Accuquilt Go Big
06-06-2020, 04:58 PM
#21
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,074
I found that the dies don't last all that long, the mats wear out fairly fast, you never have the right die and the cutting is not necessarily perfect. If you don't cut on the length of the grain, the pieces will be off.
??Some of my dies are decades old. They still cut like new. Strip dies only get the curve if the fabric is not on the die correctly, doesn't matter what grain is cut. I think some video tutorials on using the Accuquilt system will help you a lot with the strip dies.
Only the Go Big is electric. The Go and Go Me (Baby) are manual. The die will stop cutting correctly if the mat is worn or cracked. I agree that sometimes I get a snarky customer rep from Accuquilt. I hang up and call back later or the next day until i get a nice one which seems to be few and far between. I always get the names of the reps and email accuquilt with names of how I felt I was treated good or bad. I don't let bad customer service get me down, I get bad right back.[QUOTE]
??Some of my dies are decades old. They still cut like new. Strip dies only get the curve if the fabric is not on the die correctly, doesn't matter what grain is cut. I think some video tutorials on using the Accuquilt system will help you a lot with the strip dies.
Only the Go Big is electric. The Go and Go Me (Baby) are manual. The die will stop cutting correctly if the mat is worn or cracked. I agree that sometimes I get a snarky customer rep from Accuquilt. I hang up and call back later or the next day until i get a nice one which seems to be few and far between. I always get the names of the reps and email accuquilt with names of how I felt I was treated good or bad. I don't let bad customer service get me down, I get bad right back.[QUOTE]
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 06-07-2020 at 04:11 AM.
06-06-2020, 05:32 PM
#22
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: kansas
Posts: 6,407
yes--I have the GoBig and it's worth it for me---I have some shoulder issues and carpel tunnel developing some and it sure helps. I have the 12" Qube (I mostly make 12" blocks) and the strip die bundle (I use the 2.5" strip die all the time) and several Blocks On Board (BOB) which have allowed me to make more complex blocks that I otherwise would probably not attempt. I suggest that once you order it, go onto their site and look at the tutorials--they really make it easier and you'll be successful.
06-06-2020, 06:29 PM
#23
Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 68
Big Go
I am seriously considering buying the Accuquilt Go Big because in almost 20 years of quilting, my cutting accuracy has not improved. Right now, I can purchase a new one on sale for $449 with possible free shipping. I say possible because they say free shipping with the exception of oversized/overweight and I don't know if the Go Big falls in one of those categories but I bet it does. My question to y'all is this, is it worth it? I browsed pages and pages of dies and, unless I am wanting to make a special quilt, none of the dies, such as squares and HSTs are sizes I ever use. And horribly expensive. And there are multiple mats available in different sizes. Why would you need mats of different sizes? So again I ask, is it worth it? TIA
06-06-2020, 08:12 PM
#24
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 4,688
I have had the GO Big for a couple of years - hand and arm issues mean I can't turn the crank. I it and find myself adapting patterns to the size dies I have. I got the Go Big on sale before Christmas, then waited until the cubes went on sale and bought the 6' and 12' as well as the companion sets in the same sizes. I am thankful I have the Go Big -- I couldn't cut fabric for larger quilts without it.
Here are some hints:
-- I starch my fabric almost board stiff before cutting so my pieces are accurate and have no issues when I piece.
-- I draw on my dies - I have found that if I extend the edges of the dies so I can check placement of the fabric it saves a lot of time.
-- I am also a fabric miser and I experimented until I found the minimum amount of extra fabric I need past the blades and I marked that on the dies as well (if you don't leave some fabric past the edge of the blades you get the fabric stuffed between the blade and the sponge and you get a bad cut). I leave a least a quarter inch around but my fabric is stiff.
-- Clean out any threads that get stuck as you get them - otherwise they are a bugger to get out
-- for my square mats, I rotate the mat 90 degrees every time I cut, then turn it over and rotate 90 degrees after each cut. The next time I offset the cut by a hair (as long as the mat covers the blades you are OK to move it around and rotate it). When I declare a mat dead it is well and truly dead. For the non-square mats I turn them 180degrees and move them as I can. The idea is to no continually cut in the same place.
-- If I use a block with several shapes and I want to cut several fabrics side by side I try to but the fabrics against each other (I draw a line halfway between the shapes) so I don't have to count the over lap as one of the 8 layers
Hope this helps.
Here are some hints:
-- I starch my fabric almost board stiff before cutting so my pieces are accurate and have no issues when I piece.
-- I draw on my dies - I have found that if I extend the edges of the dies so I can check placement of the fabric it saves a lot of time.
-- I am also a fabric miser and I experimented until I found the minimum amount of extra fabric I need past the blades and I marked that on the dies as well (if you don't leave some fabric past the edge of the blades you get the fabric stuffed between the blade and the sponge and you get a bad cut). I leave a least a quarter inch around but my fabric is stiff.
-- Clean out any threads that get stuck as you get them - otherwise they are a bugger to get out
-- for my square mats, I rotate the mat 90 degrees every time I cut, then turn it over and rotate 90 degrees after each cut. The next time I offset the cut by a hair (as long as the mat covers the blades you are OK to move it around and rotate it). When I declare a mat dead it is well and truly dead. For the non-square mats I turn them 180degrees and move them as I can. The idea is to no continually cut in the same place.
-- If I use a block with several shapes and I want to cut several fabrics side by side I try to but the fabrics against each other (I draw a line halfway between the shapes) so I don't have to count the over lap as one of the 8 layers
Hope this helps.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 06-07-2020 at 04:12 AM. Reason: shouting/all caps
06-07-2020, 03:41 AM
#25
Super Member
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Sunny Florida
Posts: 4,424
Quilt Lady,
Just wondering if you cut 8 layers on the dies?
I only cut 6 layers at a time. Fabrics with fusible product on the back can be stacked to cut cut 4 layers. Yes, I have to be careful not to overlap fabrics on dies with multiple cut shapes.
Just wondering if you cut 8 layers on the dies?
I only cut 6 layers at a time. Fabrics with fusible product on the back can be stacked to cut cut 4 layers. Yes, I have to be careful not to overlap fabrics on dies with multiple cut shapes.
06-07-2020, 07:31 AM
#26
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,074
One of my guild members bought a Go and complained about it constantly. She brought it to a sew day so the members that had one could help her. She watched a demo but never followed the instructions, nor read the instructions on the die packages. All she did was say how awful the Go was and not worth the money. Ignorance is everywhere, even at guild.
