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Hi Polly - I bought a couple of sheets of Emery fabric from Nancy's Notions to use for this purpose. It can be scissor trimmed to the needle-plate hole size and because it is fabric it can be moulded to smooth around the sides of the hole at the same time. I have also used it to buff a slightly used machine needle to extend its sewing life. Another maintenance reminder: it might be time to give your acrylic rulers an oiling to rejuvenate them. jennellh (change the mail to news)

I've been successful in replacing the worn off lines on my favorite rulers but never heard about giving them a bit of oil. What's that about? Also, is there any sort of TLC for cutting mats? Polly

"jennellh" wrote > Hi Polly - I bought a couple of sheets of Emery fabric from Nancy's

I use a couple drops of sewing machine oil and rub all surfaces (including the edges) of my rulers gently with flannelette scraps then buff to dry with kleenex. They really shine again and all the grime is gone. The material that the rulers are made from is petro-chemical in nature and the oil is the perfect cleaning solution for them plus small scratches are also disguised. For those who may think that the oil might be harmful to fabrics later - it is not, providing that the ruler is completely dried off before use. As far as cutting mats go - I have used styrofoam packing chips (toe separators) sometimes to remove embedded lint - also the stone product which is sold for this purpose. I don't ever rotary cut batting and I rarely work with flannelette so I haven't experimented with other household items for the care and restoration of my mats. I shall have to do some more research and get back to you. I have been able to remove lint from a mat almost immediately using my thumb tip before the self-healing aspect closes the cut in the mat.

jennellh (change the mail to news)

Thanks for the tip, Polly!