OLFA Chenille Cutter, Yellow (CHN1)

I needed something to cut liner fabric on the back of a large number of shades, cutting it as close as possible to where it was sewn in. Scissors wouldn’t cut close enough and would have taken forever. Rotary cutters would have damaged the shades. This thing cuts pretty much as fast as you can glide it over the fabric and worked perfectly for what I used it for. I’ve had other OLFA products and they’ve also been great.

I took up making chenille items for the fun of it. It went well until I got to cutting through multiple layers of fabric without cutting through the bottom layer. Most seasoned seamstresses recommend the Olfa chenille cutter. I ordered one & it was promptly delivered. Happily, it has different widths of rows to be cut. The Olfa cuts the fabric as easily as cutting butter with a warm knife. I recommend this product for chenille cutting.

This worked better than the rotary cutter styled one. It still got jammed up occasionally, but was easy the clean out.

I have used this cutter on several faux chenille quilts. I have used other cutters (i.e. Clover). This one is by far my favorite. There is a little bit of a learning curve but with trial and error, and practice, it's great! The largest channel spacer is 1/2 inch, so be careful not to sew channels too wide. If your channels are sewn larger than that, you risk cutting off-center, or worse, to the seam. It's very important to keep the blade and channel guide at a 90 degree angle with the fabric and use the larger size on the cutter that will fit through the channel, hopefully quite snug. This will minimize the chances of going off track and keep it centered instead. It's best to do this on a hard surface like a table. I use the railing on my deck outside for a good height and easy to work on. My blankets are the full width of fabric (45") and 2 yards long. This easily cuts 3 layers of flannel, and I have done 4 as well (remember it's all done on the bias). If the channels are wider than 1/2 inch and you tilt the cutter, you can run the cut up to the seam which can ruin the blanket.Other reviews complain about the clogging and that they have to advance the blade. I actually use advancing the blade to release a clog of lint easily, and then I continue advancing right back to the same setting so not to waste a blade. No digging into the slot or opening to clean is needed. My only complaint would be how quickly a section of the blade dulls since the replacement blades are expensive. But with care and some arm strength, I can stretch the blade quite far and do an entire blanket on 2 or 3 blade sections. If the blades were cheaper, I probably would advance it more often. But then the rougher cutting leads to some better raveling of the chenille I find. It stretches the flannel. To that end, be sure to use STRONG thread when sewing because the use of a strip cutter like this does put a lot of stress on the seam due to the stretch on the bias. (I learned this the hard way too!). Pay attention and if a seam is compromised, sew over that section again before washing or that piece of "chenille" ridge will be released from the blanket and much harder to tack down once fluffed and frayed.I made one quilt by cutting the channels by hand and vowed I'd never make another one because of aching hands. But with this cutter, I can cut a whole twin size blanket in a couple hours.

I've read the other reviews - both before and after my purchase and I am NOT disappointed I purchased this tool! I don't know why some people are having so much trouble with it! A few things come to mind - they are not sewing or cutting on the bias - you can do either, but must do one. If you try cutting with the straight grain, there ARE going to be problems, not the first of which is not getting the true chenille affect. It will also clog up terribly and not stay "on track". I do not have a walking foot on my machine, but have made some 7-layer flannel scarves and used this tool with no issues at all, with the SAME blade position. These are 8-inch wide, 6-feet long scarves with 1/2 inch channels. I cannot sew that many layers very straight without a walking foot and I've had no troubles getting "off track" when cutting with this...and I have terrible arthritis! As long as I use the foot width on the tool that matches my channel width, I'm fine. I have very little clogging, and what does gather up (and flannel is the worst!) I just pick out quickly with the point of a seam ripper. I have NOT had to take this apart to clean it nor advance the blade.Another issue which may be happening to some people is not properly piecing their layers of fabric. If you don't sew or baste (thread or spray) them and watch for any open seams in your layers, then the tool will slip under them and mis-cut. But if you overlap them a bit, zig zag, and/or spray baste, then the cutter should continue down on top the layer you're trying to protect.I think this is easy to hold on to; I actually expected it to be much larger. I can go really fast without a break or re-aligning when cutting.There are some great videos on how to use this, and how to do faux chenille, on You Tube. I recommend users check them out.If anything changes as I make additional projects with other types of fabric, I will edit this review.Happy sewing!

I love it !! I used them to chenille Christmas fabric, to make pillows! The turned out great

Works well. takes a bit of getting used to but is worth the cost.

I am pleased I bought this cutter to make chenille. Whilst it does clog up from time to time, this can only be expected when cutting through layers of brushed cotton. I found the little brush which came with my sewing machine useful to clear fibers from the blade. I could not have managed without it.

Item as described and delivered promptlu

It is definitely worth buying. Awesome gadget to work with.

a great little gadget for any sewer wanting to explore how to Chenille design