I found this mat at Prairie Point Quilt and Fabric Shop in Shawnee, Kansas. I don't get there very often because it's almost an hour away, but I LOVE this shop. They had two sizes at the shop. I chose to get the smaller of the two. This one is 8 1/2 inches square and sold for $19.99. The larger one was much bigger and sold for, I believe $79.99. Since I wasn't sure if I'd even like it, I chose the smaller one. Plus, I plan on using it next to my sewing machine and I'm supposed to be able to use it directly on any surface and it won't get damaged.
This was on the backside of the label. I thought it was interesting and may have to try them sometime.
Since I didn't know too much about the wooly mats, I decided to head over to their website and see if I could find out a little more about them. My first question, was "Can I use steam?" I found the answer to that on the care instructions page. I found out I can use steam, but I need to hang it up so it can dry.
I was told the mat would probably smell like wet dog or sheep when I first used it, but that it would go away in time. I've honestly only used it once and didn't notice much of a smell.
Ok, this is the problem I have with the mat. See all the moisture on the table? Please forgive the big scratch, it's an old used table, but it's nice and sturdy. The sales girl at the shop assured me one of the great things about this mat is that it could be used anywhere and the surfaces would not be harmed.
I ironed one fat eighth with a little steam and when I moved the mat, this is what I found. If I hadn't looked at the website, I never would have even thought to see if the mat was wet. I picked up the mat and was very surprised how wet it was and how much water was on the table. I hung the mat up and it didn't take long to dry.
If I hadn't picked up that mat and checked, I think I could have easily ruined both the mat and my table. This is something I've never worried about when ironing on my old fashioned ironing board.
I'm not sure what I think of this wooly mat. I'm going to refraining from rating it at this time and use it for a bit longer and then revisit the topic.
UPDATE! I wrote the above about a week ago and have since done a little more research. I think I didn't receive the full information from the sales girl at the shop. Yes, it won't damage your surface...if you use a dry iron. If you use steam you will need to place the mat on a protected surface and hang it up to dry when done.
Sara at Sew Sweetness talks about the mat in this You Tube video at about the 23:34 mark. The brand she sells is The Gypsy Quilter. In the video she reads right off the information on the package about using a dry iron versus a steam iron. The brand, Wooly Felted Wonders that I purchased, did not have any of this information on the package. I only found it by going to their website.
I'm giving the Wooly Felt Mat 💜💜💜 out of five. I'm not in love with it and I don't want to worry about whether or not I'm using steam. My plan was to keep this by my sewing machine, but I'm not sure that is going to happen now.
Do you have a wooly mat? What do you think of yours?
Happy Sewing,
Lori
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