplies when she passed away. 4 Olfa rotary cutters and 3 Olfa mats. I have been quilting for 2 years and I think of her every time I pick up my cutter to begin cutting fabric for a new project. Thanks for the giveaway!
OhMyGoodness, I can't remember when I bought my first one, it was so long ago! I think right after they were available. I do remember protecting it more than my scissors!
Everyone was fascinated by it!
It was 39 years ago that I started quilting. I learned before the rotary cutter and all the other wonderful things that came along in the last 35 years.
Bought my first rotary cutter and mat in 2005. I have never cut myself and plan to keep it that way. They help me enjoy my quilting so much more.
Happy Birthday Olfa! I'd love to win. I'm new to quilting and need more tools!
I got my first rotary cutter, mat, and ruler around 1998. But they weren't used for quilting then, they were for cutting pre-quilted fabric to make handbags. I still use that cutter and ruler for quilting. I probably wouldn't have taken up quilting without these tools.
This looks like what I bought as my first cutting mat and cutter in the early 1980's. Love them!!! Still quilting with them.
Olfa cutters and mats changed my life (not only quilting! LOL). I am able to do so much more. Now if only there was a way to speed up all the other chores, I would get so much more quilting done!
I didn't start quilting until 1988, but couldn't afford a rotary cutter until much later. My first quilt was a trip around the world from either Family Circle or Womens Day that the title claimed could be done in 8 hours. It took me 2 weeks and was only a baby quilt. Now I have MANY tops that need quilting.
Thanks Bonnie for all the inspiration.
Sandie Staley - bunihutch@hotmail.com
The day I bought a rotary cutter and mat was the day I put my sewing scissors away. The next time I discovered my scissors, they had a little rust on them! Funny how we quilters can't live without our rotary cutters. Thanks for the giveaway! shanequiltz@bellsouth.net
Hi Bonnie and friends! The first year I remember using a roller cutter and mat was about 1988. It has sure made a difference in cutting out quilts and clothing patterns! I once ran a roller blade between my thumb nail and the thumb. Talk about hurting! The doctor in the ER just kept shaking his head and trying to figure out how to sew it up! He finally put stitches on either side of the nail and butterfly taped the end of the thumb and nail together. Talk about painful....I still cringe when I think about it!
Vanessa in Oklahoma
I bought my first rotary cutter when I started quilting about 6 years ago. I can't imagine quilting without it! Olfa is the best! It's the only brand I've purchased, and I've never had a problem with it :)
I think my first rotary cutter purchase was in 1990. My first quilt was also a Log Cabin, cut entirely with shears.Oh my, how far we've come!! Thank you Mr. Olfa!! And thank you Bonnie, for having this Giveaway! Have a great "mini retreat" weekend at the cabin!!
I used a rotary cutter since I started quilting but I have many quilts that my grandmother made using scissors and a treadle sewing machine. I treasure those quilts and all the love that she put into them.
Hi Bonnie, my first quilt was made in 1976 after my Mom passed away. I used her clothing and a 3 inch cardboard square as a template. I cut each piece by hand with scissors and made a "Trip around the world" pattern. (I didn't even know the pattern had a name until years later when I saw it in a book). I still have the quilt and remember each piece of fabric. I began using a rotary cutter and a mat when I started quilting again in 1983 or 84. patriciachpp@gmail.com
Don't have a clue when I first started using one. Can't imagine quilting without it though.
I was first introduced to olfa 10 or so years ago. While I don't have any visible scars from my rotary cutter, I do certainly have scars of embarrassment! What a riot trying to use for the first time...cutting every where except along the rulers edge:)
Happy birthday olfa! After all these years I cannot imagine my life without you and your tools!
When I bought my first rotary cutter I was still living at home with my parents.
I set it out on the table with some fabric to cut. My mom passed thru the room, glanced over at the items on the table, and asked me what in the world I was going to do with that pizza cutter?!
I would love to win a new one.
I can't remember not having a rotary cutter! I have no battle scars. Happy Birthday, Olfa!
