Butchering the Bevels

Of all the things I'm not so good at, I'm very much not so good at cutting mats. My ability to follow directions and measurements and recipes is rudimentary at best. Most of what I do is non-measured and non-patterned, because that's apparently the only way I can get anything done.

I was going to post a photo showing Patches cutting the most beautiful beveled mat with seamless ease. (I'm so jealous). I think she's planning on framing an illustration of herself flanked by her most recent suitors (they've been waiting on the steps for a glimpse of her). Oh yeah, but my camera battery ran out. So I couldn't get the once in a lifetime shot.

Anyway, she won't share her secrets. And I spent hours (again) trying to cut decent mats. Basically my problem is that I can't get the corners right, and then if I try to recut it gets increasingly tricky. Then I forget which side and which way to cut. I've determined that the best way to go is cut on the reverse side, with the "middle" of the mat outside the edge of the mat cutter. Maybe that's totally wrong. Considering I've taught myself how to do this before and now have totally forgotten.... I need to write a set of instructions. Or I need a beveling mentor.

Recently I've started keeping a couple small note books where I keep notes on certain processes I'm prone to forget (how to assemble my books out of 8 ½ by 11 paper, which way to put in the printer paper to print on both sides, how many grams equal how many ounces and how that relates to the crazy new postal regulations and so on). My brain can only hold so much information and I'm convinced it had reached its capacity some years ago. Now I have to forget things like state capitals and the multiplication table in order to proceed in life. That means I'll have to keep more and more little notebooks.