Has anyone here successfully cut quilting cotton with fusible on the back for appliqués using a Sekelma mat? I have one coming tomorrow after seeing a few companies out there using something similar and was wondering if anyone has used it and if you mind sharing settings. I hate to mess up a $180 mat ! Thanks much, Deb 
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I have used the Seklema mat quite a few times with paper. It is specifically for laser cutting thin materials, so you should not have a problem. The mat has nothing to do with your material settings. Simply adjust your cut settings to just go through your material, use the set focus tool before placing your material and you should be good to go.
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Thanks so much. I have used settings for my fabric when held down using tiny magnets (so the fabric doesn’t blow away) Will experiment with some small areas first. The mat is 24 inches so a little bigger than it needs to be so I have wiggle room. If this works it will be a game changer for my business. I have not used the set focus feature will look it up.
You probably don’t need to hear this, but don’t stack layers of fabric as that is a fire danger. The set focus tool should be used for all of your cutting. Click the three dots in the interface, move your cursor over the part of the interface bed where you will place your design and click. Watch as the printhead moves to that point and confirm that the red dot from the printhead lands squarely on the material. The camera view adjusts, and then you place your artwork. You do not have to enter any height or thickness information as that has been calculated in the set focus application.
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Sure, lots of owners have used them - no problems.
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Thanks, Yeah one layer at a time, which is why using magnets to hold things down was too labor intensive. Look forward to getting the mat tomorrow and giving it a go Thanks again for the advice and heads up
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@deb1, I’d love to hear about your experience using the Seklema mat for cutting fabric. Please let us know how it goes!
I haven’t spent the money on a Sekla, but I made my own by taping painter’s tape sticky-side-up to a piece of draftboard. It worked pretty well, actually.
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I had perfect results cutting fabric on a vacuum table, but it’s a bit of work to make one.
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I will let you know! I only use 100% quilting cotton, I design quilt patterns and have been doing a ton of appliqué lately. Shabby Fabrics just did a laser cut kit of one of my quilt patterns called Silent Night and it sold out I wish I had my mat for this! I did a starched turned edge appliqué on this though )
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I am using this as a testing point, if I end up needing to do a larger volume I am going to invest in a bigger laser with a vacuum bed.
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Sometimes a girl just needs the tax write off lol…if I mess it up however, grabbing myself a board and some sticky tape! lol 
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Beautiful pattern. Congrats on the sales.
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Oh, this is a beautiful quilt pattern!
I actually purchased my Glowforge because I was just getting into quilting, and I didn’t much enjoy cutting fabric. But in the two years I have owned it, I have yet to cut even a single scrap of fabric! I’ve been having so much fun learning about everything else it does, I sort of forgot about my original motivation. Your post sparked both my memory and a renewed interest.
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Oh thank you! I worked in art licensing for years and then did fabric design…the progression to designing quilts came after I found out I was having grand baby #3 I have cut MDF Christmas ornaments, acrylic templates all kinds of things lol…Using it to test is great, production, not so much. But hoping this mat will make a difference! I will let you know how it goes
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You can also spray a board with Krylon Easy-Tack. Wait 15 minutes after you spray it before you put your material on it. I use it all the time for paper and posterboard, and just reuse the same board over and over. When the tack is no longer tacky, I just spray it again.
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It is an option and a great alternative for others reading Sadly allergies and spray or aerosol anything are not a great combination for me. Easier during the summer, harder to do in the winter as sprays behave differently in the cold air. I can’t even use Best Press when ironing my fabric, the tiny particles in that spray make me cough…But thanks for sharing it will be of great value to someone
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I have done this also. The great thing about it is you don’t need to re-treat often. A friend cut all her wedding invitations on my GF and used this method.
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Just a heads up: I had trouble getting fabric (silk) to adhere to the Seklema mat. Something about the weave I think. I was able to do it by applying low-tack masking to the back, as the Seklema mat will stick just fine to masking. You can read about my testing here (from 2017 but still relevant):
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Thanks for the heads up. I am using 100% quilting cotton backed with Soft Fuse which has a thin paper backing. It stays put so far (have not run it with the laser yet but sticks to mat and does not fall off when turned upside down ) Finishing up a few orders then will test this afternoon, but I don’t think I am going to have an issue
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