Happy birthday olfa. I started quilting in 2009 and only discovered the joy of Olfa in 2011. I have had a few harrowing calls with long nails being clipped and left on th fabric being cut. I have also careened over my finger once, but, luckily I did not spew blood over the fabric. Skin heals, blood is a bugger to get out of fabric.
Have a good one and thanks for hosting a competition.
Olfa is the only brand I use, so I'd love to have this little kit! I started quilting in 1994, so that's when I got my first Olfa rotary cutter. Thanks, Bonnie!
I can't remember what year but was probably around 2000. Only small nicks so far (Thank God)because I've seen some nasty cuts from this great invention. Thanks
I think I bought my first rotary cutter in 2005, that was the year I made my first quilt and it was a log cabin, so I splurged and bought the rotary that comes with an attached ruler, made strip cutting easier than scissors! Didn't wound myself with that one, but oh the next one that was hand held left plenty of scars on my fingers and stains on my material. So glad to see OLFA has a cutting matt, I didn't know that!
Happy Birthday Olfa!! Love my rotary.
Debby Priebe
debbypriebe@yahoo.com
I bought my cutter in the 80's and sliced my thumb with it.
yes i used to cut with shears and good old cardboard templates.
we came a long ways
I learned about rotary cutters from my mother, of course! She was a quilter long before I was and then we were shopping one day and I saw a beautiful bargello quilt I wanted to make so I signed up for the class. She gave me her rotary cutter and her Olfa mat, and showed me how to use them, and off I went! And yes I do have scars, including one slightly numb thumb tip where I cut through the nail!
Jenny in Florida
I bought my first in 2008...when I made my first quilt.
I started quilting in 2005. The Olfa products have always been my favorite tools to use.
Hi Bonnie,
I got my first rotary cutter and mat over 30 years ago, they very very pricey then , still have and use them, I would not be able to sew with out them, happy sewing to all
Hi Bonnie,
I took my first quilting class in 1992 to learn how to use the rotary cutter. I have always used Olfa cutters and mats. While teaching over the past 12 years I have had the opportunity to use many different brands but have not found any I like better than Olfa. So far in 22 years of quilting I have not cut myself yet.
Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Tresha
treshacottrill@yahoo.com
I bought my first Olfa rotary cutter and matt 5 years ago when I decided to take up quilting. I love their products! I'm celebrating my birthday too....I wish it was the 35th one. Happy Birthday Olfa!!
Lisa (nrthwds2scrap@yahoo.com)
I saw a rotary cutting demo in Tacoma in 1986. I thought it was a fad--lol. I was so poor I bought the cutter without the mat. duh! Where would we be without them now??
I bought my first Olfa mat and rotary cutter in 1986 and still have both! CUTTER STIL HAS ORIGINAL BLADE!! I keep it sharp!
Congratulations OLFA! Would love to win... thanks Bonnie for a chance to win!
I don't think id quilt if I had to cut out things by hand. Thank goodness for the cutter!
LOVE OLFA!!! Bought mine at Crafty Corner in Worthington, MN in 1987. What a difference it made in my quilt making. I made a triangle log cabin and then a Lone Star quilt. The quilt I'd made before that took three years... I did these in a month!
Paula Blake
sewnsew27@yahoo.com
I started quilting in 2007. I have onlyknown olfa or friskers and prefer olfa. They come in many more sizes and the blades are easier to change. I like them because of how the blade gets covered. My cats try to play with it because of the yellow color and you have to push the cover off instead of push a button. They can't move it far. Enough to open it.
Happy Birthday Olfa! I've only been quilting 5 years. I dont believe I would have started if I had to cut all my fabric with scissors! You who did so are amazing!
I bought my first Olfa rotary cutter in 2002. It's the tool that launched my passion for quilting. I've never cut my finger on a blade, but I did poke a sewing machine needle through one of my fingers...does that count?!!
Thanks for giving all of us readers a chance to win this great prize!!!
Marilyn in MS
love my Olfa cutters, I have several, 45 and 60 straight and ergonomic! Use them all!
