Fabric Cutting Dies--which ones do you find invaluable?
 

I found a steal of a deal on an Accuquilt Studio cutter. It came with a 12 1/2" sq die and the 10" block bundle. At about the same time, Accuquilt was having a sale on their studio dies, and I purchased the Take 5 and the 10 1/2" square.

I can already tell this will get expensive, so what dies do you find you use the most? I can see Squares and HST, but I've got my eye on the Chisel and the Fractured Tumbler. I'm not sure that cutting strips would be much faster with the accuquilt---I saw a demonstration of PM Quilting rulers, where he cut 10 layers of fabric(of course he had a titanium blade, but it was 45mm). Which dies do you find you go back to time and time again.

Why I'm so excited about my purchase is that I can use both GO dies as well as Sizzix dies with an adapter. I'm hoping for a sale soon on either site!

I use my 2 1/2 strip cutter the most. Also have a 3 and 5 inch stripe that I use a lot. I have 3" and 2 1/2 " squares that I use a lot. I am looking at stars and hearts next for applique. I have an 8", 10", 5", 6", and 3" square that get used often.

i use the tumbler and the orange peel the most

I'm not the one to ask. I buy a die I need to cut the quilt pattern I am working on at the time. I would say all the strip sizes and hst sizes are the main ones to have.

I love the 5 inch block and the 2.5 inch block. Also the 2.5 inch strip. I seem to use them the most.

With the bundle, the 5 1/2"(5" fin), the 4"(3 1/2")fin), and the 3" (2 1/2" fin) square were included, along with 5" quarter square triangle, 2 1/2" fin HST, 3 3/16 x 4 1/4" parallelogram, 5" finish HST, and 3" x 5 1/2" rectangle. I feel I have a good start.

I use 2 1/2" strips/squares a lot, but have read of people not liking to cut their strips with the die. Those of you who do, convince me why it's better than ruler/rotary cutter.

I have a lot of small odd shape scraps that I think I would benefit with the 2 1/2" block.

Are there dies that you purchased and found that you didn't/don't use them as much as you thought you would?

I have a sizzix machine (much better value here in the UK). I use my 2 1/2 strip cutter and my 5” square to cut charm squares the most.

I like the strip dies. I also like the triangles. I can't imagine curved patterns without the use of a die. I'm not that good with rotary cutting them and they fit together so well if they are die cut. I have made several using the Winding Ways BOB. I have also made several quilts with the chisel set (chisel & matching triangle). Having said that, everyone is different. Are you attracted to specific patterns or do you find yourself cutting the same shape over & over those are the dies you should get first.

[QUOTE= Are you attracted to specific patterns or do you find yourself cutting the same shape over & over those are the dies you should get first.[/QUOTE]

The answer is "yes"----but I think I would cut certain shapes over and over again as I'm now more into Modern geometric quilts.

Love the applique dies! The snowflakes and holiday dies cut those intricate shapes so perfect. Plus I have the EMB designs for them too. Did you see the cute owl and patterns to make them into animals? Fun!

I just used the small tumbler die to make the flag wall hanging.

I use mine to help me keep control of small scraps. So I use the smaller squares 2, 2.5 and 3" a lot.

Rob

I have a Go Baby and use the 5" square and the "small value set" dies the most. Haven't bought any of the applique dies yet, but I love the flower and stem one (Edyta Sitar). I also see that Accuquilt has a Northwoods die with a moose and bear. I'll have to check this one out.

Yes, this is what I'm hoping for as well. Would like to get a 2 1/2"(2" fin) for sure as I have a lot of odd sized small scraps. Also would like to get a charm size 5"(4 1/2" fin). So many options with lots of money!

I also could see using the Northwoods die with an adapter for the studio. I will have to check out the "small value set".

Smaller tumbler, triangles - love having no dog ears to trim!

2.5" strip - rotary cutting is becoming more difficult due to shoulder pain, cutting a lot of strips is easier with the Go! I'm concerned about needing to upgrade to the electric one before long... That's ridiculously expensive!

Sizzix dies(for the most part) are less expensive than the Accuquilt dies, but they would need an adapter like the Go dies to use on my Studio. I've also heard that the sizzix dies are not quite as "robust" as the accuquilt dies and some people have actually bent them by overloading them with fabric as they run them through their Studio. This might happen also with the GO dies, so I guess it might be wise to use the adage "less is more" when using dies not specifically made for the Studio.

