BellaBoo

I did the same with my hexes. I found the perfect paper for the templates. It's the lightest weight card stock paper, like file folder paper. When I cut paper with mine I hear GASPS coming from other Go owners. LOL. It's just a die, I can buy another one after several thousand cuts.

GiddyUpGo

I'm a beginner ... so I don't know what I can really add but I do love my Go. I did my first quilt without it and made some pretty off cuts that I didn't discover until I was sewing everything together and found that my seams were sometimes a quarter inch or more off. For my second quilt I cut all my strips with my Go and nearly all of my seams lined up perfectly. So for me it's been a great way to get into quilting and be able to produce pretty good results early on. With a Go you can also cut pretty much a whole quilt in an hour or two, which I could never have done with a rotary cutter (though I'm betting there are plenty of quilters who could!)

It's not a perfect solution, though, some of my cuts still come out a bit wonky, depending on how much fabric you put into the machine at once. Just a note I never cut fabric before putting it through unless I have a lot of yardage to do ... it will take multiple layers and I usually just fold it so I'm putting all the layers through or if it's too thick I just fold it to the side of the mat and send it through. Of course, this could account for some wonkiness, lol! But I think it does require experimentation before you start getting results that will satisfy you.

JoanneS

I think the rag dies are the hardest on the mats. I'm still using the first mat I bought - and I've made 5 quilts using it. None of those quilts was a rag quilt. The main thing to remember when you're using mats is to shift/turn them a little every time, so you're not constantly cutting on the same line. If you cut on the same line every time, you're going to cut holes through the mats very quickly. Also, turn them over and use the other side every other time.

It's true that you save fabric by making a ROUGH cut before running your fabric through the GO (or Studio). But you're cutting accurately and with very little waste that way. With many of the dies, you can cut multiples, and with layering you're cutting many more pieces than you can with a rotary cutter. I can cut out an entire quilt in 30 minutes. And every piece is accurate. I couldn't say that about rotary cutting. AND my wrist and back don't hurt when I'm finished.

grammy nancy

You have all been very helpful. thank you. I save my quarters everyday from my change and when I have a fair amount saved up I try to buy a bigger ticket item. My family gets upset with me because I usually buy something that they could buy me as a gift!! But sometimes mamma needs her toys!!!!lol

luvTooQuilt

hahahaaaa.. well keep a BIG want list on the fridge... :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Mine was all the GO dies, but unless they keep coming out with more dies fairly often, Im afraid Hubby is going to run out of 'ideas'..

For my birthday He got me= Wedding ring, 9 in Hex, rag star/heart and 8 mats... ( and last week UPS delivered me the Chisel, baby tumbler and Blazing star )..THANKS HUBBY..

grammy nancy

lucky you!!! I think the accuquilt will be where my quarters go this time. then of course whats a cutter without some dies to play with? lol