Cutting Patterns

It seems like it took FOR-EV-ER for everything to get cut and pinned and cut once again, but I think I got it! Sewing has exploded all over my house, but luckily my boyfriend loves me and doesn't care. So the tips I have for the cutting stage (most of these are general knowledge and pretty obvious but saying it again can't hurt):  

• Do a rough cut on your pattern before you really get started so you aren't fighting with a huge piece of paper (and worrying about tearing it) 
• I ironed the patter after I finished cutting it out, but it would be easier to cut (and not fight with all the creases when your cutting if you iron before) This also helped pin all of it flat on the fabric. ** make sure your iron is on low before trying to iron your patterns!
• I read like a million times to wash, dry, and press your fabric before cutting so I guess I will say it too. This will prevent any shrinking or stretching later on. 
• (super obvious) Have your "paper" scissors and your "cloth" scissors. Maybe it is just obvious to me because since I can remember my mom has been yelling at my brother and I that we used the wrong scissors and made her cloth scissors dull. But its true, it works best to have 2 different pairs. I marked my paper scissors with a little piece of tape, and told my live-in boyfriend that if he ABSOLUTELY had to use my scissors to use those ones, I am truly becoming my mother (its kinda scary lol).

OK my last two tips are personal preferences but I find them VERY important!

• Time! Time! Time! I guess when I went into the cutting stage I thought it would be a piece of cake and wouldn't take long at all. WRONG! Thus, I ended up cutting for a long period of time, here and there and then something would come up. Give yourself some "me" time, and get ready to cut! 
• Music! Music! Music! Put something on that can help pass the time, because (for me at least) sitting and cutting is not very fun, but once I turned on some jams time seemed to go by a lot faster! Granted, I am a big fan of music all day long, no matter what I am doing. 

All of my pictures are on my camera (at home), so here is a picture of my kitty cat, Sirius Black AKA kitten, monster, monkey man, when he is helping me sew!