Hi Wendy, I just found your channel and your explanation of the different kinds of cutting mats was extremely helpful to me! You were very clear and I appreciate that! It will definitely make my choosing of a cutting mat a lot less stressful! So thank you! 😊
Hi, Wendy, just found you. I use Martelli now and they’re great. I agree that beginners should start with one very large, less expensive mat that is self healing. Olfa mats are perfect for this. A second mat would be to get a rotating, self healing mat, but not too huge. A 12 or 14 inch mat is fine. I am a new subscriber and look forward to watching more of your videos.
Thank you so much for the input for everyone!!! My Olfa's have been great and still work great!! But do love my Martelli!! 😍 And welcome to my channel!!
Hi Wendy. Enjoyed your video very much. I appreciate all of the points about mats that you made, but the one that sticks with me the most...."Don't stress about it..." So, I'm not going to stress about it, and I think I'll give the OLFA mat a try... and go from there. Thanks so much!
I'm so glad you found it helpful!! I totally get it, so many people INSIST you must have this or do it this way, and most of the time, it really doesn't matter. Getting started with quilting is the most important thing. Then, as you grow as a quilter you'll discover what works best for you. Take care and thanks so much for watching!!
"The cutting mat you pick out is not gonna make a difference in your quilting." Ma'am, my frustration level is through the roof because i bought a cheap cutting mat that now has divits in it that make cutting difficult. Said frustration has me on the verge of throwing the entire sewing room away... which does affect my quilting. So, safe to say i will be clicking on your Amazon links to prevent myself from throwing away the baby with the bathwater. And btw the mat i bought was the only one available at the fabric store i frequent. I didn't know there were other types. Thanks for the vid.
TRUTH!! It is a part of the whole thing, and if you're frustrated with one aspect, well.. it impacts how you feel about all of of it. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll admit, i've never had a mat be so bad I was that frustrated. Sad to learn it was awful AND you purchased it at a fabric store. 😩 Thanks for watching, and your welcome!
You bet! I have a variety of mats on one of my tables and I also tape them together on the back side. Blue painters tape works well and doesn't leave the sticky residue like masking tape when you decide to remove it later.
Hi Wendy, can you share a little about the various marking lines on the rotary cutting mats? Some have... some haven't... I want to make my first purchase a good purchase but not sure where to draw the "line" Thank you!
I personally do not use the lines on the cutting mats for any of my cutting. I know some rely on them, but I don't. I use them only when I want to do a quick look to see the size of a piece of fabric, but NEVER for cutting for piecing. I rely on good rulers. When picking out rulers best to be consistent with your brand as well... as they do vary and it could mess with your piecing if you're using rulers from different companies. Therefore, to answer your question... I don't use them, so don't have a good answer for you. But I still hope you found this helpful.
@@WendyJHaney hi Wendy. This is an excellent answer! From this I understand that quilting requires consistancy of measurement. That is something that hasn't been impressed upon me until now. I will follow your advice on ruler selection to achieve this. Just starting I've made many garments for my nieces and over the past year had focused on making effective masks for caregivers and children. Time for me to get started with art quilting- mostly for me - but I do enjoy gift giving :) Thank you for sharing your insight!
It will just mean you'll need to be more careful with it and be sure not to attempt to cut where it's close/over the edge. Otherwise, you should be fine.
I love your comment, Don't stress about it! I am a new quilter, not a new sewer so your tips are very helpful. I live in a motorhome so storage is always an issue so I have a small one. I am hoping one day that I will be able to build out a cargo trailer as my sewing/painting studio and then I can have a grown up cutting mat! I also love your machine in the back! I struggle with quilting on a small table. Not the easiest, lol. Great meeting you, Sherry
So nice to meet you Sherry! I'm so glad, quilting should not be stressful and each person needs to be comfortable with what they accomplish. Yeah... I think I'd be in serious trouble in a motorhome!!! But I do have friends that take their quilting camping with them in the summer, and they make it work. Take care and I'll keep my fingers crossed you get your cargo trailer!
OOps... I found it by reading through the comments. Thanks for the great video and thanks for sharing the name of the beautiful quilt!! I love the bigger size blocks
Thanks for letting me know you found it. I knew I had a comment somewhere that someone else asked. I was going to have to go downstairs and dig thru my patterns to find it!! 🙃 You saved me the time!! That is one of my favorites, as I LOVE fall colors, and it went together really fast. Before I needed a backdrop for my videos it was my quilt on the couch.
