Hi Bestie! Dianna has been fighting her shoulder for a while, and she's got surgery coming up. Cutting was the part of quilting that hurt most, so when we were at International Quilt Market in Houston I picked up the SewTites Sew Magnetic Cutting System Expanded Kit for her. This is her unboxing, plus the part that matters: why a magnetic mat and ruler make cutting easier on your shoulder, your wrist, and your hands.
Key Takeaways
- The Expanded Kit is a 24" x 42" double-sided, 7-layer self-healing mat with a ferromagnetic core, an 8½" x 24" magnetic acrylic ruler, and 16 SewTites Booster magnets.
- Magnets in the ruler lock to the mat, so the fabric and ruler stay put without you pressing down. Your effort goes into the blade, not into holding things still.
- Lift the ruler, move it, set it back down and it locks again. No re-squaring, no creeping fabric.
- The Booster magnets hold any ruler you already own, including a Quilters Select ruler, so you don't have to retire your current rulers.
- The mat is big enough to lay out a full yard of fabric; the ruler reaches edge to edge.
- Pair it with an ergonomic rotary cutter if cutting already hurts; together they take almost all the force out of the cut.
In This Video
- 0:00 — Introduction and unboxing
- 1:18 — System components overview
- 1:59 — Demo and features
- 6:05 — Compatibility and closing
- 6:22 — Product recommendation
Why Dianna Went Magnetic
Dianna's old mat was aging out and she was shopping for a replacement anyway. What tipped her was the small Sew Magnetic mat she already owned: it had been working so well that a full-size version was the obvious upgrade. Her criteria were simple. Self-healing so it lasts, double-sided so she gets two surfaces, and magnets built in so the ruler does the holding on the days she can't push.
If you've ever finished a cutting session with a sore shoulder or a cramped hand, that's the problem this system is built around. A standard mat and ruler give you zero help: every ounce of pressure keeping the ruler from sliding comes from you.
What's in the Expanded Kit
Out of the box, in the order Dianna pulls it:
- 16 SewTites Booster magnets, packed in a holder. They snap to each other through the packaging, which tells you how strong they are.
- 8½" x 24" Sew Magnetic acrylic ruler. It spans the full width of the mat so you can cut edge to edge in one pass. The magnets are built into the ruler itself.
- An owner's kit covering use, cutting direction, rotation, safety and warranty, plus a QR code on the box for instructions.
- 24" x 42" Sew Magnetic cutting mat. Seven layers, self-healing, with a ferromagnetic interior that the ruler and Boosters grab onto. One side is dark grey with white lines, the other light grey with black lines, so you can pick the side that shows your fabric best.
The retail box has a carry handle and is worth keeping. If you cut on a kitchen table, it's how you store the mat flat and carry it to retreats.
How the Magnets Change the Cut
Here's the mechanism, because it's the whole reason to buy this. On a regular mat, the ruler only stays put because you lean on it. The force you apply splits two ways: some holds the ruler, some drives the blade. On the Sew Magnetic mat, the ruler's magnets pull it down onto the ferromagnetic layer under the cutting surface. The ruler and the fabric under it are clamped in place, so you can rest a hand on the ruler for balance and let the rotary cutter do the work.
In the demo Dianna cuts with what she calls "lightly pressure," everything stays in place, then she pops the ruler off, slides it to the next cut and locks it back down. No re-aligning, no fabric creeping. For anyone with shoulder, wrist or hand pain, that is the difference between cutting for ten minutes and cutting for an hour.
One tip from the video: use an ergonomic rotary cutter with it. Dianna's combination of the magnetic system plus her ergonomic cutter is what she credits with having no cutting pain at all.
It Works With the Rulers You Already Own
You don't have to switch every ruler you own to SewTites. Drop one of the Booster magnets onto any acrylic ruler and it locks to the mat the same way. Dianna shows it with her Quilters Select ruler. Any older SewTites magnets you already have, like the small set she'd been using, work on this mat too.
The Boosters earn their keep two other ways: snap them onto the Sew Magnetic ruler for extra hold on thick or slippery materials (Cuddle, pre-quilted pieces, cork, leather), or use them to pin down paper pattern pieces and acrylic templates without pins.
Original Kit or Expanded Kit?
Both kits use the same magnetic mat construction. The difference is size:
- Original Kit: 20" x 24" mat, 6.5" x 24" ruler, 12 Boosters. Right for block cutting and smaller tables.