I love my Ofla rotary cutter for quilting. I have been quilting since early '80 and started with cutting out paper templates. My mom gave me mine for Christmas one year and I have never looked back! Happy Birthday Olfa and thanks!
I think it was in the middle 1990's when I really got started on making full size quilts. The rotary cutter made cutting fabric so much easier.
Paulette Doerhoff
What a fun question. I know I joined the first day a quilt guild was formed in 1981 and heard about the rotary cutter at some point from gals there. Prior to that I was using some fancy smancy scissors that I could hardly afford at the time and have laid in their fancy box ever since. I smile when I see them ... in my marking and cutting supply drawer. How that cutter changed the world!!
My best guess is that I bought my first one in 1984. I've gone through many replacement blades in that time.
Happy Birthday Olfa! Ive only been quilting 5 years. I dont know if I would have started if I had to cut all my fabric with scissors. Those of you who did are amazing!
OMG, I remember those days of drawing lines and cutting with scissors. I made my first mini that way and then realized I was never going to sew a full size quilt that way without figuring a better way. That's when I discovered the olfa cutter and mat....1991 was the year.
Happy Birthday Olfa, you were a lifesaver!
Peggy in NJ
Happy Birthday dear Olfa!! Started quilting in 1995ish? The first two items I bought to aid in the process were my Olfa cutter & mat...still have them, although the mat is no longer "healing"...I think the sun has damaged it...so even if I don't win the birthday gift, i'll invest in a new one to celebrate! Thank You, Bonnie! Lynne (lhoovini@aol.com)
I started quilting in the early 1980's with cardboard templates cut from cereal boxes, I discovered the rotary cutter in 1990 after joining a neighborhood quilt group. Wow, I went back and finished cutting a template project that had taken me 2 years, Happy Birthday Olfa. So far no major slices or dices in my life. Thanks Bonnie for you blog and free patterns. dhoctor@sbcglobal,net
I think I bought my in 1999 when i started to quilt but of course I have sliced my finger with it and sure learned to keep them away and not so close. Thanks for all you do Bonnie for us, I can't wait for quilt cam and your post. Wish more quilters could do quilt cam so they are so much fun like sewing at a guild. thanks
dhoctor@sbcglobal.net
Darlene Hoctor
Happy Birthday Olfa! This wound be a great gift for a friend I am learning to quilt with.
Robin MacGeorge
rjmac61_2000@yahoo.com
I'd never by quilting if not for rotary cutters! I probably got my first rotary cutter 15 years ago. I was pretty proud of the careful cutter I was! Until last Thanksgiving, when I got so excited cutting out pieces for my Celtic Solstice and nearly loped off the end of my finger - a few hours in the ER, a couple of stitches & my nail is now good as new.
I am trying to build a good variety of rotary cutters and mats at home and at the cabin, so I don't need to drag tools every time we travel!
I got my first rotary cutter when I took my 2nd quilting class some time in the late 90's. I can't imagine my life now without it, although I would probably be doing only applique quilts. lol
My mother, who taught me how to sew, gave me a rotary cutter and mat in about 1991, before I even started to quilt. I used it to cut out clothing pattern pieces, and then I discovered quilting!! It was then I realized what I had, what a gift she had given me. Happy Birthday Olfa!!
Hi, Bonnie. I got my first mat and rotary cutter about 1984. It was a really thick white mat and the small cutter; the rulers were separate by size (2" ruler; 2 1/2" ruler). I don't have any scars, but I have nicked many a ruler. I have also nicked my hand when I gently touched the blade after I had placed it open on the table. Ouch! I kept cutting not thinking I was bleeding. Just like a razor cut- bleeds like the dickens! Aren't you the sneaky one posting your strips for the next quilt but having all in sepia tones. If you had ever written a mystery, no one could figure out whodunit until the very end. You are really sly! Love it!
1999 at a quilt shop in. Yucca Valley, CA. Took a class because I wanted to make matching quilts for my 2 daughters room. Quilts were from Eleanor Burns Log Cabin Book. Still have the original Olfa cutter and mat. Mat is covered in brown spray paint- I used my chest freezer in the garage as a cutting surface. The paint fell off a shelf during the 7.6 Landers earthquake and sprayed the mat. Quilts are "retired" now- pretty tattered,torn and well loved.
