Ducky

I also prefer the Olfa frosted rulers, as they don't seem to move around on me as much as some others. I have a 24"x36" cutting mat. An instructor I had told me not to use the gridded side of the mat, but rely of the rulers for accuracy. In my case, she was absolutely right. Once I flipped the mat over and solely used the ruler for measuring, my blocks came out much better.

I did a yellow brick road quilt a few years back for my son's girlfriend. She loved it. It was in blues and yellows, and I remember it being fun to put together.

Enjoy, Moose!

Moose

I rummaged through my coupons and I had 2 40% off and 2 50% off at Joann so I went and got myself the 3 piece quilting set at 50% (fiskar cutter, mat 18x24 with the 45 and 60 degrees lines) and 6x24 ruler which is clear with 1/2" seam allowance or 1/4" also readable), a thread cutter at 40%, 5 extra blades at 50% and a 6x12 ruler at 40% (omnigrid with all the different angles and this one is non skid)... wow, did I save a lot and certainly it made it affordable. Too bad they didn't have the pattern. It looks like I have to get that online... doing that right now :)

I'm so glad I asked. THANK YOU

Now I have to figure out something about the new machine I need to get. Go figure.

butterflywing

no help here on the new machine, but think ahead to the time you'll need new rotary blades. they are quite pricey.

every once in a while check ebay and when you see a great deal, grab it. i bought a complete package of 100 (it sounds like a lot, but they get dull too soon) for $2.50 each blade. i begged my sewing friends to come in with me and no one would spend the money. even though i had to buy in bulk, it's worth it to me. my fiends are all willing to buy them from me now, but so far i have held on for dear life. in the 2+ yrs i have them i've used well over 40. as soon as they start getting dull, off they go to become paper cutters. i don't care how wasteful that is. i don't have to cut with dangerous, dull blades.

for anyone interested, the dealer i bought from is named j. nockles. i don't even know if he's still there. i hope so. i want some 28's and 18's. not 100 each though.

even if you don't buy in bulk, you can still get very good prices there. including shipping.

motomom

As a beginning quilter, I have been a little frustrated that the Olfa mat that I have doesn't line up with the quilting rulers that I have purchased. By the time you get to the end of the mat or the ruler, it is a good 1/8" off. I just don't know which one is correct!!!

Moose

I've read to rely on the ruler not the mat. However, if you want to be sure that your ruler is true, grab a non-quilting ruler and put it against it to see if the lines deviate. It could also be that the lines are not absolutely parallel on your mat and/or that they run at a very slight angle, i.e. not perpendicular to the edge of the mat... the material the line are printed on is not as solid as the ruler. I would imagine that makes it more difficult to print true measurements.