- Expanded Kit: 24" x 42" mat, 8½" x 24" ruler, 16 Boosters. The 42" length fits a full yard of fabric unfolded, which no other mat in this size class does. Right if you cut yardage, backing, garments or wideback, or if you're replacing a large mat anyway.
If your reason for buying is pain, get the size that matches the cutting you actually do. A mat that forces you to fold and reposition yardage puts the strain right back on your shoulder.
Products Featured in This Video
- Sew Magnetic Cutting System – Expanded Kit — the full system Dianna unboxes: 24" x 42" mat, 8½" x 24" ruler, 16 Boosters
- Sew Magnetic Cutting System – Original Kit — same magnetic system in the 20" x 24" size
- SewTites Booster 6-Pack — extra Boosters to hold your existing rulers, templates and patterns
- Sew Magnetic 24" x 42" Cutting Mat — the mat on its own if you already have Sew Magnetic rulers
- Sew Magnetic 6.5" x 24" Ruler — a second magnetic ruler for strip cutting
- SewTites HDs — heavy-duty magnets for holding templates and patterns on the mat
Keep Learning
- Your Cutting Mat Has a Right Side
- Are You Cutting With the Ruler or the Mat?
- The Cutting Mistake That Gets Worse With Every Block
- How to Sharpen Rotary Cutter Blades
- SewTites Magnum: The Magnetic Sewing Pin That Changed How Quilters Work
Dianna will be back after her surgery with a longer-term review once she's cut a few quilts' worth on it. Until then, if cutting is the part of quilting you dread, this is the tool I'd point you to first.
Happy Quilting! From Corey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What comes in the SewTites Sew Magnetic Cutting System Expanded Kit?
A 24" x 42" double-sided, 7-layer self-healing cutting mat with a ferromagnetic interior, an 8½" x 24" magnetic acrylic ruler with ⅛", ¼", ½" and 1" markings plus 30°, 45° and 60° guides, 16 SewTites Booster magnets, and an owner's guide. It ships in a reusable retail box with a carry handle. See the Expanded Kit for current pricing.
Does a magnetic cutting mat really help with shoulder or hand pain?
Yes, because it removes the holding force from the cut. On a regular mat you press down to keep the ruler and fabric from sliding; on the Sew Magnetic mat the ruler's magnets clamp it to the mat, so you only guide the rotary cutter. Dianna, who is awaiting shoulder surgery, cuts with light pressure and no pain in the video, especially combined with an ergonomic rotary cutter.
What is the difference between the Original Kit and the Expanded Kit?
Size. The Original Kit has a 20" x 24" mat, a 6.5" x 24" ruler and 12 Boosters. The Expanded Kit has a 24" x 42" mat, an 8½" x 24" ruler and 16 Boosters, and the 42" length fits a full yard of fabric without folding. Choose the Expanded Kit if you cut yardage, backing or garments.
Can I use my own rulers with the Sew Magnetic mat?
Yes. Place one or more SewTites Booster magnets on any acrylic ruler and it will lock to the mat's ferromagnetic layer. In the video Dianna holds a Quilters Select ruler this way. Older SewTites magnets you already own also work on the mat.
Do I need a special rotary cutter for the Sew Magnetic Cutting System?
No. Any standard rotary cutter works. The mat is a 7-layer self-healing surface like any quality cutting mat, so blades and cutters you already use are fine. If cutting hurts, an ergonomic rotary cutter is the natural companion because the magnets handle the holding and the cutter handles the force. Keep blades sharp too: here's how.
