I'm looking to purchase a new cutting mat and would like to know what you've proven to be the best. Is there any way to prevent batting and fabric fuzzies from sticking in the grooves of the mat after being used for awhile?

i ct batting and fuzzie stuff and felt and flannel on the back or use my old mat

I have newly discovered the Fiskers yellow ones, and love them!
About the fuzzies they can be removed.

The bestest ones I have ever bought are from the college my DD attends. They are for the drafting students, proffesional grade and double sided! One side is marked, the other is not. They measure 23 x 35" and run $22 or so!
All the ladies in my quilt group have had me pick them up-awesome price! About twice as thick as the others. The brand is Alvin.
http://www.artsuppliesonline.com/cat...?cata_id=10562
this is what they are, but those prices are about double what I pay at the college. If you have a college nearby, you could always check there!
Happy cutting!

Thanks for that tip -- I'll check it out at the local college.

just call the bookstore at the college and ask for drafting cutting mats.

What an interesting idea. I never would have thought of that.

HOw cool. It's funny how the cost of things can change based on what they are used to.

Slightly cheaper on ebay than the art supply link. Thanks for the tip!

http://www.shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&...All-Categories

I love my Martelli cutting mat. Hard enough to keep from cutting into them and soft enough not to be slippery.

I love my Olfa mats! When I get through cutting I use a damp cloth to clean it and then a sticky lint roller to get all the remaining strings and fuzz out of the cracks. Works great!

Just for grins, I googled drafting cutting mats and found a bunch of different sites. Now this is a cutting mat --
http://www.cutting-mats.net/selfheal...-mat-1074.html

I've only had fiskars and dritz. I don't like the dritz one at all. I never use it. I have a bunch of different fiskars ones and I love those.

A friend clued me in to using the sticky lint roller after each use.
Its one of my favorite tips.

i think that i about broke the keyboard drooling over this mat. wish that i had the space, and the money for it.

I just recently bought a 24x36 Alvin cutting mat...it is wonderful, I love it. I bought it through their web site and it was a great price compared to quilt shop prices, and much better quality. cutting-mats.net

I hate my June Tailor mat. It is gray and doesn't heal well at all. I have better luck with Olfa.

I splurged on an Alvin cutting mat a couple of years ago - actually bought a stock size and they (even though their web site says they won't) cut it in half for me. I am still using the same half without any problems and have the second half in reserve - and at this rate - am not sure I will ever use it! LOVE it!

I'll have to check out the college bookstore in Iowa City on Monday :D Thanks for the great tip :D

I'm in the market for a new cutting mat and I'm reading the old threads from last year. Do you still love your Alvin mat? I've went thru 2 of the white mats from JoAnn's even using all sides and they are grooved so bad I can't cut a straight line (I know I press really hard when cutting due to weakness in my hand). Thanks in advance for feedback, Joyce

I have an Olfa and love it. Since you can soak them in a tub. The self healing love water. I just put mine on a towel and use a soft brush on it, then rinse it. After it is dried I go over it with one of thos circular discs that they sell to smooth any cutting lines that I may have missed. It looks great

I have the Martelli cutting mat. I've had it for over 5 years. They are 2 sided. One side is yellow and the other side is purple. It also has a grid for squaring up blocks. It has been rolled up and left in the car when it was hot. It went back to lying flat. They are pricey but well worth the $$. When you buy at a quilt show they are cheaper. No fuzz. I make a lot of quilts a year and no "cuts" on the mat.

I also have a Martelli. It is worth every penny!!

I've had an Alvin mat for more than a year, and love it. Didn't know about the college connection and there's a college in my town. :( Mine came from Hayneedle.com; 30 x 42 inches for $64, free shipping if I remember correctly.

I have an Alvin mat I've been using pretty heavily for about a year and it's still in great shape. I love it! I have the 24 x 36; I am pretty sure I bought mine on Amazon.

Agreed on the Alvin, although it takes a little getting used to as the markings can be a little confusing. I've got the 24x36.

Whatever you buy, avoid purchasing a mat that has been stored rolled up. You will never quite get the bend out of it. I let the salesperson convince me last time that it wouldn't matter. Three years later, it's still warped.

I'm with natalieg. I use an Alvin mat as well. I love it, and it surpassed the omnigrid and olfa mats I have used, and cost a lot less for a bigger mat.

These mats are great! I have one on a 6ft folding table. My guild has one for each table. The mats have kept the dark wood table tops in perfect condition. Those tables are very expensive for the church to buy so the mats are worth the price. The mats are years old and still look great.

Over a year ago, I bought a Big Mat as a quilt show special and I LOVE it. Best of all, the roatary cutting blades do not wear out as fast. www.sewingemporium.com I had one of those white mats form Joanns...never again.

One more thumbs up for the Alvin mat!!:thumbup:

I just ordered one at a quilt expo. The mat I have is decent, (Big Mat) but due to the inch layout, I can't use it where I want it. I have trouble with certain colors on the Olfa and the yellow lines.

How do you clean the Martelli? The salesmen were fairly new and didn't know. I've got 505 on the Big Mat, tried rubbing alcohol, and the lines started coming off. The Olfa will scrub, but if you cut batting, you have a mess. They salesmen did mention Windex. I don't pick the mat up from the table. So coffee stains, 505, ink, cat hair and other cat deposits get all over it. The deposits get cleaned up as soon as I see them, coffee and other stains not so much.
I mark Mat Board for pics on the table - however I keep an old large Olfa to cut the mat board on in a different room.

They are behind in shipping, so I won't get it for a month. Switching colors might help with seeing a few fabrics.

Thanks

I turn my mat over to cut batting on the back side. A find grit sandpaper takes the batting threads out of the mat in one swipe.

I have two Sew/Fit cutting mats that my Mother and I ordered from Clotilde, I think. The reason for my foggy memory(other than age) is that we bought them more than 20 years ago. They are the pinnable, self healing. Other than brief periods of her illness, they have been well used. Now showing some grooving, but still in good shape. Have a few other brands....I think they are under bed in guest room.

OH MY..I ck'd that site and it froze my computer--tho't I'd never get it closed. I hate it when web sites do that--not very often, but sometimes I have to restart to get it gone. Expensive mat at $159...I have one, but I bought mine at an estate sale for $60 and it covers my entire cutting table. I think it was used for making draperies--so big I had to cut it to fit. But I still use a 24x36 on top of that. It just seemed to be awfully hard & I was afraid it was dulling my rotary blades. Really nice for laying on the lines tho.