I don't understand the waste more then 1/4" around the die at most. Some appliqué shapes will have more waste if you start with a square but usually I'll cut the left over appliqué die fabric to 2" squares or triangles. Cutting only one layer you will get a lot of distortion if you don't put a piece of paper with it. Cutting too slowly will give you some distortion too. There is a learning curve to getting the most out of the die cut machines and it took me awhile to get to know how throw some fabric on the die and crank out a perfect cut with little waste. If you draw a 1/4" line with a Sharpie around the die blades. That is how big your fabric piece should be for no waste.