- 1). Place the mat on a table or other flat surface, with good clear lighting above. Make sure that there is nothing around the mat that will interfere with the cutting process.
- 2). Lay the fabric on the mat. You may use multiple layers of fabric. Line up the top and bottom folds or edges of the fabric with the horizontal lines on the mat, and have the right hand edge of the fabric a little past the right side of one of the mat's cutting lines.
- 3). Lay the ruler on top of the fabric, lined up exactly with the cutting line. Hold the ruler down firmly, but make sure that your fingers are on top of the ruler and not extending over the mat.
- 4). Begin cutting along the cutting line on the mat. Cut from the bottom toward the top, running the rotary cutter snug along the ruler edge. At the end of this cut, remove the small bit of fabric from the right-hand edge and discard.
- 5). Move the ruler to the left on the fabric. Do not move the fabric--keep it centered on the mat lines. If you are making three inch strips, use the measuring lines on the mat to determine where to set the ruler. Firmly place the ruler on the three inch line, and cut along the ruler edge again.
- 6). Make diamonds by placing strips vertically on the mat, and using the 45 degree markings on the mat. Lay the ruler so that it is even with the 45 degree lines, and cut along the edge of the ruler.
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