I attended a Sewing & Quilting Expo and had fun wandering up and down the vendor aisles. I wasn’t looking for anything. Then I saw it. A glittering piece of jewelry would not have drawn my eye faster. I’m a quilter. And I love new sewing toys. My eyes would not leave the Olfa 12" Square Self-Healing Rotating Rotary Mat.


Description

This mat rotates! 360-degree rotation! A full circle!

Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself with all this excitement. This mat actually measures 12 1/2" square and is only 3/16" thick. Yellow ruler and 1" grid lines cover the mat’s smooth green surface. The reason the mat is labeled as a 12" square is that there are ruler markings bordering all four sides of this mat, set in 1/4" from each side ... and the ruler markings form a 12" square. In case you are wondering, the ruler markings are in 1/8" increments. There are no metric measurements on this mat.

There are other ruler markings, too. Straight yellow lines cross the mat on 30, 45, 60 and 90-degree angles. These lines bisect an 8" diameter circle also drawn in yellow.

What makes this mat special is that it rotates. The green self-healing mat is mounted on a rigid glossy white plastic board and is one piece. The second piece, which can be considered the bottom, is also rigid and colored black. The top side of it is a hard smooth plastic material, and the back side is softer with a rubberized feel.

The two pieces of these mats are designed to pop apart if desired. The bottom of the top section (the white backing of the self-healing mat) has a glossy 2 3/8" diameter black circle affixed to it. The black mat has a hole in the center where this circular piece is inserted. When the top and bottom sections are placed together, the circle allows the mat to spin a full 360 degrees.


My Experiences

Wow!!! I love this mat.

If you quilt, you know what it is like to sew tens and sometimes hundreds of quilt blocks together. Then each block needs to be squared so that all four sides (or however many sides) are all equal measurements. I used to sit at my traditional rotary mat and have to move around the table to gain access to all the edges ... either that or flip the block around as I worked on it.

Enter the Olfa Rotating Mat. No more moving around a table or other flat surface while trimming blocks. Let the mat do the spinning while you stand or sit in place. I can’t believe how easy this mat is to use. It also saves my back from prolonged standing like I used to do when maneuvering around tables, stationary mats and quilt blocks.

Ah, you say ... is that all it does? Well it depends on what types of projects you do. I’m currently working on a crazy quilt wall hanging that consists of multiple blocks. While sitting at the sewing table, I can place this rotating mat nearby with a quilt block on it. I can play with fabrics, lace, ribbons, button and embellishment placement ... all the time turning the mat so that I can view the block at different angles. Amazing how seeing the block from different viewpoints can alter a design decision.

The lines on this mat also help with my rotary cutting. I can line the fabric up with the grid lines, place my acrylic ruler along those lines, and confidently use my rotary cutter to slice squares, triangles and diamonds of fabric knowing that my cuts are accurate. The rubberized bottom of this mat also grips well on a table surface so that the mat does not shift.

This mat smoothly rotates as long as it is on a flat surface. It is designed to always lay flat. It cannot be folded. Also, keep the mat away from heat so it does not warp and do not try to use it as an ironing board or the mat will become damaged.

I love the fact that I can now comfortably stay on the same level as my fabric. Using this rotating mat means I no longer have to do gymnastics around a stationary cutting board. No more blood rushing to my head or having my back twinge as I contort in different directions to cut fabric. The convenient size also makes it portable so that I can easily move it around my sewing area or even tuck it into a totebag to take to a sewing class or when I travel.


Self-Healing Olfa Mats

A great feature of these mats is that they are “self-healing”. That means when the rotary cutter blade slices into the mat, after the blade is removed, the two sides of the mat join together and heal. The mat remains smooth and ready for the next cutting project.

Olfa recommends the use of a rotary cutting mat with a rotary cutter in order to protect the rotary cutter blade. This keeps the rotary cutter blade in good condition for a longer period of time.

This mat is easy to clean, too. Since the two halves come apart, it is simple to clean between the layers so that the mat will always rotate smoothly.


Purchasing

My dream faded a bit at the edges when I saw the retail price of this nifty rotating mat was $34.99. I had a hard time justifying the cost, but I wanted it soooooo much. Then a few days after first seeing the mat, I received a 50% off coupon for Joann.com via e-mail. I zipped over to the website and purchased the Olfa Rotating Mat for $17.49.


Summary

I can’t say enough nice things about this Olfa 12" Square Self-Healing Rotating Rotary Mat. It is easy to use, has multiple measurement and grid lines, is easy to keep clean ... and it rotates in a full circle. I can see where those who work with paper designs can also benefit from this mat. Well, I have to spin ... I mean run. I want to play .... I mean seriously do some quilting ... using this rotating mat, of course.

I hope you have found this review useful.

Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Additional Information

Olfa North America
33 South 6th Street
Terre Haute, IN47807

Toll-free Phone: 800-962-OLFA


Please read my other reviews:

Olfa Self-Healing Rotary Cutting Mat

Olfa 18mm Rotary Cutter

Olfa 28mm Rotary Cutter

Olfa 45mm Rotary Cutter

Olfa Rotary Cutter Replacement Wheels – all sizes

Olfa 4-pack Mini Weights with Organizer

Olfa Weights

Quilter’s Dream Sewing Table

Horn of America Sewing Chair

Janome Jem Sewing Machine

Ott Lite Flex-Arm Plus True Color Lamp

Keepsake Quilting Online Store

Joann .com Fabric & Craft Store



Copyright 2005 Dawn L. Stewart

Recommended: Yes