submitted by Tia Abell
from Threads #123

Flexible, plastic kitchen cutting mats make terrific sewing tools. I use mine (reserved solely for the sewing room) in several ways: to create a smooth, hard surface for pinning or hand-hemming projects on my ironing board (this increases my work space in my small apartment); to protect my dining table when I’m pinning or basting fabric on it; and to protect my lap and make a firm surface when I’m hand-stitching projects during road trips — my husband calls this part of my “porta-sew” kit.