{"id":10037,"date":"2012-12-21T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2012-12-21T15:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/?p=10037"},"modified":"2012-12-21T13:55:55","modified_gmt":"2012-12-21T20:55:55","slug":"if-you-ask-an-engineer-for-a-cutting-board-for-sewing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/if-you-ask-an-engineer-for-a-cutting-board-for-sewing\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Ask an Engineer for a Cutting Board For Sewing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finding a smooth, indestructible surface on which to cut out fabric is a challenge.<\/strong> \u00a0There are ready-made sewing mats, but most of them are either too small or have bumps in them from folding for storage. \u00a0 For the average seamstress, there usually isn’t the option of having a table just for cutting things out. \u00a0I presented my problem to my engineer husband, since he had asked me what I wanted for Christmas. \u00a0I knew he come up with some sort of impressive idea.<\/em><\/p>\n

Still, I was surprised when he walked into the house with the solution 10 minutes after I had talked to him!<\/strong> \u00a0He had gone straight out to his workshop and cut a piece of 3\/16 inch thick hardboard<\/a> to fit my kitchen table<\/em>. \u00a0He wiped it down with a damp rag and told me to try it out.<\/p>\n

\"cutting<\/a>
cutting board made from hardboard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That day I was cutting something out using both scissors and a rotary cutter.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0The board was barely scratched from either tool. \u00a0 The rotary cutter leaves a deeper groove in the thicker plastic cutting mat that I bought at the fabric store.<\/p>\n

\"hardboard<\/a>
hardboard holds up well as a cutting mat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"hardboard<\/a>
hardboard sits well on its side<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Storage was the next thing to consider.<\/strong>\u00a0 Keeping it the size of the table top meant no edges or accidental spaces between pieces. \u00a0It also meant it would be harder to move. \u00a0The board was a bit unwieldy, but from the right angle, I could lift it off of the table. \u00a0When put on its edge, it stays straight, unlike the plastic mats, which tend to bend and curl. \u00a0Because it is such a basic, dark brown, it blends with my wood paneled walls while sitting along the bottom half of the sliding glass door. \u00a0This is very conveniently next to the table I will use it on. \u00a0I still have the option for having it cut, but for now, I like having it as one piece.<\/em><\/p>\n

The one thing that I would change is having the corners rounded or sanded some.<\/strong> \u00a0The knit fabric that I was cutting out tended to get caught on them. \u00a0I was able to avoid snags, but the corners are a little sharp. \u00a0I had asked that the mat cover as much of the table as possible, so the corners just barely extend beyond the edges of the table, but it is enough to make the corners a hazard to more delicate fabrics.<\/p>\n

It is so nice to now be able to lay out a larger pattern piece without having to constantly adjust a small cutting mat under it.<\/strong> \u00a0Also, the larger work space means I can lay out more of the pattern pieces at once. \u00a0 I can now make better use of fabric with less struggle and better use of my time.<\/p>\n

Hardboard can be purchased at home improvement or building supply stores. <\/strong>\u00a0 I saw that Home Depot has a sheet of hardboard about the size of mine for just under $15. \u00a0These stores are not places that I think of to shop for sewing supplies. \u00a0But I do go there on dates with my husband. \ud83d\ude09 \u00a0Or sometimes when keeping him company when he is shopping for supplies for another fun project to make for me. \u00a0I have always been intrigued by all the bins of things that I didn’t even know existed. \u00a0Now, when I am there, I will be thinking about how these things could be used in ways that were not originally intended!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Finding a smooth, indestructible surface on which to cut out fabric is a challenge. \u00a0There are ready-made sewing mats, but most of them are either too small or have bumps in them from folding for storage. \u00a0 For the average seamstress, there usually isn’t the option of having a table just for cutting things out. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,5],"tags":[51],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10037"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10037\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}