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  • Cutting fabric - AcuQuilt vs ruler & rotary?

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    Old 04-10-2026, 12:07 PM
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    Default Cutting fabric - AcuQuilt vs ruler & rotary?

    Just curious if anyone else is having the same ambivalence as me about your AcuQuilt dye cutter? I previously had the Go Me (or Go Baby depending on when it was purchased) but it was lost in a fire. I have now come into possession of my mother's Acu cutter after she went into long term care. Honestly, I haven't used her cutter yet. She had one of the larger models. I don't have the space to leave it set up permanently. And I've found that, by the time I would drag out the Acu, cut the fabric down to the appropriate size, and fold it to fit on the dye, I can just as easily fold and cut larger pieces using a large cutting mat, ruler (I have the large Stripology and multiple acrylics), and rotary cutter. I work mostly with squares, rectangles, and strips though, so other folks might like the Acu for the HST's, hexies, and other shapes.

    I am currently in the process of decluttering and reorganizing my little 920 sq ft cottage in the hopes I can dedicate an entire room to quilting. Maybe if I get to that point, I can leave the AcuQuilt set up permanently and it will be more useful. For now I'm perfectly content with my mat/rulers/rotary.
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    Old 04-10-2026, 02:34 PM
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    That's one of the main reasons I've never purchased a cutter. While I have large sewing areas, I also have a lot of machines and equipment. I'd have to put something away or get rid of it and I don't want to do that. So for now at least, I'm just using my rotary cutter and rulers.
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    Old 04-10-2026, 04:21 PM
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    I have the very large, very heavy AccuQuilt Studio 2. I purchased only strip dies, in all sizes. I have the Studio permanently set up on one end of my cutting table, which consists of a solid core 36" door balanced on two short bookshelves. The dies are stored in the bookshelf at that end of the table. I realize this setup wouldn't work for everyone, but it works very well for me. I use the AccuQuilt a lot and am glad I purchased it before the prices went up so high. Of course I also cut with a rotary cutter when that makes more sense.
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    Old 04-11-2026, 01:02 AM
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    When I bought my AccuQuilt over a decade ago I bought so many of the dies to go with it and never used any of them. I have since downsized to just 12 specialty dies and I store it until I need it since it does take up a lot of space opened up.
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    Old 04-11-2026, 04:50 AM
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    My thought are that you waste so much fabric cutting into whatever size you need. Maybe if I saw one in action, I'd change my mind but for now, I'd rather use my stripology ruler and whatever other ruler needed to cut my fabrics. I have way too much scraps as it is anyway.
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    Old 04-11-2026, 04:59 AM
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    I could never justify the price of the AccuQuilt machine and then have to buy the dyes individually....to this cheap old woman (74) that was just insane and still is. I bought many cutting rulers/templates back when they were so much cheaper and someone always has blades on sale at a good price. I whip out a charity quilt about every 8 or 9 days so I must be doing something right.
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    Old 04-11-2026, 05:04 AM
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    Our local hospital has a sewing/quilting area. Volunteers make 40x57 quilts here which are offered to patients in cancer treatment. Someone donated an Accuquilt cutter and about a “million” dies to the program. I went to the demonstration and decided it’s not for me. Nobody uses it. At home, I’m good with my large cutting mat and stripology ruler.
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    Old 04-11-2026, 05:13 AM
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    My Accuquilt is a very important tool for me. I use my Accuquilt for 95% of all my cutting so I keep it set up on a L shape desk arrangement. When I had a small sewing room, it was still given room to be set up all the time, on a smaller table with dies underneath. I have the manual large Go and the smaller Go Me. I keep the Go Me on my cutting table to cut leftover fabric into useable shapes. I have all the Stripologoly ruler and rarely use it. I agree the cutter needs to be out and ready to use to be get the most use out of it.
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    Old 04-11-2026, 07:39 AM
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    If you are unable to rotary cut for disability reasons, the Accuquilt is a Godsend. I have the GO Big electric. It's heavy, so a dedicated table is a must.
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    Old 04-11-2026, 01:27 PM
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    Im with Joe’s Mom… after a hand injury, my Accuquilt cutter saves a lot of wear and tear on my hand for repetitive cutting. I do a LOT of scrap quilts that use the same shapes. Yes, once in a while my rulers still rule but at least that cutting is not the majority of what i need these days.

    Space is a consideration too.. i got the smaller AQ Bolt electric and leave it out all the time. I wore out two AQ GO ME cutters 🫣 cuz i used them so much and was able to leave them out due to their smaller size. I dont think they were meant for long term/dedicated use.

    i do have a larger GO cutter… but its not electric and its big so i dont leave it out. Consequently it doesnt get a lot of use.

    Last edited by AprilM; 04-11-2026 at 01:28 PM. Reason: Typo
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