Method of flattening the edges of a swatch of flexible material to be cut

A flattening method for flattening the edges of a swatch of flexible material from which pieces are to be cut out, the method comprising:

• establishing a digital representation of at least a portion of an outline of the swatch of flexible material using a scanner;
• establishing a specific flattening direction and distance for each one of selected points of a scanned portion of the outline of the swatch using a work station;
• providing a cutter tool and a presser foot, said cutter tool arranged within a peripheral boundary of the presser foot;
• and
• for each selected point of the scanned portion of the outline of the swatch, using the presser foot to flatten the edges of the swatch along the specific flattening direction and distance established for said point, and along a flattening direction going from within the swatch towards its edges;
• wherein, during use of the presser foot to flatten the edges of the swatch along the specific flattening direction and distance, a blade of the cutter tool is in a retracted position above the swatch of flexible material.