It was my birthday in 2009 when I went out and spent $67.00 in quilting supplies at Joann Fabrics. I bought a mat, rulers, pins, and a rotary cutter and a “mini” iron for pressing seams (I haven’t used that yet). Of course, it never occurred to me that I could hate quilting.

This year , however, it became apparent that I had put my mat to “very good use” because it started showing unusual and ugly “wear and tear.”

It was especially obvious after trimming some batting, the lint from the batting was stuck in the crevices and wouldn’t come off!!! Not even with my usual tricks of erasers and a very sticky lint roller.

Well, I forgot my mat when I went on vacation so I took advantage of a sale and splurged to buy an “Olfa” mat, even though it was only 12 x 18 inches, I was excited to add this “name brand” mat to my quilting tools collection.

Except right after the first cut, the same damage was happening to my brand new mat!!!

The problem was the blade and NOT the mat!! I hadn’t changed out the blade in my rotary cutter for quite a while. I should have known.

So what have I learned from this experience?

Don’t be afraid to change out your dull blades they are cheaper than having to buy a new mat.

But I also learned something about mats…

My first mat is a FISKARS. And although it feels more “plastic” I love the dots along the mat that help with measuring and aligning when cutting midway across the mat.

The OLFA mat is “SUPER” comfy in that it has a more “rubbery” feel that I prefer, but the only measuring lines are on the perimeter of the mat. I’ll have to investigate if the larger mats have more lines.

Now look at something pretty and rest your eyes.  Which cutting mat do you have?