the secret to cutting Burlap straight and other burlap tips

Ever wanted to pull your hair out after cutting burlap? Especially when you realized, it’s not straight? Oh, the wonderful joys of smelly burlap! I love the stuff, but it can be difficult to work with and it’s a bugger to cut. I’ll show you the trick to cutting burlap straight…. and all you need is a pair of scissors!

How to Cutting Burlap Straight

 cutting burlap straight
 Measure what you need and snip the burlap about 1/4″. I needed a bunch of 2″ strips for a project that I will be posting tomorrow.
 
 Then pull one burlap strand all the way out.
 
This creates a straight line across the burlap.
 
Using your scissors, cut along your “line” to get a straight cut. (I know, the lighting is terrible)
Cutting burlap this way gives you a nice clean cut and eliminates straggly edges.
More Burlap Tips
  • Use a spray bottle filled with water to lightly dampen the burlap before you cut it. This helps prevent some of the dusty mess.
  • Want to get out some of the wrinkles? You can iron burlap on medium-hot heat. Wrinkles still not coming out? lightly mist with water and then iron.
  • Hate the smell? Spray burlap with perfume, Fabreeze, or body spray. You may need to reapply occasionally.

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Linda
Hi! I'm Linda, the craft addict behind Craftaholics Anonymous®, a craft blog. Crafting is cheaper than therapy, right? When I'm not DIYing something, I can be found taxiing around our 4 crazy kids or working out. Or shoe shopping... because you can never have too many shoes! Happy crafting! ♥
Linda
Linda

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Comments

  1. 1
    Beverly

    Ingenious…and so simple…love it

  2. 2
    Dawn,

    I made a treeskirt from burlap and promised I would never attempt a burlap project again, it was so frustrating… but n.o.w. you have given me just the tip to make me braver, snicker!

  3. 3
    Lisa

    Thank you so much for all the wonderful tips!!! I love burlap but have hated working with it. Being covered with brown fuzzies afterwards was definately a negative, but I'll bet spraying it down will help with that.

  4. 4
    Amy@TheLemonCottage

    Great tips.
    I'm off to Febreeze some burlap! :)
    ~Amy

  5. 5
    jacque4u2c

    I have done this before – it works great!

  6. 6
    laterg8r

    great tips :D

  7. 7
    Charlotte: One Project at a Time

    Great tips Thank you!

  8. 8
    Kristin

    I hope my husband never does an intervention on me ;-) Very cute blog, I can relate to the craft obsession! Good Luck with SYTYC. I am also on there and excited to see who goes through to the next round!
    Kristin
    peapodcreations.blogspot.com

  9. 9
    Keriann

    Linda you are so clever!!!

  10. 10
    kim taylor - - - the sassy crafter

    Love your blog! I visited because I'm also one of the gals who's auditioning for So You Think You're Crafty. Looks like I have some tough competition here! ;-) Good luck to you!

  11. 11
    Amanda @ Serenity Now

    GREAT tips!!!! :) I especially love the one about pulling the strand out…that will save me some time. :)

    I'm hosting Decorating Dilemmas again tomorrow night and Wed. Stop by if you can. :)

  12. 12
    StakerSensations

    Good luck in the sytyc competition! It's going to be alot of fun…Keeping my fingesr crossed I make it! It would be so fun to compete against you!!!

  13. 13
    the thrifty ba

    can i tell you how many projects i have done with burlap lately (and who hasnt!?) and i never thought of this! thanks!

  14. 14
    sissie

    I bought some burlap at Walmart and the lady cutting it showed me how to cut it straight using the same method. Thanks for the tip on how to remove the smell.

  15. 15
    forever folding laundry

    Brilliant! Thanks for the great tip.

    ~Keri

  16. 16
    Lanie Ree

    Oh, thank you so much for posting this! I just discovered my love of Burlap, but it drives me crazy when I try to use it!

  17. 18
    Nicole-Lynn

    Thank you for this tip! We're doing burlap table runners for our wedding and this is good to know :)

  18. 19
    JK

    love it! thanks for the tips.

