quilting 911 - i need help martha!


i finally got my butt in gear to start making harper's quilt. i made mackenzie a quilt (my first) when she was little and we call it her love quilt. when she goes to bed at night the quilt will protect her from bad dreams cause it's filled with mommy's love. when she spotted me making harper's she asked me if it was going to be a love quilt and when i said yes, she said "how do you get the love in there mommy?". how cute is that? so sweet. the fabric i'm using has been calling my name and even though i have a lot of other unfinished projects i felt like i needed a brain break to make something fun. needless to say i forgot that i am "cutting challenged". i really need help. i don't think there is anyone worse at cutting fabrics than me..haha. seriously.


the pattern i am making is from the lovely blog "the polka dot chair". it's called the snuggly bricks quilt tutorial. it's easy, quick and perfect for the amount of time i have to spend on it right now...or so i thought. all i had to do is cut out rectangles. straight lines. easy right? i guess not for me. i got out my rotary cutter, my mat, made a template and got out my ruler. do you think they were straight? nope. did my rotary cutter behave? nope. by the end of one hour i had a whole whack of rectangles cut, one not usable (too small) and man was it a b&^ch to get that amount done. i am starting to think i should just stick with sewing clothes..haha.


i'm going to be using the prints above from moda by momo called "it's a hoot". i love it. any suggestions from you guys on how to quilt this when it's pieced? i've never quilted a brick pattern. would you just do stitch in the ditch? also what color do you think would work best for the binding and backing? i'm a new quilter and any tips are greatly appreciated :)

and of course, let's not forget my cutting issues...my question to you on this is are...what are your cutting tips? am i the only one cutting challenged? is there some weird part of my brain that refuses to cut with a rotary cutter? can martha stewart invent a chip to implant into my brain to fix it?

bring it on my friends. i could use your help :)