Ok i realized that i will quilt more if the pieces are cut for me. I am doing a downy quilt and I whipped thru it last night since all the pieces were cute.

Should I buy quilt kits with cut pieces or should I invest in an accuquilt Go system?

how much do quilt kits costs and do they sell them pre cut?

it would depend on how much cutting you usually do. you might check out Keepsake Quilts. They have many shapes cut. However, they may not be the colors and type you need but worth checking out. Some really like the acucut system so guess it depends on how much you would use it.

your right, maybe I will save up for the cutting system. I am lazy huh? LOL I just hate cutting :(

I do my cutting in spurts. I make up my own "kits" by cutting the fabric and putting it, along with the pattern in a large ziploc bag. I like my fabric choices better and I always have something cut that I can sew when I have time. During Tropical Storm Fay, I was able to cut out a queen size quilt. Might as well, since I lost the power frequently during the day. I've got a couple "kits" ready and will be doing a couple of more soon.

I don't have space for any more gadgets, but that cutter system does look intriguing to me. :)

Cutting gets me pretty burned out too. Sometimes I like doing it, but for the most part, I'd rather have it done for me. :)

I personally prefer picking out my own fabric, kits seem to be expensive to me, because someone has to be paid to cut that fabric, plus you don't get to choose your fabrics. My opinion.

I have bought kits with fabric when I find a sale like 50% off or buy one get one 50%, If it's not on sale they are usually high. But then I figure how much I would spend to buy all the fabric needed and buying it on sale makes the difference worth it. Not precuts though. I feel like I cheat when I buy a kit. LOL.

I love to cut the fabrics myself. Especially sense I got some templets, I just hate the washing, startching and ironing.

I love quilt kits. Most are not cut out for me but the fabric is right there and ready for me.

I purchased and accucut studio for the same reason.
I hated the cutting part.
but now it is my favorite part!
stacking all those cut triangles and squares is wonderful!
and it is actually easier to cut 3 quilts at a time than it is to cut 1!
when everyone at a local quilt show saw my kits they encouraged me to sell them.
which is really fun because I get to touch all the fabric!

I don't like cutting anything smaller than 2 1/2". I do like precut kits if they are very accurate. There is no room for boo boos tho. Ne extra fabric to use.

how accurate is the Go machine?

need to find that one on sale somewhere.

I *hated cutting until getting the Accuquilt GO. It's kind of fun now. And a godsend for cutting binding strips. I've never been tempted by a quilt kit. Guess I'm too much of a control freak!

--Heidi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113973@N05/

good to know. Thank you.

I love my Accuquilt go, and what dies I don't have I just cut what I need. I do not buy kits anymore as I have had to change out too many fabrics. I wonder...who puts some of these together. I have purchased pre-cut fabrics, but I have found it takes the fun out of starting the quilt from scratch. Also, I have not always like the way some of the fabric has been cut.

Well, the thing is - if you buy precut quilts, you have a quilt that's just like many others out there (I'm not a kit person). Also, if you make a mistake that means you need more fabric, you may not be able to find what you need.

I thought the accu-cut was a great idea, but wow, it's so expensive! Plus, I recently saw a comment posted by somebody who has one; after using it to cut the pieces and putting the quilt together, she realized that the pieces were actually larger than she would have liked. I think it was a tumbler-block; they were quite chunky.

For now, I'm stuck cutting myself. I do try to cut and "kit" myself so that when I sew, I get lots done.

well I am hoping that someone out there comes out with a different system. I really dont like the hand cranking and the bigness of it. Plus its super expensive. I do own a cricut I wish I could figure out how to cut fabric on it.

I agree that the GO! tumbler is large( like 6 1/2")
but the one for the studio is only 3 1/2" tall and 3 1/2" across .
If you are considering a die cutter you need to lookat the dies available for each machine- very different in size and die shapes available.
Some of my favorite are the applique shapes!

are there other machines similar to this go?

