Hidden Threads

Rotary cutters and mats go together like – well you get the idea, always use a mat with your rotary cutter.

Mats come in a number of sizes, and most these days are self-healing. This means that the rotary blade doesn’t mar the surface of the mat - much. Once you realize that the blade on a rotary cutter is really a circular razor blade, the fact that mats stand up to wear as well as they do is pretty amazing.

Mats have been adapted to just about any application you can think of. There are rotating mats, mats that are designed to be part of a portable portfolio for people who attend classes or work away from their sewing rooms, and mats that are affixed to the reverse of ironing pads. There are large mats, small mats, mats with many shapes printed on them to help people doing appliqué, and mats that are vanilla, as in plain.

What to Look for When Buying Your First Rotary Cutting Mat

I’d suggest a plain mat for your first. A size around 16″ x 23″ is good, and an uncomplicated surface will be the least confusing. Look for a mat with gridlines that are easy to see and offer you tick marks at 1/8″ increments – that’s pretty standard. You should also look for diagonal lines going across at 60° and 40° angles. Lots of fancy shapes are overkill at this point. If you stay with the hobby, you’ll have plenty of time to decide how you want to handle some of those other tasks later.

There are lots of tips on how to cut fabric that is longer than your mat, so if you get a standard sized mat, like the one recommended above, you should be okay.

Make sure that you have a table to fit your mat without it overhanging the edge, and be sure that you can read the mat without squinting. The most common color is green, but there are others available. You want a mat that’s easy for you to see, read, and understand. Once you’ve cut your material, you’re committed, so it’s better to buy a mat that will make it easy for you to see what you’re doing, the first time and every time.

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