Rotating cutting mat - should I?
 

About 15ish years ago, everything I tried to sew was not working so I decided I was done. Done. Sewing. Forever.
And, I gave most of my tools, mats, fabric, sewing cabinet (I did keep my sewing machines, whew!) to a young girl (teenager) who was starting to sew. (I found out later she had lost interest and all that was now gone, but I've gotten over it.)

Anyway, stupid move aside, over the last few years I've been sewing again, slowly replenishing useful tools and keeping my stash to an amount that fits into a bin and a half.

I've only made a few quilts in the past, as most of my sewing was garment and cloth doll/clothing related, so now I have all these smaller cuts of fabric, a yard of less, mostly juvenile prints, and I was thinking maybe I should make some crib or baby quilts to use it up and move on to something else, unless I find I LOVE making quilts.

Some YouTube videos show the rotating mat (which I also used to have) but I can't remember if it was useful, or if I regularly used it. It's on sale at JoAnn (actually same price as Amazon) so I'm debating . . . do I want to spend the $40 for it or just rotate my cutting mat a few hundred times.

So, if any of you have one, please share your opinions and experiences. Thanks!

I have several sizes. I do use them not every time I quilt, but when I need them. I have them.

My first rotataing mat I hated with a passion so when Martelli had their round rotating mat on sale, I grabbed it. I'm in the process of slicing and dicing as I call it 306 4-patch blocks so having a rotating mat really helps me. This one also came with the pressing mat too though I've never used it in the years I've had this one. I gave the other one away just to get rid of it, I hated it that much as it would slip off the base all the time. The Martelli mat is a self-healing mat and never slips off the base. I'm still in the process of slicing and dicing my 4-patches as I do 24 4-patches at a time. It's a disappearing 4-patch pattern I saw on YouTube, an optical illusion pattern.

I have one but don't use it very often. It does come in handy when I am trimming HST's. But size wise, mine is just over 12 inches so not really useful for general cutting. I often use it for laying out pieces for a block, then carrying that to my sewing machine. Very useful for a complicated block.

I have three, the 8" circular rotating mat, the 14" rotating square mat, and the 24" rotating square mat. I use them every quilt to square up as I go. I use the 24" as a final squaring up of my larger blocks.

I can't turn my cutting mats as they are taped (semi-permanent) on the underside to my cutting table. So I use the rotating mats for squaring up as I quilt. This is another reason I cut all of my quilt pieces at once. Then I can set out the rotating mats for the piecing and squaring part and I don't have to put them away to clear my cutting table, until I am done with putting all of the blocks together.

I have a large rotating mat. I use it if I'm taking any extensive pinning work to the couch, or for folding related to paper piecing. I also used to use it there for drawing lines, but I've since replaced line-drawing techniques with other methods. Though I don't use it often, I wouldn't want to be without it.

I had the square one. The mat was okay but it always came apart. I see this type on our guild free table a lot. I bought the Martelli 17" and it's excellent. I keep it on my cutting table. The mat is replaceable. It's sturdy and smooth rotating. I have the 10" Sue Daily one and rarely use it. I don't know but it seems the ball bearings in the Sue Daily one are plastic. It sounds like it. It has a good mat.

I tend to forget I have one. I do use it once in awhile. Not a must have though.

I have a rotating mat. While I don't use it every day, I love it for squaring up blocks. It makes it so easy.

My cutting table is large with four large mats, 2x2 on top.
Gives me lots of options, whether cutting yardage or small pieces.
Sometimes it's too big, as it's too easy to have a pile of clutter!!

I have some smaller mats (assorted sizes) that I set on top,
when I want the benefits of a rotating mat.
Cut. Turn the mat. Cut. Turn the mat. And so on!

My rotating mat hack works for me!! ...
And has kept me from having another seldom used thing in my quilting room!