Have had my fishers cutting mat 12 years, last year it cut through on the nine inch mark. I still use want to see how much more it can take. Just use just turned it side ways. I cut every day. I am user proof the things last a long time. I am looking at a swivel mat for my small pieces I hate having to pick up and having to reposition them.
Yep, I've had my Olfa mats for years also! They do say to reposition your fabric on the mat as you cut so you don't keep cutting in the same place... guess you really love that sweet spot at 9". 😂 And you're right, even if the other side doesn't have lines, it is still usable, just like new!!
Even though I'm sure you'd love an Olfa, there are other mats available that I'm sure would work just as well that would fit the size you need. Check out this one: amzn.to/3LXRyh7
Wow, I just replaced my Olfa, I have been cutting on it for better part of 20 years, it’s warped in 3 different places, making it hard to cut large cuts. But I ordered from Amazon a Bremen, I have not even cut on it yet, but wow the price difference is what got me. 20 -25 years ago I paid 60.00 (I think) this one was 28.00. Guess I will see in 20 years time.
Thanks Kathy. Pretty sure it's called Batik Diamonds. I made it years ago, and I love it too!! I'll see if I can find the pattern and the designer for you.
Hi Wendy, I just found your channel and your explanation of the different kinds of cutting mats was extremely helpful to me! You were very clear and I appreciate that! It will definitely make my choosing of a cutting mat a lot less stressful! So thank you! 😊
I am so glad to hear you found it helpful. 😍 Thank you so much for watching and letting me know.
Hi, Wendy, just found you. I use Martelli now and they’re great. I agree that beginners should start with one very large, less expensive mat that is self healing. Olfa mats are perfect for this. A second mat would be to get a rotating, self healing mat, but not too huge. A 12 or 14 inch mat is fine. I am a new subscriber and look forward to watching more of your videos.
Thank you so much for the input for everyone!!! My Olfa's have been great and still work great!! But do love my Martelli!! 😍 And welcome to my channel!!
OMG!you're so lovely:')good luck💕
Thanks!
Very nice, Wendy! I will have to share your talents with my Mother-In-Law!
Thank you Jeff!! That would be fantastic!
Many thanks for sharing your video 😃😃😃
My pleasure 😊
Thanks for watching!
Hi Wendy. Enjoyed your video very much. I appreciate all of the points about mats that you made, but the one that sticks with me the most...."Don't stress about it..."
So, I'm not going to stress about it, and I think I'll give the OLFA mat a try... and go from there. Thanks so much!
I'm so glad you found it helpful!! I totally get it, so many people INSIST you must have this or do it this way, and most of the time, it really doesn't matter. Getting started with quilting is the most important thing. Then, as you grow as a quilter you'll discover what works best for you. Take care and thanks so much for watching!!
"The cutting mat you pick out is not gonna make a difference in your quilting." Ma'am, my frustration level is through the roof because i bought a cheap cutting mat that now has divits in it that make cutting difficult. Said frustration has me on the verge of throwing the entire sewing room away... which does affect my quilting. So, safe to say i will be clicking on your Amazon links to prevent myself from throwing away the baby with the bathwater. And btw the mat i bought was the only one available at the fabric store i frequent. I didn't know there were other types. Thanks for the vid.
TRUTH!! It is a part of the whole thing, and if you're frustrated with one aspect, well.. it impacts how you feel about all of of it. Thanks for pointing that out. I'll admit, i've never had a mat be so bad I was that frustrated. Sad to learn it was awful AND you purchased it at a fabric store. 😩
Thanks for watching, and your welcome!
I have 4 Olfa mats 24x36.
Can I join them with tape on the back? I can’t find just the metal clips. I don’t want them to slide apart.
You bet! I have a variety of mats on one of my tables and I also tape them together on the back side. Blue painters tape works well and doesn't leave the sticky residue like masking tape when you decide to remove it later.
@@WendyJHaney thank you for your response
Just got the rotary mat thanks foe the tips!
You're welcome! Which mat did you get?
Olfa rotating cutting mat
Wow beautiful vdo
Thank you!
thank you this is very informative.
You're welcome, and so glad you found it helpful!
Hi Wendy, can you share a little about the various marking lines on the rotary cutting mats? Some have... some haven't... I want to make my first purchase a good purchase but not sure where to draw the "line"
Thank you!
I personally do not use the lines on the cutting mats for any of my cutting. I know some rely on them, but I don't. I use them only when I want to do a quick look to see the size of a piece of fabric, but NEVER for cutting for piecing. I rely on good rulers. When picking out rulers best to be consistent with your brand as well... as they do vary and it could mess with your piecing if you're using rulers from different companies. Therefore, to answer your question... I don't use them, so don't have a good answer for you. But I still hope you found this helpful.
