fabric cutters

[quiltybyrd]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and a beginner quilter. I've started building my "stash" and watching tutorials! I'm so excited about my new-found hobby. I've been looking at fabric cutters, too. Does anyone on here have a fabric cutter? What is the best one? I've been reading about "Accuquilt Go" and "Accuqult Go Baby". Does anyone know anything about these machines? Thanks so much!

[Sandy Navas]

Re: fabric cutters

Hi, I'm new to the forum and a beginner quilter. I've started building my "stash" and watching tutorials! I'm so excited about my new-found hobby. I've been looking at fabric cutters, too. Does anyone on here have a fabric cutter? What is the best one? I've been reading about "Accuquilt Go" and "Accuqult Go Baby". Does anyone know anything about these machines? Thanks so much!

I look and then look away. Here's my take on these - 1) they are terribly expensive; 2) you need to spend additional monies if you need a different template/die - and those are expensive; 3) I don't know that I would use one enough to justify the expense . . . when will my love for quilting fade (Oh, never, well, okay); 4) the thrill of cutting your own pieces far exceeds turning a crank and watching a machine do it for you (although I love precuts); 5) like other cutters on the market (those punches used for paper/scrapbooking) they dull and will need to be replaced often.

Bottom take, for someone just starting out I'd rather spend my money on fabric, a ruler/template, and a rotary cutter. And, if you are looking for applique shapes, there are many others out there who have invested in the more expensive cutters and offer their cut-outs on e-bay, etsy, etc., for less than it would cost you for doing your own.

[toggpine]

Re: fabric cutters

I'm with Sandy on the expense. This hobby is expensive enough with the fabric that you will begin to hoard because you may never see it again, or it is just too special to pass up, or that would look just fabulous with that other piece that you bought last week. (Sorry, the addiction is showing isn't it?)
Anyhoo. I'd rather spend the money on the fabric than a new die. I have some nice templates and rulers and they were good investments because they are multi-functional.
Apparently there is also a lot of wasted fabric from the cutters too. While I have enough fabric to last me my lifetime, and possibly my daughter's, I don't like to waste it. I also don't have much more space to store more stuff. There is the cutter and then the dies, and you will need a new die for each shape. I hadn't given too much thought to the sharpening aspect, but that will eventually become an issue.
On the plus side, there are several of our ladies on here that have some pretty serious medical issues that affect their hand strength. So the cutters may be a blessing for them. IF the crank is set up so they can easily manipulate it or if they can get their family or friends to crank it for them.
Those are the reasons I chose not to buy one. I hope you get some feed back from folks who did buy one so you can compare and make up your mind about buying one.

[feetfirst]

Re: fabric cutters

Welcome! I am new to this, too, and everyone has been so nice, and very helpful. About the cutter, you might consider getting a rotary cutter and a cutting mat first to see how that works for you, then later invest in the other type if the rotary cutter doesn't meet your needs. So far for me, for two crib size, tied quilts and several cell phone holders, the rotary cutter has worked great for me. Carol

[StitchingTime]

Re: fabric cutters

I agree with Sandy, toggpine and feetfirst. I would rather invest in a good rotary cutter and a good cutting mat.

[sewsoft]

Re: fabric cutters

I agree with everyone else. I'm new to quilting also and was thinking of getting a cutter machine. I tried the rotary cutter and mat and ruler and I love them. I don't have a lot of storage space so these work perfect for me. It's also does not strain my wrists/hands to use a rotary cutter. Some of those machines you have to have a good tight grip on the handle and crank them really hard to get them to pull the die and fabric through. I love not wasting a lot of fabric using a rotary cutter that means I have fabric leftover for another project.

[roseytoes]

Re: fabric cutters

I have the go baby and I do use it quite a bit. I am doing a wool applique project that has lots of tiny flowers. I used the rose of sharon die to cut out the small flowers. I have arthristis in the joint of my thumb and cutting those small pieces are a killer. I buy the dies when I get a 50% off cupon. If you are going to use it a lot its worth the price. I paid $100 for the go baby unit. For me it was a good purchase. It all depends on how often you will use it.

