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Accuquilt


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I am thinking about buying an accuquilt.  I have grandchildren that are just starting to learn to sew and quilt.  I thought that it would be a very safe way for them to cut blocks.  I'm not sure about what size to buy.  They sell them at a local shop and I plan to check them out.  Do you have an electric or manual?  I am thinking that I would probably like the Go Big.  Please share your opinion about size.  Does anyone wish that had purchased a different one than what they have?  Thanks for the input.  Cheryl

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Hi Cheryl,

I have the studio and the Go accuquilt cutters. The studio was bought first. In my previous home, I had the room for it and the dies. Everything is very large! 

Now that my sewing area is in the house and not a separate building, I did not have the room to set it up. So, my daughter has it at her home and I recently got the Go. I love it because I can sit it on the end of a table and the dies are pretty much the same for it as the studio dies and they can store in an office sorter. I won't be getting so many dies for the Go as I did for the studio because if I need something I don't have here, I'll go to Jeannie's and cut it there. 

The Go Big is electric and much larger than my Go, but the dies are the same for both. I live in the country and power outages can be frequent, so I opted for manual. It is not hard to turn the crank and I can keep sewing because I also use a treadle and gas lamps if its at night and I want to sew. 

 

Whichever one you buy you will love it. The savings on fabric can be huge! Before the Go I was using a rotary cutter for geese blocks and after the Go arrived, I recut the leftover triangles with it. Now, the geese are being made to the same size as before but I found that my handcut pieces are much bigger and cutting them down with the Go so they are more accurate to sew is leaving me with between 1/4 to almost a 1/2 inch of fabric to throw away. 

 

Another reason I had for going with the Go instead of the Go Big - I was watching some video online where Eleanor Burns was using the Go Big and she had a die to get stuck in the Big so bad that she had to stop and have someone take the Big away and bring in another one...She had not run it through the way it should have been and the die got caught. I did not care for having those kind of problems. Sometimes I get in a hurry and if I can avoid frustration, I will.

I do like and appreciate my Go.

Debbie

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I really appreciate your feedback.  I had decided on the manual cutter but just have one question...Are there some dies that work on the Go Big that cannot be used on the Go?  I am just concerned about restricting my abilities and I only want to purchase this once!  Thanks

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I have all three Go! cutters plus the Studio cutter. I love them all.

 

Yes, there are several of the very large Go! dies that are made for the larger Go! Big that cannot be used in the other Go! cutters. There are many dies that cannot be used in the Baby. I have shoulder and wrist problems and find that I use the Go! Big 99.9% of the time. The only time I use one of the other Go! cutters is when I only have a few pieces I need to cut or I am using the Studio. I have lots of dies and use them all.

 

Before you buy dies, figure out the type of quilts you want to make and then purchase the dies you will need to cut your pieces. You can always add new dies as you use the Go! more and more. You can't go wrong with the 1.5" and 2.5" strip dies and the 3" half square triangle dies. I also use my 2.5" square die. I am not in love with the new Qube sets that are being sold because I prefer to use the dies that cut more pieces of the same shape at one time. I also find that there is more fabric waste using the Qube dies. However, if you want lots of dies quickly, the Qubes might be the way to go.

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Cheryl:

 

Search for used models, or check with your local quilt guild.  I bought mine used from this site, and love it.  They pop all the time on Craigslist.   It saved me a great deal of money, buying it second hand.  My local guild lets members check out the cutter and dies, and bring them back later.  Also, one of my local sewing machine and fabric store has a Studio that they allow customers to use for free.  Just bring in your fabric, and cut all you want.  Check around your area, and you may find the same opportunities.  Also, a mom and pop store that sells them will probably let you try the machines out to decide which one you want to buy.  I like the manual one, as I can crank the handle and work the extra folded fabric not being cut though the rollers.  

 

There is a learning curve to saving fabric.  The first few cuts, I wasted fabric between cuts.  But as I used it to cut half-square triangles I learned to place the fabric more precisely and only wasted about a quarter inch between cuts.  

 

Best of luck to you.

 

Cagey

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I just have the Go and I like it very much.  It is easy to fold up and get out of the way if you need to.  I thought about what dies I would used the most and got those...so I got 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 strip cutters...and I have a variety of triangle dies in different sizes.  I like them because the dog ears are cut off by the die and they are easy to line up.  There is a learning curve....always load the fabric if you can so the length wise grain is on the length of the die that will be passing through the cutter as there is less stretch on the length wise grain and you will get more accurate cuts.  I also starch or use best press for sure when cutting out triangles....I thought the Go baby would be too small for me.  I didn't have room for the studio and also the dies that are just for the studio are more expensive.  I like the dies that have only one or two shapes on them the best and love the ones where you can cut multiple ones at one time...so on my 2.5 inch square die, I can cut 9 (number on the die) X 6 (layers of fabric) for a total of 54 squares in one pass...I do however mostly only use 4 layers of fabric as it is a bit easier to turn the handle.  I find that generally, the cutter cuts much more accurately then I do.  There is not much waste.  I usually cut my fabric about a half inch bigger then the area I want to cut on the die so I have about a quarter of an inch waste on each edge...it just cuts cleaner with the quarter of an inch.  I also used a sharpie marker to make additional lines on the die so it is easier to line up the fabric....and I extended them to edge...this makes it better when cutting up scrap fabrics...Oh,  I forgot...use caution with the dies as the blades just below the surface of the foam are really sharp.  One of the first dies I got actually had a bit of the blades raised above the foam and it is dangerous.  I plan to replace that die soon.  It is well past the time where I could return it so check your dies out when you get them....All the rest of the dies I have gotten recently have been just fine.  .Lin

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I have the Studio and love it. Bought it at 50% off, plus an additional 10%. Dies go on sale regularly, so that's when I buy. I love the speed and accuracy. Grandkids enjoy cutting blocks for their quilts and I like that their fingers are safely away from a blade. Cutting binding takes no time with the 2.5" strip set. You can turn the strips to cut them into 2.5" squares. The curved dies, like Drunkards Path, save so much time. I got my studio cutter before the sides hinged up for storage. The current design is preferable.

Lately we've been making Quilt of Valor kits for our group. Starting with accurately cut blocks is so nice!

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Heidi:

 

You can upgrade your studio cutter with the flooding sides for $200 normal price and $100 when on sale.  I bought the upgrade for my quilting friend after I sold her the studio that I got when I purchase my GO on this forum.  Someone here posted they were on sale, and I was able to get the sale price right before it ended at midnight.

 

Cagey 

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I love, love, love my Studio cutter. I bought the studio because the Go didn't look like it would hold up. It is made of plastic. Also, I have some friends that say it is harder to turn than the Studio. I bought the adapter so I can use Go dies in my Studio. I really like the big strip dies for strips and squares. Very easy to use and you can't beat the accuracy. You will love which ever one you get. 

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