Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat, Full 24x36, Best for Quilting Sewing | Warp-Proof & Odorless (Not From China)

Since large cutting mats are such an investment for most of us I thought I’d share my thoughts & knowledge on the subject in case it helps someone else who's been a Fisk*** or Olf* Loyalist.... HOW SELF HEALING MATS WORK--> The mat has polymer molecules within each top layer (on a microscopic layer they look similar to small pill capsules). When your rotary blade cuts them open a substance similar to glue is released, flooding the cut & "healing" the surface. This can only happen once, hence why cutting in the same area again leads to steadily deeper cuts that don't heal up. *So, the larger the surface area, the greater the ability to prevent repeat cuts in the same area for as long as possible! MY USE--> I use mats for hemming drapes & cutting home decor fabric so I need the 24x36 to be able to fold it in half and cut the full width at once. My old cutting mat had reached the end of its life. The self healing ability was mostly gone, it had become badly warped from storage in the closet & sitting next to my steam iron, and generally was unreliable. I decided to looked on amazon before heading to the craft store with my coupon & and was impressed with the reviews of this mat so I gave it a shot. I’m very impressed & highly recommend it! WHAT I LOOK FOR--> -True 24x36 numbered cutting area to prevent having to fold the drapes that lack a straight edge after laundering. -Double Sided; allowing me to expend the life of the mat by flipping it over throughout use. -Adequate self-healing capabilities. THIS MAT--> ~Pros~: 1) The mat is numbered from 0-24 and 0-36” with a slight lip extending beyond. *After spending time reading through hundreds of reviews it seems that a lot of the other mats on Amazon (costing the same price or more) actually advertise the mat size & NOT the cutting field (some are up to 3" short) which is infuriating! This mat is the exact same size as my Fisk***- the cutting field is the size your buying! 2) It's shipped wrapped in protective plastic, laying flat in the bottom of a large box. My mailman stood the box up against our fence so the mat had a slight warping due to being in the cold morning air but it quickly laid flat again once acclimated inside. 3) The numbering includes a 0 on the end! I hadn't experienced this before with my brand name mats that start at 1"...it makes it a lot easier to glance down and find the starting point for making long cuts. It may be a personal preference but I find it saves time which is always important when sewing! 4) The 30/45/60 degree angle guides are placed on the 36” side instead of the 24”. This is great for larger pieces of fabric and cutting on the bias for piping. *There IS an additional 45 degree line crossing through the others from 20” to 20” Although I’m not sure what this is used for? 5) Quilters will appreciate the 20”x20” gridded square in the center, located at the 10-30 markings on the 36” side & 0-20 On the 24” side on BOTH SIDES. 6) Someone else already posted about the exact measured thickness of this mat compared to regular name brands but I will add my thought by saying that its AMAZING how the additional thickness helps it feel substantial, keep itself flat after storage, and avoid sliding around when cutting on the floor or slick surface! 7) The “no skunk smell” claim is true! When I first removed the plastic it had a small amount of that 'factory new-plastic smell' but that went away the same day and I don't think it would bother even the most sensitive person. 8) Another reviewer mentioned the #'s only on Left/Bottom sides- They have FIXED this, mine has #'s on all 4 sides. ~~CONS~~ 1) The Centimeter side isn't useful and it takes me a minute to figure out which side I'm on after laying it down, I wish they were both Inches or at least different colors. 2) The 1/2” lines no guide lines for 1/4 and 3/4” markings. My mats in the past have used dot lines in between solid inch lines. This makes it extremely easy to line fabric up at the inch without having to double check markings. -This mat has thicker lines every 5” so if you only need to line up for cutting these will be the easiest to use. -If you need to line up on the 1/4” or 3/4” it would be impossible for fabric bigger than the quilters 20x20” grid area in the center (this is the only area has lines for the 1/4 & 3/4”). 4) The Numbers only read in one direction so if the mat is placed with the Mat symbol upside down the numbers will be upside down on both ends. I would have liked to see the numbers read in the direction of the edge so it can be used on all 4 sides without being upside down. Most of you know that the best way to get a cheap quality mat is to wait for a sale at our local Craft store & stack a coupon bringing the discount to anything from 50-70% off retail. So, this mat may cost more but I HIGHLY recommend getting it anyways! Despite the few small things I’d change this is my favorite cutting mat purchase to date and I’ll definitely be back again in the future!

I have used another brand of self healing cutting mat and needed a different size. During my search on Amazon, I came across the mats by Calibre Art. I actually ordered 2; the mat advertised as 12x18 and the one advertised as 24x36. They both were shipped individually, in a large zip top bag, rolled, and taped. They both arrived in excellent condition. Each mat has a slight odor compared to other new cutting mats, and after being out of the plastic bag for a hour or so, the odor dissipates. Both mats lie flat on my cutting table after just a few hours out of their packages, without being weighted down. I have cut out several pattern pieces using the larger mat and am pleased with the self healing feature as well as the cm and inch markings. These mats are heavier and thicker that other mats I've seen and used. What you need to know: the mat advertised as 12x18 only has grid markings for 10.5x16.5 inches. This correlates to 27x42 cm on the reverse side. The mat advertised as being 24x36 only has grid markings for 22x34 inches; 56x86cm on the reverse side. There is a small border on all 4 sides on each mat, but it does not add up to the number of inches to equal the size that is advertised. You also need to know: I was creating my own pattern and used a very small piece of wrapping paper tape to hold my pattern paper down while I was measuring and drawing lines. When I lifted the tape, some of the cm markings lifted off the mat. In spite of the two issues I've had as related above, I still give this product 5 stars. These mats seem very well made, are thicker than others, self heal quickly, and have minimal odor that dissipated quickly. I will avoid using tape on any part of these mats in the future. Hopefully this review is helpful as these mats are relatively new to the USA market.

