No matter what I do (even on a good day LOL) I can not get my mats to cut straight at all. I thought it was my cutter that I was using so I got a new one and its not the cutter its me. Any suggestions on how to get straight even mats? I measure and do all that good stuff and then when it comes time to cut they don't come out straight at all. Please help me, I am mat challenged.
Chrissy
If your cutter has a mat with grooves or lines on it, make sure that the straight edge of the paper you're cutting is lined up along one of the lines... I always start in a corner of the sheet (that way I have a 90 degree angle to start with and only need to cut two sides myself...)
Sometimes it is the photo - I find that when I print them on the computer and cut them myself I don't always get them straight. Sandy
It's good that you checked your cutter first. I have the Creative Memories Finger Guillotine type. haha What I do when making a matt is I cut the first edge THEN I turn it to the top... the straight edge of the cutter. Then I know I'm starting from a straight cut. I then measure and cut the other three sides always making sure that a side I've cut goes to the top where I know it will measure straight. Hope I'm making sense. I do this because sometimes the paper doesn't start out straight even though to the naked eye it looks straight.
Lynne
Dorothy,
I have a question about the Perfect Layers tool. I looked at the ebay listing. One of the tools look like the same thing that I have to make my wheel stamps stamp straight across the page. Is this the same thing or is it something different? I just may to add the Perfect Layers tool to my Santa list. No matter what I try to do I just can not get my mats straight.
Chrissy
I bought the two rulers that are the Perfect Layers at a garage sale. They are by Stamping Up and they work great, each ruler has 4 different sizes to cut your mats, 8 in all and you push your pic up to a ledge and then cut on the edge of the ruler. If you have a circle or odd shape pic there are these disks also by stamping up that you run along edge of pic with marker and then you can cut it, those are cool too. I have the Cutterpede rotary cutter for most of my layouts, I find the rotary blade is better than the other little knife blade. As long as you shove a straight edge along the bottom ledge firmly, so you will get a staight cut. Hilda
A friend of mine ordered the Perfect Layers tool from QVC when they had it on their show. I checked their website, and it is available on Waitlist only. She absolutely loves and swears by hers. Personally, I just use my Fiskars cutter. I do make sure the picture edges are square, and then just cut the mat around the pic. I use the edge of my cutter as a guide. I'm not all that picky about measuring.."eyeballing it" works pretty good for me! :-) I would love to have the perfect layers tool too, though! Good Luck Linda
I don't know about the stamps thing but the PL rulers have ridges on them that catch on to the photo. The width of the mat border depends on what ridge you use on the ruler. QVC has the set (without the mat and knife) with the new perfect squares on sale right now. The mat and knife is extra. (I have ruinned 2 cutting mats so far so I ordered the new set and a new cutting mat). PL is simply the best scrapping tool in the whole wide world! ;o)
I know Stampin' Up! sales them in their catalog. Check out their website at:
I know this is late, but hopefully it will answer your question Chrissy. Nope, the Perfect Layers tool is different than the Stampin' Around Wheel Guide you're talking about. They're two seperate toys. :-) I have the Wheel Guide and love it since I can't wheel a straight line to save my life. I really would like the Perfect Layers tool, too.
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