@@WendyJHaney hi Wendy. This is an excellent answer! From this I understand that quilting requires consistancy of measurement. That is something that hasn't been impressed upon me until now. I will follow your advice on ruler selection to achieve this.
Just starting I've made many garments for my nieces and over the past year had focused on making effective masks for caregivers and children.
Time for me to get started with art quilting- mostly for me - but I do enjoy gift giving :)
Thank you for sharing your insight!
You're welcome!! I agree, gift giving is great, but sometimes, it's all about making something for YOU!! Enoy!
Does it matter if the cutting mat is one inch longer than your table?
It will just mean you'll need to be more careful with it and be sure not to attempt to cut where it's close/over the edge. Otherwise, you should be fine.
I love your comment, Don't stress about it! I am a new quilter, not a new sewer so your tips are very helpful. I live in a motorhome so storage is always an issue so I have a small one. I am hoping one day that I will be able to build out a cargo trailer as my sewing/painting studio and then I can have a grown up cutting mat! I also love your machine in the back! I struggle with quilting on a small table. Not the easiest, lol.
Great meeting you, Sherry
So nice to meet you Sherry! I'm so glad, quilting should not be stressful and each person needs to be comfortable with what they accomplish. Yeah... I think I'd be in serious trouble in a motorhome!!! But I do have friends that take their quilting camping with them in the summer, and they make it work. Take care and I'll keep my fingers crossed you get your cargo trailer!
Good to know, thanks!
You're welcome and thanks for watching!
Oh my goodness.... I love the quilt that is behind you! Can you please share the name of the pattern
OOps... I found it by reading through the comments. Thanks for the great video and thanks for sharing the name of the beautiful quilt!! I love the bigger size blocks
Thanks for letting me know you found it. I knew I had a comment somewhere that someone else asked. I was going to have to go downstairs and dig thru my patterns to find it!! 🙃 You saved me the time!! That is one of my favorites, as I LOVE fall colors, and it went together really fast. Before I needed a backdrop for my videos it was my quilt on the couch.
Have had my fishers cutting mat 12 years, last year it cut through on the nine inch mark. I still use want to see how much more it can take. Just use just turned it side ways. I cut every day. I am user proof the things last a long time. I am looking at a swivel mat for my small pieces I hate having to pick up and having to reposition them.
Yep, I've had my Olfa mats for years also! They do say to reposition your fabric on the mat as you cut so you don't keep cutting in the same place... guess you really love that sweet spot at 9". 😂
And you're right, even if the other side doesn't have lines, it is still usable, just like new!!
I am having a hard time finding olfa 23x35. They now only have 24x36 which is too big for my table.
well that's a bummer! Any chance Olfa has 2 smaller sizes that if you put together they would fit? It's crazy how 1 inch can make a difference.
@@WendyJHaney I wish! Thanks for the reply
Even though I'm sure you'd love an Olfa, there are other mats available that I'm sure would work just as well that would fit the size you need. Check out this one: amzn.to/3LXRyh7
@@WendyJHaney thank you so much that was so sweet! I will look into that one
Wow, I just replaced my Olfa, I have been cutting on it for better part of 20 years, it’s warped in 3 different places, making it hard to cut large cuts. But I ordered from Amazon a Bremen, I have not even cut on it yet, but wow the price difference is what got me. 20 -25 years ago I paid 60.00 (I think) this one was 28.00. Guess I will see in 20 years time.
good to try new things, at that price difference, even if it lasts only a few years, a good price.
A year in, how do you like it?
That quilt behind you is gorgeous!! What is that pattern called?
Thanks Kathy. Pretty sure it's called Batik Diamonds. I made it years ago, and I love it too!! I'll see if I can find the pattern and the designer for you.
The pattern is Batik Diamonds by Rose Cottage Quilting - Barb Sackel
@@WendyJHaney Thank you for letting me know! I want to make one for my son!
Sadly I ironed on mine and it warped. Tried as I might I could not get it to lay flat.
Oh man, that's a bummer. Yeah, an iron is NOT a good thing for a rotary cutter mat.
I own a big fiscars cutting mat
We each use what works for us.
i just need something to cut stuff on a surface without damaging whats underneath 🤣
Then go with the one that has the size that works for you and fits in your budget. 😍 Thanks for watching!!
You choose Martelli because it isthe best.There is no substitute
I would have to agree - love mine!!