contemplating an accuquilt go
 

A favorite quilt shop has started carrying the accuquilt go's....the baby, the go and the go Big....its the first time i've actually gotten to see one being used, and i admit to being a little intrigued with the idea...but i wonder, how much use will i really get from it. They are also selling the "cubes" which are the sets of dies to make blocks...and i think at least the 6" block size will work with the go baby. i am especially thinking of applique....

My question is...for those of you who have it, do you really REALLY like it? is it worth it to buy the regular size go vs the go baby? how did you make your decision?

thank you!

I love my go big. I have all three sizes but only got the baby because I found it on clearance dirt cheap. It took me awhile to start using it for more than just hexies though. I have cut several thousand hexagons for the 2 finished and one ready to start gfg's. But that was all I used it for until I fell in love with it for doing Grand Illusion, a Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. If you are cutting something repetitious, it is so worth the cost of the dies. But if I only need a few of a particular piece , then I rotary cut. For example, I just cut a twin size hunter star quilt in a little over an hour with it. However I don't use it at all for a sampler quilt. As for appliqué, look at the available dies and see if you think you would use them.

Feathers-n-fur gave a great answer. It really does depend on the types of quilts you make. It's great for quilts with repeating shapes of the same size: HSTs, Hexagons, strips etc. As far as the applique shapes are concerned, you really need to ask yourself how many times are you going to use a particular shape to determine if it's cost effective. You can get used dies on ebay. A die cutter is a time saver, but for me the biggest advantage is accuracy.

I bought a 'Go' second hand about 5 years ago. I only have strip and square dies (the ones that came with it). I do use it and one day will also buy the rag quilt die, so I can avoid all the snipping. I also plan to buy the drunkards path dies.

I do not do applique.

I do not know that I would buy the 'Baby', it is just a bit too small for me.

All of my sew group have one and we all use each other's dies. We will have a custom die made for a specific pattern we want to make if one is not available. I use the regular Go more then the Go Big or Go Baby. I like the Size of the Go. Easy to move and set up. I bought another Go at Hancocks going out of business sale dirt cheap. I doubt there are any left but wouldn't hurt to look.

I have GO...love it and every die I have invested in! Wish the Qubes were out when I started buying dies! As good an investment as purchasing a sewing machine.

Love, love, love it, rag die is amazing, got the 12" qube but not used it yet.

A friend bought hers from a quilt shop and that shop will loan out a variety of dies if you bought the cutter from their shop. But really, how often will you use it? I prefer to oversize my blocks when I can and if I need strips cut, I can use my June Tailor Quilt Shape Cut Pro.

I have one but I only use it for the raggy cut and curved blocks. Anything else I can cut with much less waste with my rotary cutter & rulers.

Check your dies carefully when you buy them - I have gotten one that was supposed to be a square but one dimension was 1/8" off. Naturally I didn't notice until AFTER I'd chopped up a bunch of fabric with it. :thumbdown:

I use it for every quilt I make. I have the strip dies in every size. I can make a 6" wide border or an 1 1/2" wide border for a queen size quilt in one turn. I cut bias binding in less then a minute.

I cut a piece of paper first with every new die. If the dimension is off I get a replacement. I check each new die this way. I don't cut fabric before I check the die. Many times the paper will be cut perfectly to size and the fabric will be off. I know then that the fabric is shifting. I either have the grain line in the wrong direction or the fabric is stretching due to low thread count. If the fabric is prone to raveling it will stretch. A piece of paper on the blade before the fabric will usually solve the problem.