Repurposing cutting mats
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Lived in San Diego now retired in Eagar, AZ.
Posts: 887
my fave is my warped board cut to fit the back of a cookie sheet...glued with contact cement so it is steady and flat now...inside the cookie sheet, i i put pc of cardboard, wrapped with old blanket and then covered with denim (my favorite ironing surface) ...then glued this all inside the cookie sheet...pin-able, ironable and cutable... and reclaimed a ruined board. I also have little ones for the end of my ironing board and inside my sewing kit.
#14
my fave is my warped board cut to fit the back of a cookie sheet...glued with contact cement so it is steady and flat now...inside the cookie sheet, i i put pc of cardboard, wrapped with old blanket and then covered with denim (my favorite ironing surface) ...then glued this all inside the cookie sheet...pin-able, ironable and cutable... and reclaimed a ruined board. I also have little ones for the end of my ironing board and inside my sewing kit.
My fav is to cut the board up into smaller pieces. I use them for cutting small stuff next to my machine, take them to sewing groups or put them into sewing bags that I make and give as gifts. I too started with one that was warped from being left in a hot car. When I cut it up the first time, I cut a 9 X 12 piece out of the warped mat and placed it with aluminum foil on either side between two cookie sheets in cold oven. On top of the cookie sheets I put 2 cast iron skillets. I turned the oven on to 200 degrees. I allowed the oven to heat and then "cooked" the "sandwich" after the oven reached temperature for 30 minutes. I then turned the oven OFF and did not remove the "sandwich" until the oven was COMPLETELY cold.
The piece of cutting mat was perfectly flat.
Now - I will be honest with you, it is not as flexible or pliable as it was before BUT it is flat and very usable.
#15
I did this very thing with one of mine. depending on size of matt, you might make a couple and share with a quilting friend or give it as a Christmas gift.
#16
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: I am located in Rocky Mount VA
Posts: 165
What a wonderful thread this has been for me! I am wanting to buy a bigger and better (and not worn out) mat, and I probably would have thrown the old one out!!! Thank you for all the great ideas!
#19
I have laid warped ones out on the sidewalk on a hot sunny day and they flatten out just fine.
Either cut the good parts off and do lots of cutting on them in an effort to save your new big mat.
If it's not too terribly warped (and maybe if it is) you can always try to use contact cement to glue it to a smooth board. You apply the cement to both the board and the mat, then put them together. It may take a couple of people to get it smooth. You'll also need weight to hold it down while it cures.
If it's not too terribly warped (and maybe if it is) you can always try to use contact cement to glue it to a smooth board. You apply the cement to both the board and the mat, then put them together. It may take a couple of people to get it smooth. You'll also need weight to hold it down while it cures.
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