Tried 2 different major name brand mats from local sewing/craft stores prior to this one. Both had terrible chemical odors! The smell from one was noticeable even in rooms the mat had never been in! Searched for quite awhile to try and find a mat without a terrible smell. The Calibre Mat is the one! While there is a very faint smell if you put it up right up against your nose, it is not a chemical or skunk smell like the others I tried. And this one has been out in the open for several days in the house and no scent is noticeable at all. Plus it doesn't transfer any scent to the materials you are working with like the others did. I've only cut a few pieces of fabric and trimmed some photos on the mat using different rotary cutters for each project. The cut marks healed almost instantly. The mat is a heavier weight and thicker than most and seems very durable. It didn't slide around while I was cutting. I like that it's double sided and used the side with inch markings for fabric and turned it over to the centimeters side for trimming photos. Hope to use this mat for a long time and so far I'm very happy with it. Amazon did package this perfectly for shipping. They just used a box that was flat (not opened into a box yet) and slid the mat inside then taped the sides closed. Perfectly flat for shipping and arrived in excellent condition. Sam from Calibre Art did send a couple e-mails to check if the mat arrived and in good condition and to see how I liked the item. Arrived quickly, perfectly packaged by Amazon and so far this is a great mat!

I am not a sewer perse but needed something to cut wool with for making a chair pad. I purchased a rotary cutter and needed something to cut on so looked on line and found this particular mat. It was rated so well and also was highly noted for not stinking. Knowing nothing about cutting mats I had no idea they even smelled at all but made since given the materials it is made from. I received my mat SUPER FAST and well packaged. I pulled it out of it's nice clear plastic reusable sleeve and indeed I found it not to have a strong odor. There was a slight odor for about 10 seconds but after that no smell that I detected. Being new to cutting mats I really have nothing to compare this one to but it laid flat and the numbers on the mat were easy to read. I never expected to pay this much but nor really did I want to but given the quality of the product and seller I am glad I pinched some pennies and made the purchase. Very nice and easy to use so happy with my mat. I know the real sewers out there know what they are talking about when they give this mat 5 stars. By the way I've used it 3 times now making 2.5" x .5" strips of wool and you can't even tell I've even used this mat. I also tried making the .25" strips and I was able to do that also. It sure the heck beats cutting the strips by hand using scissors. Yep, I'm a happy camper now.

I am super-pleased with this cutting mat! Far superior to the thinner mats I've gotten at Joann's, this mat has a much more professional feel. I've been using it for a week now, and it holds up far better to my rotary cutting than the old ones. It heals much faster, as well - when I cut far too hard on a single pass and cut a deep slash, I was kicking myself, certain I had ruined it. Six hours later, I can't tell where it was, other than a small surface mark. The lines have blurred and streaked some from use, but not so much that they are unreadable - and they haven't moved, just some diagonals are marked now that weren't before. :) I really appreciate the lack of off-gassing that accompanies this mat. Some of my old 'professional' quality mats have released an odor when cutting, this mat has no such problems. One of the first major potential disasters happened yesterday - I spilled a bottle of high strength fabric adhesive on the mat! Quickly wiped it up with a cloth, and was shocked to discover no residue left behind. My old mat has multiple spots where adhesives stuck firmly to the surface, so far nothing seems to adhere to this one as long as it is cleaned up promptly. Looking forward to ordering a few of the smaller sizes as well, to replace all the mats in my sewing room - haven't checked to see if they have additional accessories, like a rotating version or smaller one for travel, but I will be!

This mat is very nice, it is thicker and l like how nice it lays and it doesn't have an odd odor. I have two observations, one is that some of the lines, especially the outside ones, are thick and I would like them to be thinner so when cutting there wasn't so much of a line that could throw off measurements. As someone else mentioned, one side is in inches and the other side is metric so here in the US the metric side isn't helpful if you want to flip the mat to get a longer life. If the lines were thinner and the mat was in inches on both sides I would definitely purchase the larger mat as I really do like the construction, very sturdy.

After looking around and getting to know the product via other reviewers, I confirm that this cutting mat is of a superior quality. I was not even aware of the potential presence of chemicals in low quality versions, this one indeed does not smell at all and worth its price. The grid inches/cm are printed very clearly in HD and can be used accurately. Shipping wise, it came perfectly flat, not "wavy". One of the four corners was slightly damaged without affecting the use of the mat ( purely cosmetic in an inconspicuous area). A big shoutout for all reviewers who helped me picking up my new cutting mat, I'm extremely grateful for your implications and thank you for the seller who offers a very good quality product !

I couldn't be happier with this cutting mat!! I am a quilter and do a lot of fabric cutting. I have purchased a lot of mats. The quality of this one is above and beyond any mat I have ever bought - very thick material, well marked lines, and I didn't have to leave it outside for 3 days because of the smell! Would definitely buy again but I think it will be awhile because this one looks like it is going to last a long time! Absolutely worth the money!

This mat is not as self healing as I would have expected for the price. My rotary cutter leaves significant groves that are definitely not healing. The larger size allows for efficient cutting of larger pieces of fabric. Lies flat and has little or no odor. The surface of this mat has not stood up well even after only a few months of intermitant use. I would not buy this mat again.