They've been talking about a new one that will use dies from various manufacturers at the Yahoo group Pins and Needles.

--Heidi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113973@N05/

Oh goodie!!

this?

http://www.sizzix.com/product/2113

I love ALL stages of quilting - except the washing and ironing.

http://www.sizzix.com/product/2113 this?

Yes, it is expensive, but it is worth it to me for my purposes. It does take some practice, and my cuts come out perfect. I think the chunkiness and how hard the handle turns is due to putting too much fabric to cut. If you put too much fabric, then it is a pain.

But the topic has to do with cost effectiveness vs being lazy. I don't think the way we choose to cut our fabric, or whether someone else does it, means laziness. Some just don't cut as well as other. What works for one doesn't always work for others.

When I'm in the mood just for cutting I always cut 2 or 3 quilts out & put them in a 2 1/2 gallon plastic bag along with a pic of it or directions. Then if I don't feel like cutting I already have a kit to ready to sew. To me I would rather do it all myself rather than buy a kit. I have bought a few though that I thought I couldn't live without! LOL

Maybe I am weird, I find cutting is very relaxing. I like to watch the pieces all add up to make a quilt. I cut the whole quilt out before I begin sewing. (sometimes 2 or 3) I don't cut templates though, just use measurements.

You might try this site. All of their kits are precut and thier sale prices aren't bad. [email protected]

Cutting fabric with a rotary cutter is no problem for me. I really like using the June Tailor shape cutters.

Never purchased a 'pre-cut' kit...only a kit that contained the fabric to be cut.

Isn't there a lot of waste fabric with the acccuquilt system?

To cut a queen size quilt in a star mosaic( like my avatar)
for 3" finished HST
I need 40 strips 4" wide so I am wasting 1/8" per strip or a total of 5" on the queen size quilt
but I can cut it exactly- never an off triangle- in less than 30 minutes
this includes picking out the fabric
and I am off sewing
to me the 5" waste is worth the time in rotary cutting and measuring that exact 3 7/8" and aggravation of not having the triangles match exactly
also the points are docked
so no bunny ears to cut off!

I won't have to worry about it, because I won't be able to afford one on a fixed income.

Actually, with thoughtful placement, I've had much less waste than I'd expected. I think there are "tricks" to doing the most efficient placing, but I haven't paid too much attention to the discussions on that since I've really only used it for 1.5" and 2.5" strips. It's been utterly wonderful for those!

--Heidi

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32113973@N05/

I have the Go, got it from DH for my B-day in March and I love it. You do have to be careful how many layers you cut because it makes it hard to turn through the cutter. I have learned to place the material so that theres no more waste then cutting by hand. The dies are high but I used the 50% coupons at JoAnns and have gotten several that I would not have gotten without the coupon. I'm not cheap <smiling> just conserative.

My thoughts exactly. I recently started working on several BOM's. I'm not really that happy with the fabrics they're sending, and I've run out and had to supplement. Interestingly, I'm doing two BOM's from the same fabric store. I noticed that even though the blocks are completely different, I had the same fabrics in both kits. I'm guessing these are a way for fabric stores to get rid of their scraps. I haven't purchased a whole quilt kit, but they seem expensive to me too. That's probably why I haven't purchased any.

I would NEVER patchwork if fabric not cut-------HATE CUTTING/MACHINING

I enjoy cutting so it is not a problem for me. It is part of the process.

Me too! :thumbup:

I am also considering the acuquilt. I do use kits but they also require you to cut the shapes so they really don't save cutting time.

crazy those quilts for kids have so few pieces you could take your ruler and rotary cutter and cut about 3-4-5 quilts in an hour... devote 3 hours on JUST ONE EVENING a month, and you would have KITS in your own fabric and colors for a dozen quilts over the rest of the month ! and save the cost of that machine and buy 40-50 yards of nice fabric !

I have a question. People keep talking about Downey quilts. What are they?