How To Make A Rotary Cutting Mat

You can use the edge of a table to help you mark a straight edge.

How to make a rotary cutting mat.

That s where a rotary cutter and a cutting mat come in handy. The square ruler s left edge should be near but inside the left edge of the fabric roughly where you will make your square cut. But in the long run you will need a mat anyway. When it comes to fabric sometimes scissors just won t cut it.

These graduated marks can be in metric units or standard and they make using a rotary cutting mat a lot easier than if you were measuring out every cut with a measuring tape. Ever since my son was born i ve been lucky enough to always have a dedicated sewing area but i ve never had a fully dedicated sewing room. Make a diy cutting mat for sewing that can be moved from table to table. Self healing mats are the most popular because rotary cutters don t leave cutting marks behind.

Mats provide a sturdy surface for cutting fabrics and craft materials while protecting the table they rest on. Self healing and hard surface. The mat i like the best is one that has the easiest to read grid lines lines spaced one inch apart and also marked with 1 8 1 4 1 2 and 1 increments. To use a rotary cutter when you don t have a cutting mat you can use thick cardboard or even the bottom of an old shelf in a pinch but this can dull your blades with time.

There are two different types of rotary cutting mats. A hard surface cutting mat needs to be replaced once there are too many cutting marks and nicks on the surface. A cutting mat is a must for an avid craft lover or sewer. For olfa a self healing mat also helps to extend the life of the cutting mat and rotary cutter blade.

Most rotary cutting mats have grids and lines all over the place that let you have references for some of the most common cuts that are performed in crafting and quilting. High quality self healing cutting mats last longer than other. A cutting mat should be made of self healing plastic which prolongs the life and improves the quality of the mat itself. However when the mat warps from improper storage or from being overheated it loses most of that usefulness.

Line up the fold with one of the horizontal lines on the cutting mat or if your mat is unlined use a square rotary ruler. Rotary cutting mats protect your work surface from damage while also providing convenient measurements cutting lines and angles. Rotary cutters come in varying sizes. Rotary cutters provide unbeatable cutting versatility and are best used in tandem with a cutting mat and a ruler.

Place the fabric on the cutting mat fold near the bottom edge side to be squared on the left. I also prefer a mat that is self healing because it reseals rotary blade cuts. That s where a rotary cutter and a cutting mat come in handy.