Uses For Old Cutting Mats

High quality self healing cutting mats last longer than other.

Uses for old cutting mats.

I use my mat for lots of different things. To avoid excessive wear don t cut repeatedly in the exact same spot. 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. No one seems to want to recycle hard plastics.

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. A cutting mat should be made of self healing plastic which prolongs the life and improves the quality of the mat itself. Since recently moving have misplaced a plastic cutting board.

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. 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. All the measuring is done with the ruler anyway. When the place mat becomes too used just toss and get another.

For quilting and craft projects the use of a rotary cutter can make cutting pattern pieces faster and improve accuracy in measuring. Other uses for cutting mats. When your mat becomes nicked and worn in the area you use for cutting flip it around and use the opposite side or end. Absolutely i would use the other side before cutting it up.

If i was not saving my old one for odd uses i would have to toss it in the trash. Mats provide a sturdy surface for cutting fabrics and craft materials while protecting the table they rest on. You can t use a rotary cutter however without a cutting mat to guide your cutting lines and protect your work surface. 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.

The only things i use the lines on the mat for are for lining the fabric up straight. As a new quilter i was over attached to the lovely lines on the mat. Using a clean unmarked surface will double the life of your mat and your blades. You can also use the back of your mat.