Thanks for the information and the caution. I think I have shot my entire quilting budget for the year, but now I can easily cut out the pieces to make some quilts.

Sew for less is a good option. They many times are a little cheaper. I'm lucky to live in St. Charles and can just go to the store, and many times have the slow movers on a great sale.

Just got an email from Accuquilt.com today that they have an overstock sale just starting--haven't even chekced it myself yet!

I am thinking about getting an Accuquilt but know I won't use it much. I mostly want it to cut scraps into 5" squares and to cut smaller scraps into 2 1/2" squares. I see there's a 5" die that will work for the Accuquilt Baby but how do you cut the 2 1/2" squares. I don't want to buy the strip cutter and have to cut them one way and then the other way. Is there any other die to cut the 2 1/2" squares on the Go Baby? or will I have to get the AccuQuilt Go and buy the die that can cut nine 2 1/2" squares. I really don't want to invest that much money into buying the AccuQuilt Go when I know I won't use it very much.

All the dies for each cutter are on the Accuquilt website. Until you get one you won't know how much you will use it. I thought I wouldn't use my bigger Go that much and only for cutting pre cut sizes. The more I used it the more I loved using it for cutting fabric. The Go Baby is good for some small cuts as needed, I have it on my cutting table.

I thought on the strip dies you are supposed to put the folded end in first and the selvage end will go in last. That's the way I've done it. Is this right or wrong?

you fold your fabric accordion style so that the length of fabric is parallel with the cutting blades--check out the website for Accuquilt and their video's on cutting tips. don't think the fold vs. selvage end is the issue--just as long as length of grain lined up--so you'd have selvages on one of the edges of the strip dies--otherwise it would be cutting cross grain (from selvage to selvage)

Selvage toward your stomach is the best way to cut fabric using the dies.

When I bought mine the store gave me a brochure that showed lots of different blocks and the dies you would use for them. I went through and picked out the blocks I liked best then compared what dies they took. I found most of what I liked were square, half square and strip dies. That is what I purchased. I have added others as I go along.

Buy dies on sale.

Most useful to me are:

1) strips -any size you use.
2) 1/2 and 1/4 square triangles
3) squares

I don't do applique because of stress to hands and arms and lack of talent or interest, so haven't bought any of them.

I cut strips, sew them good side to good side and then cut triangles from them - much faster than cutting them separately and then sewing them together. I use them for chevron quilts, pinwheels, hour glass, etc.

Strips - so many uses for them, sashing strip quilts, checkerboard quilts. Have fun!