Friday1961

My kids, neither of whom quilt, though she does sew (she makes dog dollars) -- bought a Cricut maker last Christmas and they use that thing for everything. He's an artist so he's made decals for his brothers' cars, they made designs for matching T shirts for all of us at Christmas. They love it.....if that's a recommendation.

SewingSew

Sandra, I haven't posted on here in a long time, but I just had to log in to tell you that you about my experience with the Cricut Maker. Last week was my birthday and my husband bought me one. I love it and I think you will too! It is perfect for applique as far as I can tell. Cutting out applique was one of the things that caused me to be interested in the machine. You can upload files from your computer into Design Space, and you will also be able to have creative freedom to customize your designs with text if you want to. There are loads of different fonts and images to choose from. You can also use a phone or a tablet with the maker instead of your computer if you have a compatible device. (Kindle Fire is not compatible, sadly for me, but my computer works just fine.) You can go to YouTube and view all of the Cricut videos showing how to use the Maker. It does not come with a manual, and that is one thing that I find annoying, but the YouTube videos and the Cricut website explain everything you will need to know. This machine is awesome! It can cut many different materials up to 1/8" thick. One of the things you can use it for is to create personalized labels to put in your quilt using iron on vinyl. It cuts around intricate shapes perfectly. The maker uses 10x more pressure when cutting than the model that came before it (the Cricut Explore Air 2 I believe) and that is significant. I saw a video on YouTube where someone compared the two machines using different materials, and the things that the Explore Air didn't neatly cut, the Maker cut precisely and cleanly. This machine is perfect for cutting out applique designs and it will also be perfect for cutting shapes for piecing. It has a slot for Cricut pens, and Cricut sells a washable fabric pen that you can use to mark seam allowances, etc. The machine will mark the seam allowances and cut the fabric. The Design Space is the software that you use to create your designs in. You sign up for an account. It doesn't cost anything. If you have a Cricut Access subscription, the designs you choose to make will be made using Design Space. "Cricut Access" is a monthly subscription service gives you access to thousands of designs. With your maker, you will get a month free trial. I think it cost $7.99 per month. But again, you can use the "Design Space" without the subscription and create your own designs using images on your computer. The Cricut Maker also can work in harmony with your printer with the "Cut and Print" feature. You can print a photo from your computer and then load the paper (or fabric I imagine) onto your Cricut Mat and feed it into your Cricut machine and it will cut out the shape. There are a few details I'm leaving out, but you get the idea. On someone's blog online, I saw a quilt that they had made where they used gold metallic iron-on vinyl to create thin lines to create shapes to accent the quilt blocks and it was beautiful! I think the machine's ability to create iron-on vinyl designs would compliment applique designs in an amazing way. I just bought a Cricut Heat Press and mat yesterday. I haven't used that yet, but the reviews on it are outstanding. It gets up to 400 degrees and would be ideal for quilting and applique. The things that I want to do with my Maker are to make paper flowers, put iron-on designs on bags and clothing, create stencils, make vinyl labels for clothing, make signs, etch designs into glass, create my own greeting cards, etc. There are endless possibilities! I hope the things that I have talked about have been helpful for you.