I learned to quilt 4 years ago, so I've been lucky enough to always use rotary cutters. I remember though my Grandmother cutting individual pieces for king size patchwork quilts with her favorite shears. The hours she put into cutting! It was a labor of love though.
Lorie Allen
lorieleeallen@gmail.com
I learned to quilt from my Mother in the 50's. Didn't do much of it on my own until the early 80's when I started to work for a Mom and Pop fabric store. And if Olfa had not come on the scene, I probably wouldn't be quilting near as much now! Love their cutters, mats etc.
Diana, RR,TX
Couldn't live without my rotary cutters. Have a few different sizes and in case there is a "cutting emergency," mine will be ready to go. Hope I win!
ctmsread@yahoo.com
I have been blessed to always quilt using a rotary cutter (started in 1996). Scissors suck!
Well, the scars of rotary cutters are too enumerable to count,however this last one was pretty bad. So, I purchased a Klutz glove! Have I worn it? Yes, just a few times...I still live dangerously with all of my rotary cutters. I would like to say I don't remember a time I didn't have a rotary cutter, but I don't...remember when I first got one...No. A quilter can never have too many cutters and scissors!
Happy Birthday Olfa! I started quilting in the late 70s/early 80s, so there were several quilts made with cardboard templates, tracing and scissors. Then came the Olfa rotary cutter, it was wonderful - and sharp. Somehow, I looked at it and thought, I bet that is sharp - then proceeded to somehow accidentally slice the back of my fingers while looking at it. I learned from that and love my rotary cutter! Thanks for the opportunity. Sherry
swhalen944@yahoo.com
I bought my first Olfa in 1995 when I started making jean quilts for my six kids. Worked like a charm! Would love to win the Olfa with the smaller blade as I am working on pieced and more intricate quilts. Thanks for the give away chance.
Edna in Kansas
eddielouwho@ruraltel.net
My first rotary cutter and mat was about 1990 and I have been thru a bunch since then but No Scars, knock on wood and be careful.
I was "late" to the quilting bug. Saw my first demonstration of a rotary cutter 2009 it & was WOW! I never did finish my first quilt that I had hand cut but have made numerous ones since getting my rotary cutter. Wish I had know about it earlier in my sewing career. The small mat would be great for taking on trips
My mom started quilting when I was entering my teen years. My first introduction to the rotary cutter was watching her work with it and hearing that dire warning, "close that blade when you're done!"
I only remember one mishap and luckily it was minor. Probably because of all those other "fingers on the far side of the ruler!!" Gotta love Mom!
My first Olfa rotary cutter and mat was a gift in 1992. I started one little wall hanging, didn't finish it, but in 2011 the quilting bug bit me good! I have made many quilts since and have gone through a lot of rotary blades! Still on the same mat, but in desperate need of a new one!
I started my first quilt in 1992 using that same yardstick and scissors method. I didn't want to spend the money on quilting supplies since we were building our house at the time and money was tight. I think I bought my first one a few years later--it sure was a game-changer! Never had a cutting mishap (knock on wood).
I met my first rotary cutter around 1983. It made cutting so much easier!
I really don't remember my first use of rotary cutters, but I think it was probably within the first five years of their existence. I don't have any personal scars, but there's a table at the high school where I used to teach that got a battering one day. It was clean-up at the end of the hour when I discovered a girl had been busily cutting all hour without a mat!
Started quilting in 2001 so I don't remember life without my rotary cutter and mat. I did have one major "ouch" though ~ Sliced the tip of my finger off when I was making my daughter's HS graduation quilt. Now I'm working on her wedding quilt!
Barb
tazelaar@mtcnet.net
I love having an olfa rotary cutter. I probably would not be making quilts if not for them. They can be dangerous. I sliced a piece of the side of my finger. Thought it would never quit bleeding. Goes to show that you need to watch where you are going with it. I started quilting about 1990 so that is when I got my first one.
