I have always used Fiskars brand cutters and have never felt they were inadequate. You'll get more adept at using it. You need to practice how it feels, where/how you have to put pressure, and how to keep the rulers from moving. If it is skipping a spot consistently, there could be a bad edge on the blade--you can try a new blade and see if that's better. [Be CAREFUL!]

If your rulers are sliding while you put pressure against it with the rotary cutter, there are products that adhere to the bottom of the ruler to help it grip the fabric. Little sandpaper dots work as well as rubber, tapes, etc.

Cutting will become more accurate as you go. It is important to cut accurately because if you are off at the very beginning, then the inaccuracies will compound themselves as you go. With that said, it's unrealistic to expect perfection as you are just learning.

Go for it! You are on your way! As you have more questions, just ask here. We've all been there and are sure to answer them.

Wow Bkay you have got a lot done already with a pattern, fabric and some cutting. Cutting with a ruler and rotary blade does take some practice but you will get better the more you do. Take breaks when it gets frustrating. If you have a nearby quilt shop, they would definitely help you with your cutting at a not too busy time in their shop. If you have enough pieces cut for one block, sew it together and see how it looks. Keep us posted on your progress and take pictures when you can.

I'm waiting for the charm packs to arrive before I can sew.

I didn't want to use my old portable machine because I had no place to leave it up. So I bought a used machine in a cabinet just like it (Singer Touch and Sew) for $50. It needs new feed dogs, so I'm also waiting for those to arrive. (Not sure yet if this is a long term hobby or just an item on my bucket list, so I didn't want to invest a lot in a machine, yet.)

I'm going to make my blocks and then decide if I want to make it a "disappearing 9 patch", which looks great in the photos.

bk

On the 1/16" difference when cutting...

when You cut, is your blade perpendicular? When I first started cutting, I found had some differences in the finished sizes and realized I was holding the cutter so the blade was at an angle, so the blade was actually cutting under the ruler a bit. I started paying attention to keeping the blade straight and now my pieces are the same width.

About your cutter blade skipping, the only thing I can guess is that you have a nick on a blade. I dropped a cutter with a brand new blade, first time I have ever dropped a cutter and on a tile floor, and it flatted the blade in one spot and now it skips. I'm too cheap to just throw out the blade, so I go over my cuts twice and promise myself every time that I'll never drop another one.

Although it's important to have those cuts as accurate as possible, don't be intimidated by 1/16" of an inch. Fabric is somewhat forgiving and you can stretch and scoosh and make it fit when you put the blocks together. I have to admit I'm not really a perfectionist but after it's all done, only you will notice the tiny imperfections. Just try to have one with it.

BK are you on Pinterest at all? You can search for cutting tutorials and see it "live". I find it helpful to see a demo!

A tip passed down for generations is to wear gloves, get the fabric nice and wet (dripping) before cutting with metal scissors. You'll go through a lot of scissors because they rust be works like a charm.

I bought a book on rotary cutting at half price books today. Hopefully, that will help me get my cutting more precise.

bk

I love precuts, especially charm packs. Don't want you to be disappointed but the 5" charm packs from Moda and others are not always a square 5". Don't want you to think it's your cutting or anything. This is a common complaint of those who use precuts. That's why I love the altered nine patch. You just lay out 9 - 5" charms that you like together. Sew them up. When you are done you square them up so they are all the same size. 3 x 5" = 15 less the 1" seam allowance you will get in each row will give you a 14x14 nine patch in a perfect world! I square mine up to 13.5 and then cut in half 6.75 one way, then cut the block in half 6.75 the other, you have four wonderful blocks from each 9 patch. Do this to all and then lay them out so seams don't come together. It is the most forgiving quilt pattern I have ever used. Great for beginners and quick for those who want to whip up some quick quilts.

Now, I'm having trouble getting the seams to match. I'm going to try pressing the seam allowance open. I read that in an old "best tips" thread on this forum.

bk