quiltingcandy

I have had my Accuquilt GO since 2010. Bought it after watching it on "Simply Quilts" and a demonstration at the Road to California quilt show. It was being displayed by Eleanor Burns' Quilt In A Day. What sold me at first was the 2.5 inch strip die and the clam shell. When I first saw it I thought there was going to be a lot of waste too. But that's just not the case. You need to watch the videos and know how to put the fabric onto the dies so they don't stretch on the die going thru the cutter and you will never be disappointed. I watch the weekly shows on YouTube and/or FaceBook. When I made my first HST quilt with no cutting off dog-ears and they all measured up without cutting I decided to buy my first Qube. (A Qube puts a group of dies that all fit together to make a specific size block. I like bigger blocks so I bought a 10 inch Qube.). To me there is no waste. And if you like applique and embroidery there is a lot more fun. I love sewing quilts for family and friends not making heirloom quilts. They are to be used and enjoyed so don't want to worry about a "scant" 1/4 inch seam and when to use it. With Accuquilt it's always 1/4 inch. Hope you enjoy it, I can't say enough good things about it. It's an investment but well worth it for me.

CanoePam

The Accuquilt site has some great videos to teach you how to use the system. You have to listen to a lot of banter to find the details, but they are there. Also remember the videos are designed to get you to buy something new, so don’t get sucked into that trap, at least until you understand the system. Note the Qubes cut components 1/2 and 1/4 of the size they are labeled, so an 8” Qube makes components 2” and 4” finished. There are good sources of dies. Eleanor Burns gives free shipping and there is another dealer that is good too , but I can’t remember her name! Something like LadyBug or Ladybird. There is also an Australian company whose dies fit perfectly in Accuquilt cutters. Since they include a mat with the die, the cost is actually equivalent. Look up Blue Wren dies. They arrive in the US in 3-4 weeks from when you order.

sharion

Ebony Love of LoveBugStudios.com

sewingpup

I have had the system for a long time. I have been a bit frugal with the dies that I have bought. I try and think if the size and shape are something I use frequently. My first dies were probably the 2.5 inch strip cutter which is probably my most frequently used die as that is the size I used most often for binding plus in piecing. Early dies also included the 2.5 inch square die, 2.5 inch half square triangle, and 5 inch square one. I like the single shape in mulitple dies the best as I make bed sized quilts. With the 2.5 inch square die which has nine of them on the die and if I place the 6 layers on the die, that would be 9 X 6 or 36 2.5 inch squares cut with one pass. I usually only use 4 layers as it is easier to roll and I feel I get a better cut doing that but that is still 24 squares with one pass. Bonnie for a while was using the triangle in a square block in her mystery's and those are time consuming to cut so I add a couple of those dies to my collection. I find I really don't have as much waste as I thought. I have drawn an outline of the cutting space for each die 1/4 of an inch from the blades. So, for example on my 2.5 inch square dies, the blades are arranged so you have three rows of 3 shapes. The amount of fabric to cut this would be a 7.5 inch square but I want to make sure I get the full square so I cut my fabric 8 inches wide which gives me an extra 1/4 inch on either side. I most often just leave the strip the full length, make the first cut, then move the fabric up again and keep cutting the entire length. When I was cutting the squares with a rotary cutter and ruler, I found that I was needed to square up the fabric occasionally and was actually wasting fabric then to. I think it was because my ruler would slip or my blade would wobble. On some dies like equal angle triangles, you can save fabric by flipping the fabric as you cut out your shapes. Of course, some shapes like circles are going to waste more fabric. I am glad I got the set up as it has saved me hours on all the mysteries I have done.

Onebyone

I preordered one as soon as saw it was available in 2008. I bought all the dies that were made for it then too. I'm still using the same Go machine.I bought a new Go for a back up when the company was sold last year and had amazing sales. I also stocked up on mats during the sale. Mats wear out and they are very important to having accurate cuts. I would not pass up a good sale on mats.

SuzSLO

The chart on the Accuquilt website includes both finished and cut sizes for each die: https://www.accuquilt.com/media/asse...hart-QQJ31.pdf

joe'smom

Thanks to everyone for posting on your experience and these great links. I'm really excited about it!

Is there a way to save or mark this thread for future use?

QuiltnLady1

I own the GOBig Electric - had to go to it because between my hands and back I can't dod much with a rotary cutter. By now I have a bunch of dies - I try to buy them only when they are on sale or on clearance. I have a couple of the Cube (6" and 12") boxed sets, but there are sometimes duplicates if you buy too many boxed sets so I now buy mostly singles. I try to buy the pieces that will work together (3", 6", 9", 12") so I can mix and match pieces to make blocks. If I find a block I like that is 8" or 10", I try to modify it so I can use what I have.

I, too, prefer the dies that cut multiples of the same size piece - that way I can use large pieces of fabric and finess it so I have minimal waste and a limited amount of hand cutting. The BOB (Block on Board) that have all the pieces for a block are a pain since I don't want all the pieces of a block in the same fabric and it is annoying to have to cut the fabric small enough to cut all the pieces in the correct color. For me, minimzing waste is a game I play and with the fabric stiff, even if the grain is a bit off it doesn't affect the finished size since even when sewn there is really no stretch.

There are several tricks to minimizing waste. I starch my fabric so it is very stiff. As soon as I get a die, I use the very fine tip sharpie to mark a 1/4" line around the blades. I have found the combination of stiff fabric and a little extra around the blades keeps most of the fabric from slipping into the space between the blade and the spounge surround.

My biggest complaint is the mats - they are expensive and they wear out. Again, I get creative and I move and rotate the mat so I have slits all over and maybe some holes before I replace it. I have found that as long as the mat covers the blades any direction works. Mats rarely go on sale but when they do I stock up.

Onebyone

I have pressed my mat with a hot iron (pressing sheet over it) to fill in the cracks for one more use out of it if I'm desperate. I haven't seen the mats on sale since Accuquilt company was sold. I'm sure the mat material is sold for gasket making for industry but haven't found a source for large pieces. Gasket material is not cheap but I think the mats are over priced.