I've been sewing and quilting for over 50 years. My first quilt was cut with scissors and a cardboard template with my grandmother's help. Love the rotary cutters.
janrondeau@gamil.com
I don't really remember what year I got my first rotary cutter. I have to save my memory for stuff like birthdays and peoples names. I have never cut myself but I've lost a few fingernails and that was lesson enough thank you. I made many quilts with cereal box or diaper box templates and scissors. Can't say I miss doing that at all.
http://youtu.be/qCJSNMqub8g
from Iceonfire1878@aol.com
I discovered the Olfa rotary cutter in the late 80's!!! Wow that sure dates me!! I have never had an accident with one ( knock on wood).
I got my first Rotary Cutter around 1985, I think. Always very careful to close the blade. But once I dropped it (closed) and the force hitting my foot caused the blade to open and cut my foot. Luckily it missed that big vein. So even with care they are a dangerous tool.
Can't imagine quilting without a rotary cutter and mat, what a time saver
I am a new quilter! So my first rotary cutter was in 2013. :)
I bought my Olfa mat and cutter in 2008 after taking a table runner class and figuring out I needed to know how to quilt to make it. Along with that came the need for equipment.
I discovered rotary cutters about 10 years ago, but my first mishap was just a few weeks ago. 3 stitches in my left index finger (glad it wasn't my right)!
Debbie Barnes
barnes2676@sbcglobal.net
The inventor of sliced bread didnt think ahead to clearly....did they!!!!!! It saves us sew much time.
I first used a rotary cutter in 2001 when I took my first quilt class at a tech school. I met 2 other ladies there,became friends and we have been quilting weekly since then!
Funny - I JUST passed down my original Olfa cutter to my daughter.Thank you for the giveaway!
I was lucky and learned about the rotary cutter with my second quilt. I wasn't good at it yet - it was always slipping! Thankfully, I've improved.
I started quilting after these came out and I don't know what I would do with out them. Thank you!
claytonja@live.com
I started quilting in 1975. Using cardboard templates !!!! When the rotary cutter came out I had to have one!!!!
My first rotary cutter and mat were purchased in 1988. I remember teaching my mom how to use a rotary cutter! She wasn't much for change but she embraced the new tools with gusto! Lol
Love my Olfa!
anna brown...happyness04431@yahoo.com...................It was in 1995 i was living in maine and i had just started quilting...it was a bears paw quilt...
I started quilting in 1999 and bought my first rotary cutter that same year. Thankfully, my first quilt was a small (doll quilt for my daughter) because I cut the fabric for that with fabric scissors! Love my rotary cutters! Cheri cuffmail@aol.com
My first three quilts were of the red/white/blue variety~~what does that tell you? Yes, have been quilting and sewing for many years. I did learn to do the templates method and all first, including hand quilting, but once the rotary cutter came out, like you, really went to town with it! I have several Olfa cutters and use them all, except the special silver one they put out on the 25th anniversary, it's still in the box! Carol
I think around the late 80's is when I first used a rotary cutter. Agreed best invention to date for the quilter's. Saw a window decal last night and it was a rotary cutter which said...this is how I roll! Have to get one of those. nmerritt760@gmail.com
I love my Olfa! I started quilting in 2006. My friend visited one day with a very tiny cutter that you flipped the end off with your nail. I almost cut the tip of my thumb off! That ended my weekend of quilting. She promptly took the cutter away from me and I went back to my old one with a guard. Love it. Time for a new one. Hope I win it. Thanks for all you do for us. Gloria.
I remember also! My first quilt was using a cardboard template that I cut from a washing powders box. lol... Think I finally found the monies to purchase my first Olfa cutter (sm - 28mm) and green mat w no lines(18"x6") in 1988 or 1989 and promptly started cutting out my third quilt ever, a King size Trip Around the World 2" squares that was all hand pieced and quilted. What was I thinking!! LOL.... After making many more quilts, it was finally finished 2004.
I don't remember the year. I know I sewed a quilt in 1986 with templates and cut another one out that I am still working on. Then I found rotary cutters. Never had a physical accident but I have been cutting on my dinning room table and cut through the table cloth. He he .
