When you are sewing, rotary cutting mats are great for cutting with a rotary cutter. However, when you are cutting slippery fabrics, it is difficult to keep the fabric where you want it.
Here is a sewing tip on how you can make your own non-slip cutting mat.
Create A Cork Top Table
Use cork sheeting as a non-slip cutting mat when you are sewing and cutting silky, slippery fabrics or anytime you are cutting with dressmaker shears. The fabric doesn't move around like it does on the rotary mat. Poke your pins right into the cork to hold your fashion fabric. This is great for tracing patterns, too. Stabbing the pins into the cork holds everything in place.
Find cork sheeting at your local hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes. Wider widths are available there. Craft stores usually carry only narrow widths. Have the hardware store cut the cork to the size of your cutting table.
Draw vertical, horizontal and bias lines on it with permanent marker if you like. Glue a tape measure along the ends for quick measuring.
Cork sheeting is flexible and lightweight. You can roll it up when not in use. Or, keep it on top of or under your rotary cutting mat so that it is handy when you need it. It will keep the rotary mat from slipping on the table if you keep the cork under the rotary mat when not in use.
Another idea is to use cork tiles to create a cork top table.
More Sewing Tips
Raise Your Table Legs
To help prevent back aches, raise your cutting table up higher by placing tall cans like juice cans under each leg. This helps tremendously.
If you want to permanently raise the legs of your table and the legs are tubular, you might try PVC pipe. Put caps on the ends of the pipe or use casters to keep the legs from marking the floor.
Steady Your Sewing and Overlock Machines
Use a square of cork sheeting under your overlock-serger or sewing machine to keep it from moving around when you sew. This is also good on the floor to keep your foot pedal from sliding around.
Make A Portable Cork Cutting Mat
Glue some cork sheeting to the backside of your small portable rotary cutting mat so you can take it with you when you go to your sewing classes or travel. Then, you will have both mats available when you need them.
Make A Cork Bulletin Board
Make a cork bulletin board to post your sewing notes, etc. Recycle an old picture frame. Glue cork to a piece of cardboard and frame it.
Or frame the cork with some trim from your stash or glue measure tapes around it or old spools of thread.
It just makes sense!
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