Read the full transcript
[0:01] Hey everyone, I am so excited today to show you the SewTites Sew Magnetic Expanded Cutting System. I've really wanted this. Um, so as you most of you probably know, I have shoulder issues. I'm about to have shoulder surgery. I've had a hard time doing my cutting on my regular cutting mat. Looking to replace it anyway as it's aged. And I really wanted to test out this um SewTites magnetic system because of the smaller one that I have and it works so well. Uh, so we were at Quilt Market and Corey got it for me. So I cannot wait to unbox it for you, show you everything about it and show you how it can help if you have any shoulder issues, hand issues, things like that. I can't wait to test it out. So the SewTites Sew Magnetic Expanded Cutting System is going to come in this large box here that you see. It's got a QR code over there for instructions on how to use it. It's a 24x42 Sew Magnetic seven layer double-sided self-healing cutting mat uh with a ferromagnetic interior. So I can't wait to open this up, show you that it what it comes with. I know it comes with a ruler. It comes with some um SewTites Booster magnets. So let's flip it around and check it out. All righty. Now that I got it flipped around, I've already cut the tape and I'm going to open it up for us. All
[1:19] right. All right, now that I have it open, you can see how they have the magnetic thing holders in here, which is kind of cool the way that they have those placed in. So, we're going to pop these out. We'll get all these popped out. Oh, you can see them already magnetizing to each other. Kind of tells you how strong the magnets are going to be. Got them. Now, we're going to pop this covering. Good protection in there for the mat. Take that out. It also comes with a ruler. All right. So, we just took that out of its plastic. It's 8½ x 24. So, it's a really large, nice one, which will go across the whole cutting mat. So, from edge to edge to let you be able to use that whole surface. It already has these mag the magnetics built in to here. um to the cutting mat. You can also use the additional pieces if you need that extra little pull to it. So, it has all those that come with it as well. It also works with any additional ones that you might have gotten in the past. So, like I've had this small one in the
[2:36] past, so it's also going to work on the mat for me. So, I love that. I know they have a lot of different other ones, too. So, we're going to pop this off. Take this one off and then take the mat out. I do love how it comes with a little owner's kit, too. Kind of personalized. That's super sweet. Let's see what's in there. All right. So, it just talks about the general use, how to use it, um what cutting to use, rotation, um all kinds of really good stuff. You know, obviously about being safe with it, the warranty, and any questions that you might have. Okay, now we're going to pop this out. All right. So, this one's kind of big, so I might have to stop and get a little help because of my shoulder. Hang on. All right. So, we got it out of the box. Um, this is kind of how it's going to look. It's going to be, like I said, the 24 by 42. I can't wait to take off my old mat um that I've used. It was a great one. But I it was a time for a new mat. And when I was choosing a new mat, again, I wanted to choose one that I
[3:54] could use long term that had self-healing to it. Um that I could use both sides of it and that it would also have the magnetic system in there so it would help with cutting. So, as we're cutting a lot, we want to make sure we have something easy to use to cut. So, you know, this with the magnetic system, I get to plop it right down on there if I need a little bit of extra help cuz I just can't push as hard that day. Um, and we we all have those days, right, that you just want to your shoulder hurts, your hand hurts from all the cutting. Um, and you just want to be able to just to put a lightly pressure. So, we'll just unlock that. You put my hand here just for more more of balance probably. And then literally, it just cuts that easy. Everything stayed in place for me. Use my fore rotary cutter or ergonomic style available at Linda's. Um, great. And then, you know what? Just pop these off and I can literally just move it that easy. Lay everything back down and then lock it back right down into place. And I'm ready to cut again without holding tons of pressure. I mean, we all know we have the uh cutting the rulers, uh the mats where we don't have any assistance, whether it's magnetic, glue stick, any of that, and
[5:12] we're really putting a lot of pressure on here just to make that cut. Well, between using this uh rotary cutter, using this Sew Magnetic system, I literally don't have any issues uh cutting. I am so excited that Corey got this system for me at market. I can't wait to put it to use. So, just as a reminder, the whole system, the Sew Magnetic Expanded Cutting System comes with the 24x42 Sew Magnetic seven layer double-sided self-healing cutting mat. I love the double side of it so I can use both sides of it. Also has a 8½ x 24 Sew Magnetic ruler and then 16 SewTites Booster magnets to help. Now, what's nice about those booster magnets again is whether I want to use them here on the mat itself just for an extra helping hand or if I want to use one of my other rulers. I mean, like I have my Quilters Select ruler right here and I want to hold that in place. I can still use all the rulers that I might have in my quilting arsenal with this cutting mat just by using the included magnets that come with it. I cannot wait to uh try this out more, use it more, um come to you after I have my shoulder surgery using it. So, if you're looking for a new system to replace your older system like I was as well, um but also want to have something that kind of
[6:30] holds that fabric in place for you to make cutting so much easier, this is definitely investment worth thinking about. Jump over to lindas.com. The link will be in the description. There'll also be a discount code for you in the description to try this cutting system out. Thanks for watching.