I have a Sizzix die cutter and I use my 2.5" strip die the most. Don't know how I lived without it

here I go again, what is a BOB die?

I use my 2 1/2" strip die the most, but my favorite die is the drunkard's path. My advice is to use the wish list on the manufacturer's site to keep a list of the dies you might want and wait for a 50% off sale. I expect a sale in August and one around Christmas.

Sorry, It's an accuquilt acronym for "Block on a Board". It's just a die with all the pieces for a specific block on a single die board.
RE the comment on the Sizzix & Go dies not being as robust... THe die type dictates the number of layers the die can cut. Even if you use a GO die in a Studio, you can only cut the recommended number of layers for that die type.
And really, although they advertise the maximum number of layers your die can cut, should you always cut the maximum? Personally, I cut fewer. It's so quick to do an extra run thru.
If you are going to add sizzix dies to your collection, you need the sizzix adaptor (different from the go adaptor). It's available at Accuquilt's sister site, accucut:
https://accucut.com/products/grandem...llison-allstar

Strip dies are my favorites. I can use the dies to crosscut into squares and rectangles. I have sewn strips together and pressed them flat before crosscutting. For example, I have sewn 2 strips together and then crosscut them into 2-patch pieces to sew into 4-patch blocks. I do the same with 3 strips for the 9-patch blocks.

BOBS, and strip

I have a GO, not a studio, and I also gave a Sizzix. Both, in my judgement are good products, but Sizzix quilting dies are very limited, unfortunately.......
i have accumulated many dies...I don't do much iron on applique, so those are not my favs....more dies for piecing blocks. The die does make piecing accurate, altho I do not have trouble rotary cutting accurately...just like the speed of the die cutter method....
have fun in your new adventure......

Thanks for that heads up----I'll start saving my pennies!!

I agree---I have been running through less layers as well.

I have thought about purchasing the Big Shot Plus just for the sizzix dies and so I don't have to mess with and remember to use an adapter. There's only one or two dies that are bigger than the opening of the Plus and I could probably live without those.

I also agree they n eed to have more quilting dies---maybe they'll get on board since they are starting to get some big name quilters i.e. Jenny Doan and Victoria Findlay-Wolfe.

I have the 2 raggy quilt dies. The ONLY benefit I can see is that they clip the edges for you but you can only cut 1 at a time. I can do it much faster with a ruler and rotary cutter. And I'd probably NOT clip the seams at 1/4"; more like 1/2". And the flannel gets down in the edges where the cutting is and it has to be picked out frequently. I'd not waste my money on them again.
On a side note - IF you have a friend who has one you can each buy different dies and share them. That is what a friend and I did; so we don't have doubles but have access to other die patterns.

You can get a lot of dies for the difference in price between purchasing the platform vs. a whole 'nuther machine. You can buy lots of fabric to cut! The platform is so easy to use, it almost fills the tray so you are not trying to line up the die on top of the shim. Just slap it on there. Also, you won't forget to use it. The Sizzix & GO! dies are so much thinner than a Studio die that they slide right under the roller without making contact.

We have an Accuquilt Studio at the store, and the die we use most is the 7" tumbler with 4 tumblers on the board. We can cut up any line of fabric into a tumbler kit, and they sell really well. Tumblers are so easy to sew together! People love them! We also have a 4" tumbler with 6 tumblers on the board that is great for baby quilts. Customers come to the store to use the tumblers for cutting up their older fabric to use in charity quilts.

Do you know if the adapters can be used for both Go and Sizzix dies. In other words, if I purchase the die adapter for the GO dies, can I use that same adapter for the Sizzix dies? I know Ebony Love uses the die adapter from Sizzix to use her Sizzix dies on her Studio. But if they are the same, and will work the same, I don't want to purchase an adapter from Accuquilt as well from Sizzix if one from either company will work for the other companies dies.

NO! This is the one thing that you need to keep in mind. GO! dies are thinner than Sizzix dies, so you need different platforms. Accuquilt only offers the one for the GO! dies, you have to go to their sister site, Accucut to get the Sizzix adaptor. Having said that, you can cheat a bit. I've had my 'Studio' cutter for about 20 years, way before Accuquilt was even thought of. Before they introduced the appropriate platforms, I just used old magazines. You can stack a couple, thicker than you need, and then experiment a bit and remove the excess pages.
I have several brands of cutters for my semi pro paper business and have hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of dies from lots of different manufacturers. If you can experiment a bit you can do amazing things!!!
PM me if you have specific questions.