The Magic Mat is the latest product to join the Craftelier Basics catalogue, a special self-healing material cutting platforms to work with our die-cutting machine to add to our die-cutting sandwiches.
When used, it can be bent, but if we apply a little bit of heat, the Magic Mat will return it to its original shape. The new feature is perfect as we can be sure that our cuts will always be perfect. As a little tip, we suggest you rotate the Magic Mat and change its position to extend its useful life.
What do you think about this new material to work with dies? We, who have already used it, think it is very useful and practical. Let us know what you think in the comments!
The operation is very simple, it has the same function as our cutting mats for our die-cutting machines, the difference lies in the material, it is self-healing, flexible, and highly resistant. So, we have released two different sizes, the "Magic Mat" Cutting Mat for Sizzix, which has the perfect size to work with our Big Shot; and the Mini "Magic Mat" Cutting Mat for Sizzix, suitable forĀ the Mini Evolution.
How to use the Magic Mat?
As you know, to make dies we have to make the popular sandwich (if you are not sure how to do it, we suggest you take a look at our post "How to make a sandwich"). The purpose of the Magic Mat is to replace one of the cutting bases needed to make the die, no matter which one. As we know that the best way to understand how it works is by practice, we show you some examples:Using the Magic Mat with Thinlits dies
Let's say, for example, we are going to make a die-cut with a Thinlits die, which is the most common and can be found by different brands. Normally we would place the different elements of the sandwich as follows: at the bottom, we would place the multipurpose platform (sheet 1), then the cutting base, the die with the cutting side up, the piece we want to cut, and our other cutting base. Well, the Magic Mat would replace one of these cutting bases so that our sandwich would look like this: multi-purpose platform (sheet 1), then the cutting base, the die with the part that cuts upwards, the material we want to cut, and our Magic Mat.
Using the Magic Mat with BigZ dies
In this case, our "sandwich" would look like this: we would place a cutting base, the die with the cutting side up, the material we want to cut, and another cutting base. With the Magic Mat, the sandwich would look like this: cutting base, then the die with the cutting side up, the material we want to cut would be the next layer, and finally, the Magic Mat.
Advantages of using a Magic Mat
It is common for the cutting mats of our die-cutting machines to become damaged with use, the die marks are left on them, they are bent and the old cutting marks that have been transferred to our cutting mat are transferred to our designs when we make a new design. Once this happens we know it's time to replace them with new ones. With the Magic Mat, this problem disappears. As it is made of a self-healing material, it is a much more long-lasting mat. Even though after using the Magic we can see on its surface the transferred silhouette, there is no need to worry about it as it will not be transferred to the new projects, contrary to what happens with the acrylic cutting bases.
When used, it can be bent, but if we apply a little bit of heat, the Magic Mat will return it to its original shape. The new feature is perfect as we can be sure that our cuts will always be perfect. As a little tip, we suggest you rotate the Magic Mat and change its position to extend its useful life.
What do you think about this new material to work with dies? We, who have already used it, think it is very useful and practical. Let us know what you think in the comments!
