Karl is the cutting aid for the scissors, Karlie for the rotary cutter.

That depends on the size of your scissors. Do not use the total length of your scissors as a guide, but the length of your scissor blade.

The following sketches show you where Big or Little Karl will sit on your scissors.

If you not only want to cut out fabric, but also your paper patterns directly with seam allowance in the future, we recommend the little Karl for your paper scissors.

Karl attaches to your scissors with a magnet. This has a diameter of 1.5 cm and should rest at least 80% on the flat surface of the scissor blade.

Of course your scissors have to be magnetic, you can easily test that with a magnet at home. (Carbon scissors, for example, do not meet this criterion). Our scissors are always magnetic and you can be sure that they fit Karl perfectly.

The Karlchen only fits on rotary cutters that have a flat and magnetic surface above the rotary blade. A plastic cover or a curved screw over the blade impairs the adhesive force and is therefore unsuitable. With our rotary cutters you can be sure that they fit Karlchen perfectly.

The neodymium magnet used has an adhesive force of 3.2 kg and holds Karl and Karlchen firmly to your scissors or rotary cutter (provided that at least 80% of it is on a flat, magnetic surface).

If you hold your scissors very steeply, the fabric will be pulled upwards and a small jag will appear with every cut. Try to flatten your scissors to avoid this problem.

Stretchy fabrics should always be held slightly taut when cutting with your free hand. If Karlie pushes the fabric anyway, try loosening the screws on your rotary cutter to reduce the resistance a little.

When cutting, only orientate yourself on the tip of Karl and take small steps, so you get an even seam allowance even on curves.

Since the pointer protrudes slightly over the blade, the distance to the cutting pattern will be slightly larger in curves if you use the tip of the pointer as a guide. You can prevent this by not looking at the tip when cutting in curves, but at the point that runs parallel to your blade.

To ensure that your scissors are not magnetized by the friction of the magnet on the scissor blade, you should always take Karl off the side of your scissors using the lever principle and not pull down along the scissor blade.

Karl and little Karl are made of aluminium, as is the screw. In the case of materials with similar surface properties, so-called cold welding occasionally occurs. The screw seizes in the thread and can no longer be loosened. To prevent this, you should give the screw a drop of your sewing machine oil from time to time.

If you have a good sense of proportion and have previously cut your patterns without marking the seam allowance, you won't need our cutting aid. However, if you have mostly used patterns with integrated seam allowances because you do not have this sense of proportion and wanted to save yourself the time and work of marking the seam allowances, you will love Karl and Karlchen.

Karl and Karlchen are produced fairly in Germany. We attach great importance to high-quality workmanship, maximum durability and thorough quality controls. We also work with small, family-run businesses and want everyone involved to be rewarded appropriately.

Visit us on social media, watch our video tutorial or send us a message - we look forward to hearing from you!