[bakermom]

Re: fabric cutters

I would start out with a rotary cutter and mat. they are a worthwhile investment and will last a long time for you.
I have had a chance to play with an accuquilt go at a local shop. There does seem to be more waste than with a rotary but i've been told once you get the hang of it you get down to about 1/4 inch waste. I was interested in it because of hand problems. It was easier on my hand but oh boy did my shoulder hurt the next day! The shop where I tried it rents it out for the day. You need to buy the mats from them but you can use their dies or bring your own. If you think you might want one as a future purchase ask around, maybe you can find a shop that will let you try one out. it's a lot of money to put out for a tool you may be disappointed with.

[suzette58]

Re: fabric cutters

I would start out with a rotary cutter and mat with the rulers. Then if you stick with quilting see about getting either the Go or Go Baby cutter from Accuquilt. I have the Go cutter and love it. I use it to cut binding strips, among other shapes. It's great!

[sewbusy]

Re: fabric cutters

I have the AccuQuilt Go cutter and I love it. I am careful to precut my strips close to the width of the die and there is very little waste. The problem I have with rotary cutters and mats is accuracy. No matter how careful I am, I still end up with the ruler sliding. You would still need the rotary cutter, matt and ruler but the necessity for accuracy is less important because you are cutting strips to go into the cutter.
The biggest deterent to the cutter is the cost of the machine and the dies. Before I bought mine, I sat down and tried to figure out which dies were the most important to me and which ones could I accurately cut the traditional way. Then I went to any site that sold them and got mine way cheaper than Joanns. I think reseach is the key and priortizing what you need the most. I hope this makes sense.
sewbusy

[Sewbee]

Re: fabric cutters

I use a Martelli brand No Slip Ruler that has this really cool foam surface on the bottom and it never slips! I found it at a quilt show last summer at 50% off, otherwise the usual price is pretty expensive. But the concept of having a dense foam backing on the ruler really does work for the slipping problem. The rulers are not clear though so you can't see through them but with the markings on my cutting mat I don't have a problem with that.

[suzette58]

Re: fabric cutters

I have the Accuquilt Go cutter and love it. I got it last year at the Lancaster AQS show. It cuts alot of time out of cutting. But, also on the other hand, I would wait awhile before buying one. I would have hated it if I bought it and didn't stick with quilting and have it sit. I used rulers and templates for several years before getting it and they worked fine.

[lilmouse]

Re: fabric cutters

I have an accuquilt go machine and love it....however to begin you need to master the mat and rotary cutter as you would need it to trim your fabric down to fit the cutter.
You also need to make sure you are going to enjoy all aspects of quilting....the cutting, the sewing, the layering (I get sore every time I pin baste) and then the quilting and binding. So before making the investment into one of the machines on the market I would start with mat, ruler and rotary cutter.

[shell.scraps]

Re: fabric cutters

I like to use strips but I am a bit of a sloppy cutter..so I got a Fiskars Rotary Strip Cutter...it looks like a paper cutter, but has a locking strip to hold the fabric down and the blade is a 45mm standard rotary blade. I can make fast easy cuts now through 6 layers of fabric. I can measure out to 12" wide and it goes pretty fast once you get started!!

[Quilting Nana]

Re: fabric cutters

A friend and I both have the the AccuQuilt Go and the Go Baby and my advise is don't spend your money on it....buy more fabric. The cutting mats wear out very quickly so not only do you have to buy the different dies you have to buy a new mat about every other time you use it. The ads say less waste of fabric and we both found the opposite to be true. On the plus side the cuts like 5x5blocks are more accurate. That's my take on it I wish I had used all that money to buy other quilting supplies.

Have a great weekend.