Sewing Tips: Make a Cutting Mat That Doesn’t Slip

When you’re sewing, rotary cutting mats are great for cutting with a rotary cutter. However, when cutting slippery fabrics, it’s hard to keep the fabric where you want it.

Here’s a sewing tip on how you can make your own non-slip cutting mat.

create a cork top table

Use cork sheets as a non-slip cutting mat when sewing and cutting slippery silky fabrics or when cutting with dressmaker shears. The fabric does not move like it does on the rotating mat. Stick your pins directly into the cork to hold your fashion fabric. This is also great for tracing patterns. Sticking the pins into the cork keeps everything in place.

Find cork sheets at your local hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes. Wider widths are available there. Craft stores often sell only narrow widths. Have the hardware store cut the cork to the size of your cutting table.

Draw vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines with a permanent marker if you like. Stick a tape measure along the ends for a quick measurement.

Cork sheets are flexible and light. You can roll it up when not in use. Or store it on top or under your rotary cutting mat so it’s close at hand when you need it. Keeping the cork under the turntable when not in use will prevent the turntable from slipping on the table.

Another idea is to use cork tiles to create a cork table.

More sewing tips

Raise your table legs

To help prevent back pain, raise your cutting table by placing tall tins like juice cans under each leg. This helps tremendously.

If you want to permanently raise your table legs 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.

Stabilize your sewing and overlock machines

Use a square of cork sheets under your overlock-serger or sewing machine to keep it from shifting when you sew. This is also good on the floor to keep the pedal from slipping.

make a portable cork cutting mat

Glue some cork sheets to the back of your small portable rotary cutting mat so you can take it with you when you go to your sewing classes or travel. So you’ll 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 photo frame. Cork a piece of cardboard and frame it.

Or frame the cork with some clippings from your stash or glue around tape measures or old spools of thread.

It just makes sense!

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