Hi all - I've been googling trying to find a cutting mat with a grid in inches (!) that is around 42" x 24" and a ruler of 42" ish for cutting WOF strips of fabric, particularly when making One Block Wonders. All I can find are either blank mats at 60" or mats at 70" (too big!) that are in fact two joined together.

Does anyone have such a mat/ruler set up and if so what brand is it? I plan to buy it in the UK when I go over for Christmas, so if I knew a brand I could hopefully find a supplier there. I've got not a hope in heck of finding it here in France or in Holland - all metric anyway. :shock:

A1 size is the largest I have come across, which is about 35 in x 24 in, and several makes do those. If you find a bigger one, let me know please

K, I just found a magazine article by Bethany Reynolds where she says to cut your fabric in half first. Makes sense. I'll see if I can find it again and send it to you or reference it.

this is my dream mat. i WILL have it someday. it would perfectly fit a sheet of plywood.

http://www.cutting-mats.net/cutting-mat-1072.html

cruise through this site. i'll bet they have a size you'd like.

I have a Duraheal CB-1 36x24 Mat and a Olippa lip edge 24 inch ruler that I use nearly every day. They never get put away.

Thanks Patrice -they do a 2' x 4' which is perfect but won't ship internationally, so I've emailed them and asked if they have a UK stockist. Wow - you could use that big guy as a dance floor! :lol:

Lace - I'll let you know their response.

Gai - yes please, I'd like to see that. I guess that would be a solution but you would lose some triangles.

Thanks for the other responses, I can find the 36" x 24" no problem, it was the WOF size that I was looking for. :D

Alvin say they're not available outside the US. I found another supplier who'd ship here from the US but they wanted 116 USd just for shipping. :shock:

However, Lace, I found a UK supplier of large mats here http://www.rotatrim.co.uk/printable.php?product_code=2

Thanks everyone, for your help. :D

JoAnn's and Hancock's both have a package of 3 large(at least 24X36 each one) that have connector things to put them together. One of these days I'd like to get a set. I don't know if you're looking for something this big.

I use a 36 x 45 mat I purchased from sewing emporium 619 420 3490. No affiliation yada yada.
It is a white mat with a harder smooth surface. I like it a lot.

I don't know if this can be helpful since it's in the U.S...but they do exist. I have a very large gridded cutting mat that fits my entire table. I needed to trim it down just a tiny bit to fit perfectly (these mats do cut with circular saw).

I bought mine here:

http://quiltersrule.com/mats/sf-mats.html

Joann's has a mat that is approximately 36x60. When it goes on sale, it's around $40. I haven't seen a ruler larger than 24. I would think it would be difficult to control a larger one.

I would love to find that ruler too! Let me know if you find one. I have a 42x36 mat by Olfa I think. It does make a big difference for cutting the strips!

Thanks, K, this one looks interesting, but is it marked in metric or imperial? I had never heard of any measuring 4ft x 8ft, the mind boggles. My only worry would be how long would it last, Patrice. My first Olfa A1 cutting mat lasted around nine years, and withstood all the cutting in my shop. My second one is worn out already, and is only 3 years old! I wonder if they are building in obsolescence, as in white goods?

Edit, I do have a ruler 30 in long, but it's only 2.5 in wide.

36x24 Olfa cutting mat is what i have. i have two actually, one many years old and a newer one.
http://www.olfa.co.jp/en/body/kind/9_p1.html

I have this one from Joanne's. I couldn't find out if they ship overseas.
It has the 1' grid and the angle lines. Have it a few years. I find the black lines on the opaque white mat are much easier to read than the green mats.
http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.j...ODID=xprd74039
Mary Ellen
FL

Thanks so much everyone for taking time to offer links and advice. It is frustrating sometimes how easily you can get stuff in the States that we struggle to find in Europe - maybe I'll have to move over there. :D

Lace - yes, that one is gridded in inches. :D

I've been googling rulers but can't find any longer than 24". I appreciate that a long one would be more difficult to control but it must exist - I'm sure I've seen WOF length rulers in fabric shops. I'll keep looking. :D

Oh i got a longer ruler than 24 inches. it's at least 36 with a lip on it. cant' remember who is was by. it's lines are in black.
the main rulers i use are Omnigrid and Omnigrip (those just have a bit more stability stuff on the back). good luck.
I just saw some online 4x36 inches called O'lipfa craft ruler. you might try to find those.