Alto's Cutting Mat

[redcaboose1717]

Has anyone purchased this system ? I found it while trying to find the White Cutting mat that Jenny now uses for all the Tutorials she does.....
If you have this system and like it please advise
Thank you !

Jacqueline / Sugar
redcaboose1717

[Sandy Navas]

Re: Alto's Cutting Mat

Jacqueline - the mats that are used at Missouri Star are Altos. Keep in mind that they are most probably given to them by Altos as a promotional and a way of advertising their (Altos) merchandise. Having seen the mats up close and personal - those that are in the shops - and knowing that most of the cuts made by Missouri Star employees on these mats range from 1/4 to 1/2 to 1 yard - the mats have not held up as well as I would expect. They all have deep grooves which can hinder a straight edge. In other words, they aren't used as the home crafter would use their cutting mat.

I have one of the Altos cutting systems (thank you Cyndi) and find it cumbersome at best. It is too bulky to have out all the time and the effort of using it, putting it away, taking it back out is more than I can deal with. Plus I didn't find the accuracy to be that great. I would not personally invest in the system - though it has probably improved tremendously since the system I have was introduced.

[Jean Sewing Machine]

Re: Alto's Cutting Mat

I have the Altos system, and yes it is heavy and cumbersome unless it has a dedicated space. But it is so fast and accurate for cutting strips and blocks. So I love mine. I've had mine for about 4 years and replaced the mat once.

[bubba]

Re: Alto's Cutting Mat

I have one of the systems too. MM went to SewExpo with me and saw me watching the demo and thought I wanted it, so as I continued to wander around, he bought it for me. It rarely gets used. Too bad he didn't see me watching the longarm demos!!

[Sandy Navas]

Re: Alto's Cutting Mat

I have the Altos system, and yes it is heavy and cumbersome unless it has a dedicated space. But it is so fast and accurate for cutting strips and blocks. So I love mine. I've had mine for about 4 years and replaced the mat once.

I am sure yours is a lot newer than mine and hopefully they have improved them. My 'T' tends to blex or move on me a lot.

[JaniceR]

Re: Alto's Cutting Mat

I am not familiar with the system but I did personally talk to Jenny at the Houston Quilt Show about cutting mats. At that time I was in the market for a new one and wanted to know what her opinion was on mats. She said she really doesn't have a favorite and that the only reason she is using the Altos is because they find it is easier to see/shows up better on camera and not because she likes it any better than any other one. She said her old mat got completely worn out and it got replaced with the white Altos for filming reasons. Made sense to me

[ilive2craft2]

Re: Alto's Cutting Mat

I have not seen or used the Altos brand, but I love my Martelli mat that I got in Paducah. They are pricy, but I got a show special. Such a difference from the friskars one I was using. It had gotten bubbled in one spot when I accidently ironed over it.

[MartinaG]

Re: Alto's Cutting Mat

I bought it at a Quilt Expo and kind of regret the purchase. It takes quite a bit of space and is best to have a dedicated space. It also takes a bit to figure out how to layer the fabrics to make the cutting effective. By that time I will have folded and cut each fabric individually on the regular mat.

[GuitarGramma]

Re: Alto's Cutting Mat

I have the full system, and I absolutely love it. There are projects I literally couldn't have finished in time without it. I keep mine in its box behind my permanently set up cutting table and pull it out when I need to cut a fair bit of fabric. I've had it about six years and am no where near replacing the mat. Then again, most women in this forum are MUCH more productive than I am, so they've probably cut more fabric in one year than I have in six.

One of the things I've done to improve the "T" is to place little bits of paper athletic tape on the back of the "T". It prevents the "T" from sliding and has thus made this into the perfect fabric cutter.

Having said all this, I do have to say that the system is really, really heavy. Please try to lift one before you decide to buy it.

Keep us posted!