Remove your Olfa cutter from the packaging. Remove the layer of oil before using. Failure to remove the oil will result in marks on your fabric. Unscrew the retaining nut on the back. Remove the washer, and let the front retaining disc come free to allow blade removal.
Take care while handling the blade. Use liquid soap to clean the blade. Holding the blade in the center between your thumb and forefinger of your left hand, place one drop of soap on the surface of the blade. Use an outward motion to move the soap. Turn the blade over, and continue on the other side. Rinse the soap off. Pat the blade dry with a towel.
Reassemble the cutter by placing the safety guard on the front side of the cutter with the thumb ridge facing up. Place the blade on top of the guard, and put the retaining disc in place with the screw shaft going through all the holes. Holding the retaining disc in place, turn the cutter over. Replace the washer, aligning the straight edges for placement. Replace the retaining nut with the smooth side of the nut facing up. Tighten the assembly; everything should fit snug.
Lay your rotary mat on a table with the 18-inch side near you. Lay your fabric on the mat so the bulk of the fabric is to your right. Keep the fabric smooth and flat. To cut for a quilt, fold the fabric in half with the fold at the bottom edge and the selvedge at the top. The selvedge is the bound edge of the fabric that results in the manufacturing of the fabric. Place the fabric 1/2-inch above the bottom edge of the mat. Lay your 12(1/2)-inch ruler along the fold and near the left edge of the fabric. Place the 6x24-inch ruler against the left side of the first ruler with it extending above and below the edges of the fabric. Remove the square ruler while holding the long ruler firmly in place with your left hand.
Firmly hold the long ruler in place 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. With your right hand, retract the guard on your cutter, and place the blade of the cutter snug against the ruler at the bottom of the fabric on the 1/2-inch piece of the mat. Advance the cutter down the ruler keeping it snug to the ruler and having the blade straight up and not tilted. Stop halfway up the length of the fabric. Do not lift the cutter, but ease the pressure, lift your left hand off the ruler and move it 2/3 of the way up the ruler. Hold the ruler firmly, and finish your cut. Continue to practice cutting using the long ruler. Keep your fingers away from the edge where you are cutting. With practice you can get accurate cuts very quickly.