Uses For Old Cutting Mats

Mats provide a sturdy surface for cutting fabrics and craft materials while protecting the table they rest on.

Uses for old cutting mats. To avoid excessive wear don t cut repeatedly in the exact same spot. Using a clean unmarked surface will double the life of your mat and your blades. When the place mat becomes too used just toss and get another. No one seems to want to recycle hard plastics.

A cutting mat should be made of self healing plastic which prolongs the life and improves the quality of the mat itself. For quilting and craft projects the use of a rotary cutter can make cutting pattern pieces faster and improve accuracy in measuring. I use my mat for lots of different things. Standardgrip mats for cricut joy come 4 5 x 6 5 11 4 cm x 16 5 cm and 4 5 x 12 11 4 cm x 30 4 cm are ideal for use with materials like vinyl iron on heavy cardstock poster board and smart material scraps that are too small to feed through the machine without a mat.

Cutting mats are placed under the fabric to avoid damaging your work surface while quilting rulers can help you cut straight as well as provide precise measurements. When your mat becomes nicked and worn in the area you use for cutting flip it around and use the opposite side or end. You can also use the back of your mat. Rotary cutters provide unbeatable cutting versatility and are best used in tandem with a cutting mat and a ruler.

High quality self healing cutting mats last longer than other. If you re not interested in making an investment in a cutting mat just yet know that cutting isn t the only task you can do with it. It s also nice to do your pinning and marking on a mat. A cutting mat is a must for an avid craft lover or sewer.

I have used my cutting mat on the dining room table and when not in use i slide it between the table top and the pad no one even knows it s there. You can t use a rotary cutter however without a cutting mat to guide your cutting lines and protect your work surface. Cutting mats eventually i wore out a cutting mat. Other uses for cutting mats.

Went to the dollar store and purchased a plastic place mat not the kind that has foam on the back side and i use this place mat for any cutting of vegetables meats etc. All the measuring is done with the ruler anyway. If i was not saving my old one for odd uses i would have to toss it in the trash. The only things i use the lines on the mat for are for lining the fabric up straight.