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Sewers please come in

mh2tmh2t
in Eco-Friendly Family
I'm trying to decide what I want for Christmas and am considering a rotary cutter and a mat.  In the limited amount of sewing I've done, I have found cutting challenging.  Is this a good investment?  If so, what size mat would you recommend?   Any favorite brands for mats and cutters?
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Re: Sewers please come in

  • suzymariesuzymarie

    For the mat, the biggest you can afford, and can store, and will fit on your table!  My mat is whatever brand JoAnns carries.

    For a rotary cutter I have the fiskars ergonomic one.  Different people prefer different ones- I think it is a matter of preference.  If you are just going to cut straight lines, get one with a bigger blade (mine is 1.5 or 2" I think).  If you want to try your hand at curves, etc, a smaller one will be much easier!

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  • pixy_stixpixy_stix member

    Good investment!

    I also love my slotted ruler.

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  • lauraandleelauraandlee

    As someone who has taught beginning sewing and quilting classes for years, I consider a rotary cutter, mat and ruler to be essential tools for quilting. 

    Mat: My favorite, and the one our quilt store uses for cutting (over 10,000 cuts/month on 5 different mats) is an Olfa mat.  They hold up VERY well.  An 18"x24" mat will get you along just fine to start.  There is a 36" x 24" mat also, which is nice, but many don't have the counter space for it.  I highly recommend storing it flat also if it doesn't have a dedicated space.  

     Rotary Cutter: Again, preference, but I love Olfa Rotary Cutters.  I have been doing it for a long time, and close the blade out of habit so I don't like the ones you have to squeeze, I like the sliding blade cover.  A 45 mm is a good size to start, and you can cut at least 6 layers at a time.  A 60mm size is great too.

    Ruler: A 6" (or 6.5") x 24" ruler will be all you need for a very long time.  I prefer the Omnigrid rulers, although I also really like the new frosted Olfa rulers (You can easily see the gridlines for cutting on all types of fabrics and the markings don't wear off).  

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  • AnnaBananaBelleAnnaBananaBelle
    It's a great tool, makes all sewing much easier!  I'd get as big of a mat as you have room for.  Mine is 23 x 16 or so, and I wish it was a bit bigger.  I have the Fiskars brand, and have no issues with it.  Just get a brand that you can easily find refill blades for. 
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  • sparklinbeckssparklinbecks member
    I just got a big fiskars mat, rotary cutter and the grid ruler for 25 dollars at joanns. I used a 50 percent off coupon I got in the mail, so basically it seemed like the mat was what I bought and the other tools were bonus. I used it to cut a big quilt and I am so glad I bought it!
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