AccuQuilt

[Robin]

I received an email from my LQS that she is selling out of the Accuquilt Go cutter and dies at 50% off until everything is gone. For anyone who is...her store is called The Plaid Square and she is located in Glasgow, MT. Her email is della@plaidsquare.com. Go for it!

[Robin]

I meant to say for anyone who is interested....

I need to remember to proof read before I post!

[mrsbishwit]

50% off retail is a good price, that puts it at the wholesale price.

As for those who are hesitant about buying the Go model because of the die selection, they are working on more dies (about every 6 months more will come out) the studio has more right now because that was out for awhile before they made the GO model.

I went with the Go because I just don't have the space for the studio and the studio dies are just too expensive for me since I don't have a quilt shop to off set the cost.

[cblevins]

I ordered my studio from the accu quilt site. I couldn't find it anywhere else. It is more expensive but it is extremely sturdy and accurate. It is such a pleasure to piece with the blocks. I justified the extra expense because I had suffered a mild stroke and my arm was a little weak. I needed something that was easy to use and heavy enough to not bounce when I turned it. I still have problems cutting with the rotary cutters for very long. I can cut with this without problems.

[cjtinkle]

I used my 3 1/2 inch block today to cut out a ton of blocks for a quilt... only to find out after cutting them all that the block isn't accurate! It's shy 1/16th of an inch. I called AccuQuilt, and they said that is within their acceptable range.

!!!

[ffq-lar]

Originally posted by cjtinkle

I used my 3 1/2 inch block today to cut out a ton of blocks for a quilt... only to find out after cutting them all that the block isn't accurate! It's shy 1/16th of an inch. I called AccuQuilt, and they said that is within their acceptable range.

!!!

!!! I guess! Did you tell them that 1/16th isn't within YOUR acceptable range??

We are soooo spoiled by the good service we receive from our favorites (APQS, Superior, CL, QZ, etc.) that something like this feels like a cold-water shower!!:mad:

[Mary Beth]

Originally posted by ffq-lar

Originally posted by cjtinkle

I used my 3 1/2 inch block today to cut out a ton of blocks for a quilt... only to find out after cutting them all that the block isn't accurate! It's shy 1/16th of an inch. I called AccuQuilt, and they said that is within their acceptable range.

!!!

!!! I guess! Did you tell them that 1/16th isn't within YOUR acceptable range??

We are soooo spoiled by the good service we receive from our favorites (APQS, Superior, CL, QZ, etc.) that something like this feels like a cold-water shower!!:mad:

Yeah! That's just not right. When I first read this I was thinking of the comparison I read this week on piecing with different size threads and what a difference that tiny bit of thread does to a quilt block. But, you haven't even started the piecing. 1/16th of an inch adds up over a row. And for them to just sluff it off like it's nothing....Wow....really poor customer service.

[meg]

guess i'll stick to my olfa mat and cutter...i knew it sounded too good to be true!

[Mary Beth]

Well, I'm glad I didn't pay a lot for mine. I will still use it, I will just be aware and measure.

You know...I hate patterns that call for a "scant" seam. What is that?? I have always hated that, thinking it is no way to sew an accurate seam. It would be anyone's guess what size your block would be when all is said and done. I read a book about perfect piecing and the author confirmed my thoughts....she didn't think that was the way to piece either.

This whole topic reminds me of the scant thing....

[Quilting Heidi]

Wow CJ in my book that is huge. In a quilt with 8 seams you are now off by 1/2"!!!!! That would make me really mad!:mad::mad::mad:

[anita]

Mary Beth...We must be reading the same book. Like the author, I've stepped back to look at why my quilt tops lack accuracy. I see some people fly thru the piecing and have perfectly matching seams...but that's never been true for me.

I've learned that part of it is my cutting and have been tempted by the AccuQuilt...I'm ultra-glad to have read this before investing in it.

Anita

[Mary Beth]

Anita,

Many people like the GO Templates. I have read many, many posts of the accuracy of most of them. But, how do you know you are getting an accurate template? That is the key question. I will stick with the templates I have and try them to see what I think. I know my rotarty cutting is not as accurate as I would like....but I don't think it is off a 1/16 of an inch on each piece.

The book I have is by Sally Collins...I think....great book. They should make every person who wants to make a quilt read this book first!! IMHO

[cjtinkle]

Well, I think if you cut everything out with the AccuQuilt, you should get excellent results, but if you haven't enough dies and cut partially by hand, you're going to have a problem, since the dies seems to be a smidge smaller than they should be.

Yes, 1/16th of an inch is huge. I'm only just starting to play with my set, so I don't know if all the blocks are off, or if I just have a bad one. They are replacing the block, customer service has been good actually, minus the belief that 1/16th of an inch off is acceptable.

I have used all sizes of the strip dies, and they are perfect.. so hopefully it's just that block!

[Mary Beth]

Well, that is good that they are replacing it...make me feel a little better about them

[anita]

Yep...Sally Collins' book is what I'm looking at too. Good stuff...she somehow connects with the engineer part of me. And to think I missed her classes at NC's Quilt Symposium last year.

