Question for Die Cutter Users
10-09-2015, 05:45 AM
#62
Power Poster
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 26,113
I agree completely with this post....I do both piecing and applique and use my GO whenever possible for both......as far as "hard to crank". Use it a few times and it smoothes out and Is fine. But, don't fill with 6 layers of fabric! I layer to 4 and it's smooth...at 6 it is tougher and I really don't want to push it.....
10-09-2015, 06:22 AM
#63
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Sonoma County, CA
Posts: 4,299
I have the Fiskars Fuze die cutter (I think that's what it's called) and I think is the right tool for some jobs but not all.
I can make really accurate cuts with rulers and my rotary blade. I have purchased Accuquilt dies that turned out to be wonky (a "square" that's 1/8th inch wider on one side, argh!) so I kind of squint suspiciously at the dies now.
For straight line cuts - strips, squares, rectangles, triangles, hexagons...I just use my rulers. It's not much difference in speed on average (faster for strips, a bit slower for hexagons), accuracy is just fine, waste is a lot less, and I don't have to lug the die machine out or store a bunch of dies.
But for curved cuts or raggy squares...die cutter all the way. Especially raggy blocks - I will NEVER snip another rag quilt by hand, good grief!
In 10 or 15 years when I start hitting my senior years I can see investing in something like the motorized Big cutter to spare my hands/wrists/arms some work - arthritis is unfortunately strong in my family and I will probably need something like that down the road. Unless, of course, I can just get my household robot to do it for me, LOL.
I can make really accurate cuts with rulers and my rotary blade. I have purchased Accuquilt dies that turned out to be wonky (a "square" that's 1/8th inch wider on one side, argh!) so I kind of squint suspiciously at the dies now.
For straight line cuts - strips, squares, rectangles, triangles, hexagons...I just use my rulers. It's not much difference in speed on average (faster for strips, a bit slower for hexagons), accuracy is just fine, waste is a lot less, and I don't have to lug the die machine out or store a bunch of dies.
But for curved cuts or raggy squares...die cutter all the way. Especially raggy blocks - I will NEVER snip another rag quilt by hand, good grief!
In 10 or 15 years when I start hitting my senior years I can see investing in something like the motorized Big cutter to spare my hands/wrists/arms some work - arthritis is unfortunately strong in my family and I will probably need something like that down the road. Unless, of course, I can just get my household robot to do it for me, LOL.
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