Cutting Mat
 

Hi.... I'm new to Quilting Board. This is Phyllis from Florida. Just wondering if any of you know of a good rotary cutting mat that has a slight textured top, rather than a smooth top. I need a new one that has a bit of a "grip" when I cut my fabric. Any suggestions?? :o

Hello and welcome. You will get lots of opinions here! LOL Mine is: Mats are suppose to be smooth so the cutter can cut smooth and straight. I have been quilting for decades and my favorite mat and rulers are Quilter's Select brand. The rulers have a all over non slip coating. Fabric does not slip using these rulers.

You might want to check out Cricut FabricGrip mats. Let us know what you decide!

I have both smooth and less smooth mats but that's not what really matters
IMHO. If you don't have a good grip on your ruler you will still have mis-cuts.
One of the best tools I bought was the Quilter's Slidelock ruler.

I agree about the Slidelock ruler. I bought it for safety reasons. I use it on top of my ruler, no use putting in an extra time wasting step to but it up to the ruler. The fabric isn't budging a smidge.

I have grid lines on the under side of my rulers to hold them in place.

Welcome to the board.

Welcome. I use a smooth mat (Omnigrid) and my personal opinion is that a textured mat would probably dull your blades more quickly. As someone else mentioned, if your ruler is not stable even with a textured mat you could still have mis-cuts. I have 4 rubber dots on the corner of my ruler. Works great for me. Ruler does not slip on the fabric at all. Also remember to keep one finger (I use my pinky finger) off the ruler and onto the fabric as you are 'walking' your hand up the ruler to do your cuts. Makes a big difference as well.

Welcome from western NY and happy quilting :)

Take a look at some of Donna Jordan's tutorials. She has an exercise weight on her cutting table that she puts on one end of the ruler so it doesn't slip when she's cutting. Good idea!

I use Omnigrid mats, I also have rubber dots on some of my rulers, on the big square rulers I have sandpaper dots. I use a 4 pound dumbbell to hold my ruler down.

I second this. I have watched a lot of her videos and now use a 5lb weight at the end of my ruler and it helps a lot. I don’t have any hand/wrist/shoulder issues to keep me from doing this.

I have purchased many rulers and templates and some don't have non-stop slip backing. I purchased clear vinyl grip tape. The kind used for bath tubs. Works Great!

I have a martelli rotary mat---sturdy and stable, rides on ball bearings......all their products are excellent--a little on the pricey side but they last and you can get them when they have their 50% off sales.....I don't know where you are in Florida but they have their store in Florida. I do know it's a big state!!!! :rolleyes:

Welcome to the board, Phyllis. I also prefer some grip to my mat. I find the texture of the Olfa mat to be perfect. My fabric doesn't slide around on it during cutting, and the mat grips just enough to make it easy to fold fabric on it.

Welcome to the QB, you’re gonna love it here. I have to agree with the others...it really is about the rulers. I use Quilters Select rulers and find I have more control when cutting. Good luck in your search.

You get used to what you use. I like my good old Olfa mat. There is also a grey one I like, not sure of the brand. I don't like the shiny white ones, they kill my blades and while I haven't actually hurt myself I feel they are more slippery and therefore dangerous.

Keep in mind that you aren't really supposed to be using the lines on the mat, use the lines on your ruler. I suggest starting by using the unmarked back so you aren't distracted by the lines. What happens if you use the line is your mat wears out and leaves marks where you cut a lot. For the typical right handed person, you straighten your fabric (trim off the edge and unfold it, there should be no deep V at the fold points). With the cut edge towards the left, position your ruler and hold it down with your left hand while cutting with your right. I check at least every other strip to make sure the fold is still straight.

From discussions here on the board and in my small group, I've recently gotten some of the rulers with a grip side. Before when I tried them I liked being able to slide the rulers and/or use both sides and they just didn't work for me. While I can still use my other rulers I have quickly grown to prefer the grip ones. I have a Quilters Rule 6.5x24 and an O'lipfa 12.5" square. Over the years I've found that I make long cuts best when I am standing and my kitchen table is a good height for me. It helps that I can lay out a long piece of fabric and straighten the edge and then turn the corner of the table continue cutting without moving the fabric. Once I cut the long pieces I can make the subcuts while sitting should I choose. A tall friend of mine tried my suggestions and finds she cuts best standing at her kitchen counter.

I did one project that I soon realized I had chosen the exact shade of Olfa Green and it was giving me problems. I devised a quick hack -- simply put a piece of white paper under the cut edge. You are just doing it for contrast so don't need to go too deep or cut through it, I found a business sized envelope was a good size and weight. With my vision issues I find I use this more and more often to get a good crisp line to mark and help me read the ruler correctly.

That's the way I cut also.

Hi "Joe's Mom". I am also a "Joe's Mom" And coincidentally, my "Joe" lives in Ballwin, Mo! So we have a "connection". Thanks for the info on the mat. I've tried several and I think I'm just going to have to use the grippy dots on my ruler. I'm thinking of starting a new quilt and wanted to make sure all my cuts were more accurate this time. Have a great day! -- Phyllis

What a fun coincidence, Phyllis! :) Have fun on your new quilt!

Hi and welcome from North Carolina!

It seems like you are having trouble keeping the ruler from slipping. I use a 4 pound hand weight (the kind people exercise with) on the ruler to hold it still. Any weight can help... sack of sugar or flour? A large can of beans? ... ??

If someone already suggested this I apologize ahead of time. Stabilizing your ruler is very critical to a good cut, but I also find when my rotary blade starts getting dull, my accuracy also suffers. I try to keep a sharp replacement blade always handy.

Hey Mousie, in my case the Quilter's Rule has grid lines molded into the ruler itself and it has become my go-to 6.5" long ruler, I also have an O'lipfa square that is similar. You really know whether your ruler is the right side up or not because they are noticeable.

There is clear tape you can buy, or sandpaper dots, or other things. Some people have suggested rubber cement that I think I will try, the thing for it is you can position the glue right where you want it, but then you can rub it off for another project -- I like that.

Quilter's Rule 6.5X24" is the best. Those grids on the reverse side really grip the fabric. I am still using the one I bought about 25 years ago. I have many other brands but nothing compares to my Quilter's Rule. The only other ruler I use is a 6.5"X6.5" for cutting small pieces. My other brands stay underneath my dresser in my bedroom. They never see the light of day.

Welcome!

Lots of opinions on "what is best" -

My husband and I do all our cutting together. For cutting strips we like the ruler and cutter from GraceFrame.com. The ruler has a ridge on it and the cutter runs along the ridge. Makes cutting strips accurately much easier. We have a lot of their other square rulers but did not care for them as much for subcutting. We do love their SureGrip rubberized little things to put on the back of your rulers. We have them on all of ours. I also like the rougher OLFA mat for cutting.