Last night I went to preview night for the International Quilt Festival. One of the first people I sought out was Charlie, the olfa guy. His prices are the best in the festival and he is a fountain of rotary cutting knowledge. Last time I went to festival, he taught me how to hydrate and clean my olfa mats. This year I asked him about those pesky heat warped mats I think almost all of us have. I bought one at a yard sale for 25 cents that was badly warped just hoping and praying I could find a use for it. Well, Charlie told me THERE IS HOPE!
What you need:
a warm day
a warped mat
concrete
piece of clean, flat plywood as big as your mat or bigger
piece of heavy glass as big as your mat or bigger.
Lay your flat playwood on the concrete. Put the warped olfa mat on top. Cover with the glass. Leave outside in the heat all day. When night falls or the next day comes while it is still cooler, remove your mat and it will be left with a mat that is "reset" to flat.
Charlie says there is an 85 percent success rate...and that the other 15 percent don't follow directions.
Another tip: use a gum eraser to remove fibers that are stuck in your mat.
Let me know if you have success with this method!
What you need:
a warm day
a warped mat
concrete
piece of clean, flat plywood as big as your mat or bigger
piece of heavy glass as big as your mat or bigger.
Lay your flat playwood on the concrete. Put the warped olfa mat on top. Cover with the glass. Leave outside in the heat all day. When night falls or the next day comes while it is still cooler, remove your mat and it will be left with a mat that is "reset" to flat.
Charlie says there is an 85 percent success rate...and that the other 15 percent don't follow directions.
Another tip: use a gum eraser to remove fibers that are stuck in your mat.
Let me know if you have success with this method!
If I can remember in 8 months when it's warm again, I am definitely going to try this! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI did this and didn't have to put anything flat on top of it. I guess concrete + Mississippi summer is hot enough to do the job :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the tip on the warp mat and last year's tip too!
ReplyDeleteThat's an awesome tip! I don't have a warped one but I'm sure I'll end up with one at some point...
ReplyDeleteJennifer :)
Ha, I might be in the 15% if I ever tried as we don't tend to get warm/sun lol
ReplyDeleteSo helpful! We're still in the 80s here so I hope I can try this right away!
ReplyDeleteMmmmmmmmm! must give this a try, that's if we get anymore sun now. Someone borrowed mine and it came back warped with the sun I think,
ReplyDeleteI've warped a mat by accident before, and, I quickly reheat it, just slightly, then place it on a flat surface and top it with large, heavy, flat books for a day or two. It's worked every time so far.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a warped mat (yet), but I'll keep this im mind. I do get fibers in my mat, so thanks for the eraser tip.
ReplyDeleteWell, I needed that a couple of years ago when we moved. Oh well, I got a new one :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm going to try the eraser tip right away.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this info! I'm filing it away in my head for when I need it (I hope my "filing system" doesn't let me down)!
ReplyDeleteWow, Mary, great tip! I don't have a warped Olfa map, but there have been afternoons after my quilt group meets that I've been so worried my mats will warp in the trunk of the car while I run errands. I'll still be careful, but now I won't worry that if the mat wraps anyway it will be useless. I'm so glad you were able to attend the show. It's one of my "life-goals."
ReplyDelete