Stocking Up
 

I've invested in a Go hand crank. Now I'm really confused as to which dies I need to purchase. It is quite an investment. What would you recommend?

What kind of quilts do you like to make? My first dies were the tumblers, the 2.5in.& the 1.5in strips, 6.5 in. square, the double 5 in. square. I usually wait for the sales and then decide what I need. Since I like to make hexi quilts I also bought the multiple size hexis. I have quite a few dies and the majority were bought from Accuquilt.com because I order enough to get free shipping. They also don't charge me tax, so that is another savings. Some day I hope to make the Double Wedding Ring so bought it when it was on special, used it to cut out a quilt my friend wanted to make - we were done in about 2 hours for a king quilt (which included ironing the fabric).

First I die I bought was a hex die, to make a double bed size grandmother's garden quilt. What a God send! I was in love! I bought others as they went on sale. After several years, and many dies, i can tell you the ones I use the most are the 2.5" squares (qty 9 on the die), and the double 5" square die. They help keep my scraps organized and make beautiful scrap quilts. My next choices are BOB's or "blocks on boards". Over the years you will collect and use many, but you have plenty of time to think about it. Enjoy your new toy.....Jane

Thank you! I got the hunters block one last month but was was leaning towards the 2.5 strip one & the double 5" double block to have something to look fwd each month. I was mostly wondering if it was better to have "base" dies that could be used for other patterns since I don't do much appliqué.

I got the strip bundle and use it all the time (you can subcut squares and rectangles and diamonds using them too). Since I've bought the 12" cube and cube companion and then purchased 5 more from a person on this site. I love cutting with it! so quick, so accurate and so much easier!

would you mind sharing their handle or site? Thanks!

What do you think of the flying geese block?

I bought my Go when it first came out. The die selection wasn't that big so I bought one of each then. I use the strip dies, large rag die, tumbler, and all sizes of the hsts the most. I found the smaller square dies skips a lot. I really like the 6 1/2 strip die and the alphabet die. I use the log cabin die for cutting scraps for string piecing. I love my Go.

It is easy to get caught up in "what should I buy right now". I have found it easier to start with a Qube and the 2.5" strip and work from there. That said, it really depends on what types of patterns you lean towards. Scrappies are my new favorite, so the Qube works well. I have purchased several dies from Hancock when they were going out of business up here and like the fact I have some "specialty" ones that don't get used all that often for a low price. But I DO plan on going with more strips. Those can be subcut into all sorts of different squares and parallelograms (or however you spell that word!).

It really is all up to you. There is a Facebook page for people selling dies, but they go really fast (within minutes) of being posted. And to be honest, they are only $5 or so dollars off what you'd spend new. I'd go new. At least then you know the blades weren't bent from someone running it through their machine without the mat. Just my .02 :)

It's fun, that's for sure!

When you think about your completed quilts, does it seem that you are drawn to quilts with a specific patch shape? Lots of HSTs or Flying geese, maybe strips? I would get those dies first. When you first get your cutter, the impulse is to also get lots of dies for future quilts of unknown patterns, but it's better to start with a base of the shapes you use often or you have a specific quilt planned and can use those shapes.
I personally think it's better to pay full price for a die I need for my next project than get a couple on sale that I think I'm going to use 'someday' only to never use them. I also think I should follow my own advice more!

When I got mine a few years ago, I only bought dies that were hard for me to cut....circles, hearts, stars, cat, dog, snowflakes, flowers, etc. I felt I could cut strips, rectangles, squares etc and didn't want to invest my "quilting funds" on expensive dies that I could cut myself with ruler and rotary cutter. Of course, every once in a while I would see a die on sale when a quilt shop was cleaning out stock.
also,I have a group of quilting friends and we sometimes share our dies. That is what I do, but only you can decide what is best for you. After all that....I have to admit that I have dies that have never been used. sigh!

I use my 2 1/2" and 1 1/2" strips the most. Love the big clam shell but will not use it again for a while.

What do you use your 1.5 strips for? just wondering

I have many dies still in the packages that have never been open. Doesn't bother me one bit.

I have used the 1.5" strip for sashing (I put 3 strips together -- different colors with 9-patches in the corners.

Do I buy a mat for each of the dies even if they're the same size or assign them one each?

Strips, triangles, squares,rectangles. You can do almost anything with those. I especially LOVE the strip dies!

Buy your dies on sale. That saves a lot of money. You may be able to use the sizzix dies, too and they cost less.

I have it, but haven't used it yet. One of these days, I will. I bought it because the only quilt I made wiht flying geese was - uh - wanky, to say the least.

I have the Studio and use the same mat for many different dies. I think that using a mat that is really large compared to the die may allow some movement of fabric while cutting, though. That's a theory, not actually proven...

No, you don't need a mat for each die. The dies come in standard sizes so one mat will fit many dies. As a matter of fact, cutting over and over in the same place on the mat is what wears it out, so using a mat with different dies and positioning it so the die cuts in a slightly different area will extend its life. Usually, you need a mat that's large enough to cover the whole die, but sometimes you might just want to cut a single shape and it's OK to just use a smaller mat and cover that portion of the die. It is a consumable, however. Just like your rotary cutter needs to be occasionally replaced, so do your mats. When it seems that a die is not cutting properly, it's not the die, you need a new mat. You should have one or two on hand so when you need a new one, you have one.

Congratulations on your purchase! I bought one almost five years ago. The ones I use most are for hexagons (love hand sewing them in the evening) and the tumbler block. Be sure you review the products you buy if you buy directly from Accuquilt. You'll accumulate points and eventually will get a free product.

I know nothing about GO. Is there a lot of waste?

I don't find much waste---frankly no more than if I was using my rotary cutter. Some people do more "precutting" to fit the die, but I just accordion fold for the number of layers (6-8 max) and then let the extra fabric be at the side (folded to make it easier to go through the cutter)and unless it's between the die and mat, it won't cut that fabric.

I don't think there is much waste. Like quiltingshorttimer there isn't any more than when I use my rotary cutter and I accordion the fabric too. When I am making certain pieces and using different fabric for different pieces (like the DWR die) then I will fussy cut but I can use my rotary cutter to get those pieces and then the die cuts all those curves.