Review on OLFA CHN1 Chenille Cutter by Michelle Langley

I've used this knife on several faux chenille quilts. I used other cutters (e.g. Clover). This one is definitely my favourite. There's a slight 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 the channels too wide. If your channels are sewn more than this, you run the risk of cutting off from the center, or worse, up to the seam. It's very important to keep the blade and channel guide at a 90 degree angle to the fabric and use a larger cutter that will hopefully go through the channel tightly enough. This minimizes the chance of him going astray and keeps him centered instead. This is best done on a hard surface like a table. I use railings on my outdoor patio for good height and working comfort. My blankets are full fabric width (45 inches) and 2 yards long. This easily cuts 3 layers of flannel and I made 4 as well (remember this is all done at an angle). If the channels are wider than 1/2 inch and you tilt the cutter, you can cut right up to the seam, which could ruin the quilt. Other reviews complain of clogging and the need to advance the blade. easy and then I keep going back to the same setting so I don't waste the blade. No digging in the groove or opening to clean. My only complaint would be how quickly part of the blade dulls as replacement blades are expensive. But with care and some hand strength I can stretch the blade quite a bit and make a whole blanket over 2 or 3 blade sections. If only the blades were cheaper, I'd probably advertise it more often, but then I find the coarser cut results in the chenille fluff better, it stretches the flannel. For this purpose, be sure to use a STRONG thread when sewing, since using such a strip cutter will put more stress on the seam due to the stretching of the bias line. (I learned this the hard way too!). Take care and if a seam is damaged, re-stitch that part before washing, otherwise this piece of "chenille" will separate from the comforter and will be much more difficult to put back on after it has become fluffy and ripped. I made a blanket by cutting channels in my arm and swore I would never do it again because of the pain in my arms. But with this cutter I can cut an entire duplex quilt in a few hours.