Hey quilter bees, it's Mitzie from Jittery Wings Quilt Co, and welcome to Week 1 of the Thin Air Quilt Along.
If you're new here, the Thin Air Quilt Along is a free sew along using the Thin Air quilt pattern. We started August 15, 2026, but these videos will always be here for you to follow at your own pace. You can grab the pattern as a PDF download or printed copy at jitterywingsquiltco.com.
This week is all about pressing and cutting. I want to walk you through the process I use in my own studio, not because it is the only way to do it, but because accuracy at this stage sets you up for success with every step that follows.
Start at the pressing mat
Before I ever pick up my rotary cutter, I press my fat quarters. I use Best Press because it is scent-free and leaves no residue on the fabric. It also will not shrink your fabric the way steam sometimes can.
I keep my fat quarters in the order of my color flow, so that as I press each one, I stay organized before I even start cutting. When I lay out each fat quarter, I always line up the same two edges, my non-selvage long side and my non-selvage short side. This matters because it means I am maximizing the amount of usable fabric I get, and if I make a small cutting mistake, it only affects the selvage edge rather than the body of the fabric.
I press one fat quarter at a time, but I layer them directly on top of each other. Then, when I am ready to cut, I cut two to three layers at a time. If you are new to rotary cutting, start with one layer so that a mistake affects only one piece of fabric. Once you feel confident, you can move up to cutting multiple layers together.
Move to the cutting mat
Once your fabric is pressed and layered, it is time to cut. The orientation matters here. Your fat quarter should have the 18-inch side on one edge and the 20- to 21-inch side on the other, with your selvage on the same side you identified while pressing.
The first step is always to clean up your edges. I trim a straight edge on each side I lined up during pressing by moving my body around the table rather than moving the fabric. Every time you shift fabric, you introduce a chance for it to fall out of alignment, so the less you move it, the more accurate your cuts will be.
From there, I cut my strips (A, B, C, and D) across the fabric, then subcut them into the sizes listed in the pattern. I always cut and set aside, cut and set aside, working through each piece size in order. I also keep my ones and twos in separate stacks, since in the Thin Air pattern, each A, B, C, and D piece needs one "1" piece and two "2" pieces. Keeping them sorted now saves confusion later.
Why this method works
The biggest thing I want you to take away from this video is not that you need to press and cut exactly like I do. It is that you need a system that keeps your pieces accurate and your brain organized. If you already have a cutting method that works for you, keep using it. Just make sure your pieces come out the sizes listed in the pattern, and you will be right on track with the rest of us.
What's next
Next week, we will cover how to match up your color pairings so your A2, B2, C2, and D2 pieces get sewn together into finished strips. Each strip will end up being two colors instead of one, which is where a lot of the Thin Air pattern's visual interest comes from.
If you want extra support along the way, join us in The Hive, our free quilting community. You can post photos, ask questions, and connect with other quilters working through the same pattern. Find us at hive.jitterywingsquiltco.com.
Thanks for sewing along with us. See you next week for Part 2.
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