Cutting Mat questions

Your experience is normal. A mat lasts only so long. Then it needs to be replaced.

Another way to make sure you're not always cutting in the same place is to use the lines on the ruler as your measurement, not the ones on the mat. If you do that, you could be cutting diagonally across the mat.

I'm not sure of this, but I'm getting the idea that a worn mat dulls my blades, not that dull blades are wearing down my mat. I'd be interested to know what Olfa thinks of that.

I have no preference as to brand. I've been using the Olfa big green mat that's 35" x 23", but that's because it fits my table so well. I believe other brands work just as well.

If you do need to replace a mat, it makes sense to buy the new one ahead of the time you think you'll need it. That way you can put it outside or in the garage to air out. It won't have such a strong smell when you bring it inside. (I'm weird in that I rather like the smell. It has good associations for me. But even I find them to be rather strong when they're new.)

--Lia

I bought a JoAnns' rotary mat on sale last summer and hated it. It made the blades feel dull - when I would use the same blade on another mat it worked fine. It definitely wasn't self-healing. It was worn out in just a few months.

So, I bought an Alvin - here's the link:

I bought a couple - one green, one translucent - of the smaller mats from them just to see if I would like them (we use them for Project Linus events). I liked them so well that I ordered a larger one (translucent) for my cutting table. Told my DH to take the JoAnns' mat out and I never wanted to see it again. I have no idea what he did with it!

Cutting-mats.net has wonderful customer service. One of the smaller mats that I ordered from them arrived with a corner bent. I emailed them about it and they replaced it immediately and didn't ask me to return the bent mat.

Yes, they're more expensive them Olfa on sale, but worth every penny as far as I'm concerned. The mats are probably twice as thick as Olfas.

Donna in SW Idaho

Julia, I agree in part. I think there is wear in both directions. Dull blades make wider cuts that don't "heal" as readily, and a cut up mat can wear blades. Often a worn mat can be the problem with "skipping' when cutting, not the blade. So check your mat to be sure that your skips are not at a worn place on the mat. Also, remember that many mats can be used on the "wrong" side. I often use my mats this way to keep away the distraction of the lines on the mats.

Pati, > AuntK wrote:

What I do with old nasty mats is to cut them up with tin snips and put the pieces under pots on the porch and pots on the glass-top table on the patio, which protects both the porch and the table. A cheap trick, perhaps, but why not?

Of course, after I posted the original questions I realized I CAN flip over the mats! I don't use the lines on the mat anyhow, so I'll now have brandy new surfaces to cut on! Should keep me going for a while.

Thanks to all for your comments/suggestions.

Kim in NJ

Hmm, I'm not so sure they do, my least favourite mat is a blue Dritz mat. I just got a bigger Olfa mat, I waited until JoAnns had them 50% off! I also have a 12inch one that turns, also Olfa, which I like and an unbranded one that is green and marked with a cm grid, but it's the oldest of the lot and fits nicely in my sewing machine case and it works great!

I found with the blue that it was harder to see fabric, you can't avoid some being difficult to see, but there were more that were hard to see on the blue than on Olfa green.

Cheers Anne

PS I think 6-8 years is amazing for a mat - I think you'll really feel the difference when you get a new one, most people I know say they get a new mat every year, though sometimes that's adding to a range and reducing the use of each individual one.

Cheers Anne

I got a June Tailor mat. I don't like it. It doesn't heal up nicely.

I have a June Taylor mat that was given to me that I have yet to use. I haven't tried it as it's a hard, non-self healing mat. I might give that a try as well just to see how it feels/plays with my cutter. It will probably be a few days before I get back to any serious cutting. I have a backing to piece and then a king size quilt to layer and baste. I want to be able to take this with me when we go away in a week or so. I think I'm going to thread baste this one instead of my normal pin basting. Since it's so large I think the pins are just going to make it that much heavier to wrestle around. Even though I hand quilt, it's still a chore to wrestle the large quilts. It really takes a toll on my shoulder after a while. I don't even want to think about trying to stuff one through a machine!

Kim in NJ

Howdy!

"brandy new surfaces to cut on" - sounds intoxicating. I'm comin' over, Kim!

R/Sandy - shoot! we just went w/ the Hi-Mac- if we'd only known!

(just teasin', Kim, couldn't resist)

Are the Dritz mats the ones that are gray on one side, blue on the other? If so, can't you turn it over and cut on the gray side when cutting fabrics that are difficult to see on the blue side?

Julia in MN

Possibly, but turning over a cutting board is a faff, I often have piles of stuff already cut on it. I had a feel of the grey side and the surface does feel slightly different, I just went and felt the olfa one too and it's reverse side feels identical and it looks like the whole mat might be a three layer sandwich, the dritz one seems to be just two layers with the back not feeling the same, I'd be hesitant to cut on it in case it blunted blades or somehow damaged the front side.

Cheers Anne

Love that comment! What a great wake-up giggle!

I have several Olfa mats, but I also have a Puzzlemat, made/sold by Cottage Mills. I have one set of six 12"x12" blocks that snap together to make a 24"x36" mat (more may be added to make a larger mat). Mine still has the price tag on the case which is very handy. I bought it to take to classes with me ($44.95 + tax). It's thicker than the Olfa mats and translucent. I find it very versatile, you can use one, two, three or more sections, and I don't damage my Olfas by leaving them in a hot car.

I was at quilt camp in PA when I found the Puzzlemat, we were on a break and short shop hop, I only had six tubs of fabric, SM, iron, ironing mat, cutting mat, rulers, machine table, and case of thread with me. Of course I had to go on a shop hop!

I once had a dark gray mat that was ruined in the trunk of my car, at the time it was a great loss, but then I discovered Olfa, what a great improvement.

I also looked at the Alvin site, I used to buy a lot of things from them when I was into drafting/drawing/engineering.

Bonnie, in Middletown, VA