DogHouseMom

The green mat isn't the the problem - that one has 1" horizontal and vertical (vertical is in a smaller font) on the lower right corner.

The problem is the Bebe mat. One side has horizntal numbers right to left - the other left to right - which is good - BUT the side with the R to L horizontal markings has the vertical numbers in the opposite direction. The only corner that has 1" marks meeting is the lower left corner. Must be a left handed mat :)

I used a magic marker and re-marked it so it makes sense!!

And yes ... I use my mat to measure. I don't want to be dinking around with two rulers to keep in place to measure and cut. I have a hard enough time making sure the one ruler I'm cutting with doesn't slip.

gunny148

I use mine for cutting only i use my rulers

Dolphyngyrl

I cut left to right, I am right handed, never thought of doing it the other way

selm

I use the lines on the mat to line up the fabric and for measuring fabric length and width. If squaring the ends I cut with the fabric to the left but if I'm cutting fabric for piecing I measure with my ruler and the main fabric to my right. It just seems natural to me that way. Plus I think I was taught that way?

I am mainly a right-handed person although I have always done sport related things left-handed. Don't know if this is why I cut fabric the way I do.

Lisa_wanna_b_quilter

I use it whichever way is easiest. I also ignore the 1 and often count down from the higher number if it is more convenient.

M.I.Late

I think if it suits you best, ignore their markings and write your own. No point in setting yourself to have to count every inch every time you want to cut. I never use the number 1 anyway. I usually start at 2 or 3 so I am sure I am absolutely straight up and down and side to side. So for an 8" strip for instance I start at 2 and cut to 10. Never did re-mark it because I like to vary it so I'm not always cutting at the same position. If you put blue painters tape on it, you can shift it over from time to time, so you're not wearing at the same exact place every time either. Best of Luck!

irishrose

I turn my mat over and use the plain side. The lines on the rulers and the lines on the mat were too confusing for my brain. I only use my rulers to measure.

At a quilt quild meeting, I was told to cut straight away from body for accuracy. It makes sense.

Tartan

I never use the markings on my mat. I hold down my ruler with my left hand and rotary cut with my right hand, on the right of the ruler to get a straight edge. Then I rotate the matt and measure from the straightened edge to cut my sub units on the right. Can you tell by how many times I've said "to the right" that I am very right handed and left hand challenged? Go figure, two of my sisters are left handed.
Looks like a real nice mat and I hope you can make it work for you. The marker sounds like a good solution. Quilters are pretty ingenious!

Barb44

I was taught that cutting by the measurements on the mat was inaccurate. Due to the thickness of the lines, are you measuring by the outside of the line or the inside of the line? That was why my first quilts were hard to fit. My strips were not really equal. So I always use my rulers and I cut all pieces for a quilt with the same 6x24 ruler. I square up with a 12.5 ruler. This way all blocks are exactly the same. Even a 16th of an inch can make a difference.

gzuslivz

I'm right-handed and cut left to right. I only use the lines on the mat to line up the fabric. I was told once that the markings on the mats aren't always accurate, so I never used them.