I also prefer the Olfa frosted rulers, as they don't seem to move around on me as much as some others. I have a 24"x36" cutting mat. An instructor I had told me not to use the gridded side of the mat, but rely of the rulers for accuracy. In my case, she was absolutely right. Once I flipped the mat over and solely used the ruler for measuring, my blocks came out much better.

I did a yellow brick road quilt a few years back for my son's girlfriend. She loved it. It was in blues and yellows, and I remember it being fun to put together.

Enjoy, Moose!

I rummaged through my coupons and I had 2 40% off and 2 50% off at Joann so I went and got myself the 3 piece quilting set at 50% (fiskar cutter, mat 18x24 with the 45 and 60 degrees lines) and 6x24 ruler which is clear with 1/2" seam allowance or 1/4" also readable), a thread cutter at 40%, 5 extra blades at 50% and a 6x12 ruler at 40% (omnigrid with all the different angles and this one is non skid)... wow, did I save a lot and certainly it made it affordable. Too bad they didn't have the pattern. It looks like I have to get that online... doing that right now :)

I'm so glad I asked. THANK YOU

Now I have to figure out something about the new machine I need to get. Go figure.

no help here on the new machine, but think ahead to the time you'll need new rotary blades. they are quite pricey.

every once in a while check ebay and when you see a great deal, grab it. i bought a complete package of 100 (it sounds like a lot, but they get dull too soon) for $2.50 each blade. i begged my sewing friends to come in with me and no one would spend the money. even though i had to buy in bulk, it's worth it to me. my fiends are all willing to buy them from me now, but so far i have held on for dear life. in the 2+ yrs i have them i've used well over 40. as soon as they start getting dull, off they go to become paper cutters. i don't care how wasteful that is. i don't have to cut with dangerous, dull blades.

for anyone interested, the dealer i bought from is named j. nockles. i don't even know if he's still there. i hope so. i want some 28's and 18's. not 100 each though.

even if you don't buy in bulk, you can still get very good prices there. including shipping.

As a beginning quilter, I have been a little frustrated that the Olfa mat that I have doesn't line up with the quilting rulers that I have purchased. By the time you get to the end of the mat or the ruler, it is a good 1/8" off. I just don't know which one is correct!!!

I've read to rely on the ruler not the mat. However, if you want to be sure that your ruler is true, grab a non-quilting ruler and put it against it to see if the lines deviate. It could also be that the lines are not absolutely parallel on your mat and/or that they run at a very slight angle, i.e. not perpendicular to the edge of the mat... the material the line are printed on is not as solid as the ruler. I would imagine that makes it more difficult to print true measurements.