Cutting Table

Fabric Cutting Table

If ever you’ve had to “make do” with something other than a fabric cutting table for sewing, you know what a tremendous pain it may be. After all, no other table will be the right height, and having to cut fabric on the floor is even worse, resulting in poorly traced fabric, as well as bad cuts that sometimes can ruin the entire project! Probably worse than anything is the way that it makes your back hurt. Some have even put out their backs with a “make do” fabric cutting table. Many others report that they have nicked their favorite dining table with a sharp tracing wheel.

It is highly recommended that if you are to have a fabric-cutting table and you are an adult you should plan on making it in between 36" - 40" in height. The point is that you need to be able to work at your fabric cutting table without having to stoop, which will put a strain on your back. Also you can get along with a fabric cutting table that is open to two sides, but it’s been proven that it is much more efficient if you have your fabric cutting table open to 3 sides if even remotely possible.

The need for the 3 sides having to be open is often solved by putting rollers or casters on your fabric cutting table. It need not be in the middle of your workspace all the time, after all, so you could fold it and store it where the space is tight when not using it such as perhaps a closet for instance.

Those who are relegated to having to cut their fabric on the floor sometimes end up giving the rug an accidental “hair cut” too! Due to this type of accident, there are times when it really pays to have a fabric-cutting table if you sew a lot.

Another extremely beneficial part of owning your own fabric-cutting table is when you need to trace the fabric prior to cutting it. Because of tracing needs, many fabric cutting tables will have a soft top meaning that you can put pins straight down in to the softer top to hold the tracing paper and the fabric without having it move during any tracing/cutting operations. Often the material found on the table is made of cork although cellulose based fiber wallboard also makes an excellent and very resilient soft top that will not disintegrate for many years to come.

Also you may decide to utilize a self-healing mat on your fabric cutting table. Some of the more expensive fabric cutting tables utilize this space age material to cover the table. Usually a self-healing mat will have 5 different layers of 3mm thick vinyl composite material. This allows the material to be cut, yet never show any cutting marks or lines of any kind! It also totally resists showing permanent holes from pins and other damaging tools.

Interestingly enough, if you have this kind of mat on your fabric cutting table, it is reversible, and very well marked so that you are always aware of the size of your project. The surface on either side is totally non-glare too, which many seamstresses find exceedingly important for a fabric cutting table.