The AccuQuilt systems have gained such popularity, I have to believe the 1/16th inch isn't normal variance for the template and it's good they'll replace it. Like Heidi said, it can make a difference in the end. Ask me how I know

Anita

[meg]

marybeth -

i totally agree with you on the scant 1/4". what is that about anyway? quilting is math - and it shouldnt be subject to interpretation. i realize they say to sew 'scant' to allow for the thread after pressing. but i always shoot for as close to exact as i can get. i need to work with actual boundaries or there's no telling what i might wind up with. consistency has never been my strong suit!

i have a foot with a 1/4" guide for my bernina and i'll tell ya, since i got that thing my piecing has been spot on. i just run the fabric right along that sucker and i hardly ever have to fudge anything - and if i do - it is always cause i have not been careful enough with cutting. (which is why this cutter seemed so tempting to me)

i'm glad to know that i am not the only one who is bugged by the 's' word!

[Quilting Heidi]

OK Meg & Mary Beth...I'm a 1/4" fanatic because I hate when my points don't match. When working on something that I really care about seams matching I will always check my 1/4" with the fabric before starting the project. Believe it or not thread and fabric can really make a difference with how much you have to fudge things in. If you take (3) 2" strips (about 6" long) and seam them (2 seams) press and measure it should be 5". If it isn't your 1/4" is off. For some quilts this doesn't really matter much but when it does I always test. Meg you got lucky on your foot. I teach this method when I teach piecing and I've only ever had 2 gals whose foot was spot on. Now it could have everything to do with how the operator feeds their fabric in.

[cjtinkle]

For me "spot on" is super important because I use EQ to do my quilts... whether it's my own pattern or one I purchased, I still draw them up in EQ. Having a perfect 1/4 inch seam allowance means I can cut my borders exactly to size (whatever EQ says!) and not measure them... and never see a wavy border to deal with on the longarm.

I'm a mathematical IDIOT... EQ makes it easy for me... and I'm rather hoping the AccuQuilt will too, LOL

[meg]

heidi -

i have an quilting friend who has the same machine and foot and she swears by it, too. so does her mom. i'm telling ya - its a miracle. all you have to do is hold one finger on the fabric to make sure it stays lined up and let the machine do the rest. it works so good for me that i only have to check for 1/4 if i am using a minkee or something with a funky thickness. love, love, love that thing! of course, you have to use the other feet for half square triangles, applique and things like that - but for simple and strip piecing, this thing is unbelievable!

cj - i, too, am a mathematical idiot. i can only piece because i can read and follow directions and for some reason find this tedious work fascinating. i remember being in school and getting a correct answer and not even understanding it then! we should start a club. i bet there are more of us than you think! math drop outs - UNITE! lol

[LinneaMarie]

Meg, please tell, is it the #37 or #57 foot you are talking about?? I have a Bernina Artista 640, and my seams were not right until I got the plate with the little hole. That plate made a huge difference in my piecing!! Finally, after 50+ years, I can sew a 1/4" seam!! I mostly use the #37, because I do so many angles that the #57 gets in the way.

Oh, and I'm a chemistry drop out! Loved math too, except for algebra!!

[cjtinkle]

She's referring to the #57 foot, it's the same as the 37 but with the guide.

I also use the #57 (D) foot to piece on my 830, with the straight stitch plate. I didn't have much luck using either the #57 or #37 on my 730 with the wide feed dogs, on it I preferred using the #34 © foot, with the needle position 3 clicks to the right. The dual feed seems to give the 830 (also 9mm) much more "sway control" then I could ever get with the 730.

On my 630, I also seem to prefer using the #37 foot, but I use the patchwork seam guide. That's the metal one that screws into the throat, and you just nudge your fabric up against it.

[Mary Beth]

I enrolled in a BOM at a local quilt store a couple of years ago. They would show us the block and then talk of the "scant 1/4" I had no idea there was such a thing. One block I did came out terrible and so did my longarm quiter friends. We went up to the "teacher" after class one month and showed her the block from the previous month....after the lady in front of us showed her's. This "teacher" said, "Have you been quilting long?" My friend was shocked and said, "We are machine quilters!!" I almost laughed out loud.... She went on to explain the scant business so I just went back each month for my block....but I have never finished it. I will do my own version of the block and finish it without a scant.

[meg]

hi linnea - it is the 57 foot and i too have the straight stitch plate on when i piece. ask me how many needles i have broken cause i forget it's there and try to zigzag?

but i have a 440 - maybe that is the difference. so does my friend - but i think her mom still has the older model bernina - you know with the old style feet. anyway, it works for us real well.

[mrsbishwit]

I have used the Go to cut out several things so far,

the drunkards path(the first few blocks I put together were slightly under the 7 1/2" it was supose to be but I think it was human error on my piecing because I nver did this block before and after the last one I did I checked the size of it and it was spot on 7 1/2" so I must be getting better at piecing them

I also used the 2 1/2" strip die also perfect

and I just cut out a queen size tumbler block quilt and that also came out to the right size as well.

Plus I tried out one of the applique dies over the weekend,did as they suggested by fusing the webbing onto the back first then cutting the shapes...very cool! will never go back to the old method ever again.

CJ, I also use my EQ6 to do my borders for me like you do. I never had any issues this way, and even though my 730E has both the 37 and the 57 foot I keep my 37 foot on all the time, did try the 57 for the drunkards path block but the guide messed it up.

[meg]

didnt mean to post that - sorry.

of course ihave to use the 37 for some piecing, but i think the 57 cant bebeat for strip and simple piecing! jmho.