Ever wondered what those greenish and glossy sheets are that came with your machine? Or maybe you are wishing you could make your mats super tacky for use with fabric? Time to find out what you can do.
Brother currently do not sell a very high tack mat for their machines, however, they do sell a High Tack Fabric Support Sheet to help you make your own. Often these sheets might come free with your machine or in with your mats when you buy them, or you can buy them separately in a 4 pack which will last you a very long time.
Here is what to do to use these sheets to upgrade your Standard Mat into a super high tacky mat ready for use with fabrics.
TO SET UP A HIGH TACK MAT
Using a standard mat in good (new) condition, you are going to attach a high tack fabric support sheet.
Remove the dustcover from your Standard Mat, and you will apply the fabric support sheet, glossy side down, on to the sticky grid of your Standard Mat. The green backing sheet will be facing up. Line your green sheet up across the top of the grid and then slowly roll it downwards on to the mat, trying not to get too many air bubbles under it. It may help to use a ruler too to press it firmly down as you are lowering it.
Once it is down, used a scraper or ruler and try to work out as many air bubbles as you can. You will always end up with a few smaller ones, but do your best to get out what you can.
Now peel the green backing paper off the sheet and you will find now that you have a super high tacky mat. You can use your dustcover (came on top of your Standard Mat) on top of this and your mat is now ‘permanently’ a high tack mat. (You won’t want to try and get this fabric support sheet back off the mat again – it is too challenging.)
A good idea is to label your mat now as a FABRIC MAT or SUPER HIGH TACK MAT…..write this in permanent marker pen down the side of the grid of the mat – not on the top or bottom because this can interfere with the markings that the machine reads when you load your mat to tell that it is a Brother mat.
This mat should now last you a long time. Keep it clean using the same methods as your regular mats (alcohol-free, unscented baby wipes in small circular motions over the surface after a cut or at the end of your project).
You will only need to replace this mat after it loses its sticky effectiveness or is a bit chopped up by cuts after a leaving that blade slightly too deep when cutting.
With this ineffective mat, you might now like to downgrade it to a paper/cardstock mat? Let's try and give it a new life if possible.
Happy cutting and let me know if you have any problems!