I'm thinking of making a basic close-up mat for myself. I'm wondering if it would work to go to my local fabric store, buy a bit of felt and just hem up the edges.

Does this sound like it would work? What is a good size and what weight fabric works well? I've been reading about people putting a non slip surface like foam on the bottom. How necessary is it and can I get away without it as a basic beginners first mat?

Personally I would not use felt - velvet is way nicer and durable. You can place a thin/uniform square of foam under this so it is easy to pick up coins and cards during your routine. Now it is a matter of tacking the corners, etc. You can put gold edging on the corners to make this look classy. The sky is the limit, use your imagination. Best of luck!

Chuck

Oh so the foam is less so that it is non slip and more so that you have some give to push your finger under cards and coins?

Try neoprene.
It's the same stuff that wetsuits are made from,so if you have a dive shop that does
repairs near to you,you can probably pick up an off-cut cheaply.
Ray.

Most mats come with three layers... the top layer, a foam layer, and a non slip layer. All three are important, as if you don't have a good non slip layer then the mat will slide all over the place when you try to spread the cards, which is really irritating. The foam is important to make it easier to pick things up off the mat/help cards spread more evenly, and I wouldn't underestimate the value of this. It makes your performance a lot easier and smoother. You want a top layer that looks nice, but also allows cards to spread evenly, and you don't want something that is too slippery.

Good suggestions have already been made for each layer, so the only thing that I'll add is that you can us 3M 77 spray adhesive to join the layers together. I'd practice on some extra pieces first though, before you put your mat together.

Can you find a shop where they repair furniture??
The best place to find lots of heavy fabrics, to suit your style and act.
Tip: you should ask for Alcantara, a beautiful material.
They also can sell you etc.

Of course, as I was reading in other threads, after I buy all the materials, is it worth the effort? Should I just go buy one from a shop somewhere?

I was also thinking of making a portable mat too. I don't know if it would even work, but I like the idea of being able to carry something around that is still a bit impromptu. It's hard to do something on someone's dining table, so you end up doing it on the floor, but it's hardly impromptu to say, "hang on I need to go get my giant mat out of the car". It would be good to be able to put something down on any surface to make it ok to work with.

I have made several out of Automobile head liner material. Go to your local repair shop that does custom head liner replacement they always have a bunch of left overs. it is soft and makes a great close up pad. It doesn't fray or ravel

Thin piece of solid board. Use a soft foundation, a yoga mat cut to size or similar item. Cover with the tops as stated above and you all set. Something small and portable that can even be rolled up- just spend $20 and buy one.

My options are limited where I live. I like the idea of experimenting and seeing what happens. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

How do you roll up solid board?

Cloth covered foam can be found at any auto seat upholstery shop and head lining material for automobiles. Comes in many colors.

Yea man, shouldve been a new paragraph. . If he just wanted portable and a roll up, I'd suggest spend $20 and purchase. Or the way I said with the board is low cost close up mat with board back but obviously can't be rolled! God catch Manal and funny -)

I found some foam and velvet at a couple of shops nearby, it'll cost a total of about $12.

What is a good glue to use? Obviously I don't want something that dries hard.

Scotch 77 spray glue, or Scotch automotive headliner spray glue will both do the job. Scotch 77 is probably the better choice, is easier to find and comes in smaller size cans. Be sure to follow the instructions on the can and be sure to get the alignment right the first time. You probably won't get a second chance. It is better to make the velvet cover a bit larger and trim it after it is glued to the foam pad.

AGMagic - Scotch 77 is fireproof tape I think. 3M77 spray is what Tabman used to use. He points it out in his book.

Craig, you are correct about it being 3M77 (actually 3M Super 77). I was going from memory, but I would have sworn that it was a Scotch branded product. The Scotch brand is made by 3M, hence my confusion. Thanks for the correcting my mistake. It turns out that the other spray adhesive that I recommended is also branded 3M and it is called General Trim Adhesive - clear 08088.

I am getting old, but I didn't think my mind was gone quite yet! I did some additional research and found that 3M puts out this product under both the 3M and Scotch brands. http://www.staples.com/Scotch-Super-77-M......t_260869

Wow. I had no idea. I wonder if one Co bought the other. I've never used the Scotch labeled stuff, but 3M label works GREAT.

As far as I know, the Scotch brand has always been a trademark of 3M.

Not to be the fly in the ointment, but I once used a 3M spray adhesive to bond neoprene to a rubber backing. Not sure if it was Super 77 or not, but that's my "go to" spray adhesive. It worked great, but a few years down the road, it started to peel apart, with a gooey ooze in between. I figured the adhesive had broken down the rubber, as some chemicals are known to do. So for what it's worth, 3M also makes a couple of products that are specifically for foam and rubber.

But in the case of a quicky close up pad, the bond will probably outlive the pad.