I love Olfa products! Pick me! Pick me! Judy in VA
We owned a fabric craft store in so. Calif. in the mid 80's and sold the new Olfa cutting tool!! Gave safety classes on how to use them. Valerie. quilter@rap.midco.net
I would love to win! Olfa is my favorite.
I love rotary cutting! Have almost every size! Keep old blades to use on paper only cutter! Love my big mat which covers my buffet turned yarn bin, so I can have a permenant cutting space in my new sewing room!
Lori Clark
lclark1220@att.net
I bought my first rotary cutter back in 1999. Mu husband and kids were up at our cottage for the weekend so I was taking advantage of the time alone to start my first quilt. I bought all my supplies and could not wait to get home to use them, the first cut I made I put my left hand down at the top of my ruler and zipped the rotary cutter right up along side it and into my hand, I screamed cause of the pain and ran to the sink, I could not get the bleeding to stop for sometime. But, I didn't let it stop me I wrapped my hand up, kept on going with my project, I promised myself I'd never do that again!! I've learned so much since then. I would love to win a new rotary cutter.
I started using rotary cutters in the 80's. They r great! I even use an old one for cutting wallpaper. I have no nicks or cuts from them and I hope to keep it that way. Thanks for all you do for us quilters Bonnie. Happy quilting everyone.
I used Olfa even when I was paper craftng years ago as my cutting mat of choice... my current one.. or fabric only was purchased when I started quilting in 2011. I would love to have a little one for little cuts though :) Thanks for the chance! Kathi
The Olfa Rotary cutter is the BEST use of the wheel since they invented the wheel! I almost cannot remember not having a rotary cutter - I own several and all are Olfa. I did use scissors to cut my quilt pieces back in the day because I have stated quilting almost 40 years ago.
I remember that first olfa cutter. Scary and fun! I had to make sure to hide it from my 4 toddlers as I didn't want them to cut themselves. My husband was the problem though. He found it and was cutting all sorts of stuff while I was not at home. I was upset that my blade was not lasting very long then one day I found that my mat had large cuts all the way through. Upon questioning my husband, he admitted to sort of using my cutter. That cutter and mat became his as he had to buy me new!!
Sherry Walker from southeast Texas
schoolnu76@gmail.com
I think I got my first rotary cutter in the early 1990's, although I helped my mom trace with templates and cut with scissors long before that. Although no permanent scars, I have had a few close calls cutting my fingernails.
I'll try doing this correctly now. I've been using Olfa since I started quilting in 1995. Love them.
I bought both the rotary cutter and a large mat for my mother in '85 or '86. She had developed arthritis in her hands and could not do the cutting necessary to continue sewing, which she loved. It was expensive but well worth it as she was able to continue to sew for many years. I still have that mat and rotary cutter and think of her when ever I use it.
It surprised both of us how quickly she adapted to this new gadget. Within the next three months she had bought additional discs and a smaller cutter. Best present ever!
Kim
tnjmom1 at gmail dot com
I bought my first rotary cutter and mat when I started quilting in 2001. I can remember taking my first class and having it drummed into my head that the mat AND cutter were weapons that could injure me and others around me. Well, yes, while they can cut you, I didn't realize that they were the armor we need to quilt. How could we be on active quilt duty without both of them?! Scars - yes there are a few battle scars, but again it is part of the quilt process...(sigh)
Karen Purvis
karenp@purvisbros.com
I started quilting in 1978, and made a bear paw baby quilt for my 2nd daughter, with templates! What a pain, but I went on to make a second quilt, rectangles around some embroidered Sue blocks with a yard stick! In 1984, I got my first rotary cutter and took an Elenor Burns class, the Irish Chain. I was definitely hooked!
Email addy: mjblythe@yahoo.com
I think it was 1983 or 1984 when I first bought a rotary cutter. It was amazing how great it worked. I never cut myself but had a number of close calls. The sharp blade earned my respect.
Thanks for the give away.
Sandi in Vermont
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