Aren't the Little Ones such wonderful helpers. I came home from a scrapbook retreat to find that my son had traces shapes onto one of my cutting mats. No amount of scrubbing removed that ink, but fortunately it was only cosmetic damage.

You've gotten some great suggestions for storage. As to the cutting, lots and lots of practice and patience. And even then, sometimes mistakes happen. I'm sure your cousin will love it. Have you considered putting your cutting mat on your ironing board? I think you'll find it much easier to cut with your cutting surface raised. Or perhaps setting up a space on your kitchen counter after your Little One has gone to bed one night to do a lot of cutting at once.

Cheers, K

I think hubby has finally agreed to clean off his desk. He has a laptop so he never uses his desk computer anymore, thus the desk just collects dust and all his junk. So that will give me a nice place to cut on. And I plan to order me a nice mat along with the shape cutter ruler someone mentioned.

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions, I truly appreciate it.

You can buy a folding table --6' long or so for under $50 at most home stores. When folded it slides between stuff--------like between the wall and your washer, maybe.

Just the right amount of work surface. I sometimes set up an ironing area on the far right end, too.

I have thought about that but our bonus room, where I sew, isn't that big. Plus his desk is a good size and not being used so I won't have to spend any more money.

I empathsise with you since for years I did not have a space to sew, (long before I started quilting) I used to use a card table, but you can usually find folding tables at thrift stores for Cheap and that would be a good substitute to lugging everyting around. Good luck with your quilting, it kinda stifles the urge to create when you have so many obstacles.

Sabrina,

The more fabric you cut, the more accurate you become. My favorite ruler is the June Taylor Shape Cut. The slots keep your rotary cutter straight while you are cutting. I need all the help I can get. lol

Thanks! It is on my wishlist along with a new mat. I plan to either pick it up tomorrow if my store carries them or order it online, either way it is being bought this week. lol

Wow, I know I cut my pieces on the floor as well. It is quite challenging and I have small rectangular cutting board which I cannot do without. I have threatened to throw out every toy and ground my 5, almost 6, year old for wanting to play with it. I hope you have broken down your DH and he clears off his space for your needs. :)

good luck on your next quilt looking forward to seeing it when you are done

I have stored my mats both under the bed and under the mattress in the guest room. Under the bed was great until I had a litter of foster kittens in the room and I could hear them sliding on them with their very sharp little claws. That's when the 'under the mattress' idea came into play. Just be sure to remove them before someone sleeps on the mattress although I forgot and there was no damage done. Best of luck as you are learning. Practice does make one better.