  19. 20
    PinkSparkle And Lace

    I'm so glad I found your blog!! Thank you for the great tips. I'm going to have to follow you so that I can catch up on all you have here & not miss anything in the future.
    I will also put your button on my blog so that my readers can benefit from your ideas too!
    Thank you,
    Tammy
    http://www.PinkSparkleAndLace.blogspot.com

  20. 21
    Gina

    That is brilliant!! <3

  21. 22

    Thank you so much! I was going crazy last night and your tips make such perfect (and simple) sense!

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    1. 23.1

      Its a great trick! I use it all the time. Thanks for stopping by, Tricia!
      happy crafting,
      Linda

  23. 24
    Adreane

    THANK YOU for the tips!!! I have had about enough of burlap today…until I read this! Hoping the rest of my project goes a little better than the first part! :) You are so talented and creative! Love your site!

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  25. 26
    Candis Arthur

    This was great!! I used this method to cut 20 yards of fabric to make long banquet style table runners. This method is great for keeping your cuts straight and keeping your burlap from fraying.

  26. 27
    natalie

    What should my sewing machine tension be set at for sewing burlap?

  27. 28
    Kelly

    Love these tips! Thanks so much! I’ve been struggling with some burlap! :-D

  28. 29

    Nice, thanks so much for the tip!

  29. 30

    Thank you for making this so simple! I can now work with my burlap! :)

    Jess

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  32. 31

    I found this post when I googled “cutting burlap” and thank the lord I did – such a simple trick but wowsers this will make life soooo much easier – thanks x
    ((hugs)) Suzie xoxo

    1. 31.1

      This is a very handy trick! I’m so glad it helped you! Thanks for stopping by, Suzie! I hope you’ll stop by again soon!
      happy crafting,
      Linda

  33. 32

    That is exactly how they are supposed to cut it in the fabric store when you buy it too. I worked at JoAnn’s fabrics and crafts for several years while in high school and going to college. they are also suppose to cut plaid and some striped fabrics along the straight line and all other fabrics that do not have straight lines are to be cut from the folded edge to the open edge using the guide. a few fabrics are to be ripped (velvet and velveteen). If the person cutting your fabric does not cut in this manner and you are using a pattern it may botch up your finished product. so don’t be afraid to speak up if you see them cutting your fabric incorrectly,

  34. 33
    Christina

    Awesome tip. Can’t wait to use it. Thanks a bunch!!!

  35. 34
    Cheryl Pkoski

    I was just working with burlap for the first time yesterday and getting frustrated with the above mentioned things. Thanks for the tips!!
    Cheryl

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  38. 35
    jANE

    i HAVE BEEN GIVEN YARDS OF BURLAP TO CUT FOR TABLE TOPPERS – HAVE NEVER USED THIS MATERIAL BEFORE-AND AM WONDERING WHERE I SHOULD WORK WITH IT. SHOULD I TAKE IT OUT ON THE PORCH CEMENT FLOOR; RATHER THAN IN THE HOUSE? WOULD IT BE EASIER IF I PUT 2 LARGE BANQUET TABLES TOGETHER AND WORKED ON THERE/ DOES IT HAVE TO BE SOWN ON THE EDGES? iT IS GOING UNDER FRAGILE LACE TABLE CLOTHES – ANY INFO SURE WOULD HELP AND THANKS SO MUCH.

    1. 35.1

      Hi Jane,
      Burlap is really messy and stinky. If possible, I’d cut it outside in a deck or driveway. If not possible, cut on a table where it is easy to clean around. If you’re just using it for a table running, you do not need to sew the edges. If you like the frayed look and/or want to control how much it frays, you can sew 1″ from the edges all the way around to create and control the frayed look. I did that with this set of place mats and table runner: https://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/burlap-place-mats-and-table-runner Hope this helps!

      1. thanks so much on the burlap i dident know to use it so now ill tyr

  39. 36
    Barbara Stoddard`

    What a life/sanity saver this tip is!! I cut, hemmed and pleated 22 2-foot panels of burlap skirting before I thought to see if there was an easier way to cut the burlap. This made cutting the remaining 56 feet into panels a breeze. Thank you.