Charming

I second this. 1" is too much, and I never had a problem with 1/2" and even if I am at the edge of the fabric and there is less than that I make it work :-)

quiltingcandy

Ooops, I must have not read the directions (again) because I just put the material on the die and not worry about what hangs over the edge, just make sure the blades are covered. And I have not outlined the blades, the dies I have the blades are easily seen.

caspharm

I have just lain the fabric on the dies without pre-cutting. I usually have enough room to fold the fabric on the side of the die. I will line up the raw edge just slightly past the die edge for strips.

I would also recommend Ebony Love's book, "The Big Little Book of Fabric Die Cutting Tips." She has lots of information in it. That's where I originally saw the suggestion for marking the dies with a Sharpie. I use the silver one on the black foam dies and black on the new grey foam dies. Even though you can see the blades somewhat, it does define them better. I also like her suggestion of marking the 1/4" around the edges to know how to center it better.

Just be careful where you grab the dies, I grabbed one across the blades and ended up cutting myself - not badly, but did draw blood.

sewplease

In addition to marking your dies 1/4" away from the blades, also write these dimensions on the die. This way you always know exactly how much fabric you need.

PaperPrincess

I also second this one. A 2 1/4" looks a lot like a 2 1/2". I cut all my strips for a project only to find I used the smaller of the 2 dies. I had to redesign my project to use the smaller strips. It was mostly squares, so it wasn't too horrible. I marked the tops of those dies so it wouldn't happen again.

wishfulthinking

Thanks for all the input. Haven't done any more cutting yet, but I did pick up a silver sharpie at Hobby Lobby yesterday for die marking. Can't get back into the sewing room till hubby goes back to work on Monday.

Marsh

I had a lot of trouble when I first started using the accuquilt - my squares were coming out 1/8" short, and strips were wonky. I finally took a private lesson and learned I was placing the fabric incorrectly on the die. When cutting squares, make sure the lengthwise grain is to the outside of die, not to top of die. For strips the videos show that you can take your fabric as it was cut by putting the creased edge at the top of die (cuts on crosswise of grain) and this is how I got the wonky strips. I now cut all my strips on lengthwise grain and they are perfect. I often times will put a piece of writing paper on top of fabric - somehow that helps to keep the fabric from shifting.