Friends With AccuQuilt.... Benefits?
Y'all have heard of AccuQuilt, the ultimate fabric cutting system. What is it? Why would I want it, and it and is it worth the money? The AccuQuilt is a fabric die cutting system designed to make quilting easier and more enjoyable by providing a safe and efficient way to cut perfect pieces, every time.
I have been a prolific quilter since the late 1970's. That was BEFORE rotary cutting blades, rulers and cutting mats. My mom, who was NOT a quilter, was cutting 4" squares of double knit polyester for her churches Missionary Society. They could launder those polyester fabrics a gazillion times and the colors would never fade.
In the late 1980's, my dad was going through chemo, and we needed something for him to do. I found a four inch square (Olfa if I remember). I purchased a rather expensive (at the time) rotary cutter and mat for my folks to cut these four inch poly squares. Oh, I forgot to purchase (probably because I didn't have the money) for a ruler. No problem. Dad was using a METAL yard stick to cut those squares! What do you think happened to those blades? Yousa... I do have one of the quilts that my folks made. It is mostly made of squares of sheets and other unknown fabric contents.....Love it though my mom didn't want to make quilts since she grew up with them.
AccuQuilt
So, where does AccuQuilt come in? There are three parts you need – the fabric cutter, the die and the corresponding die mat. Each die has very sharp steel blades that form the shape to be cut. The blades are surrounded by foam so that you can run your hand over the die and not be hurt. To use the die, lay your fabric layers on top of the die, foam side up, then lay a mat on top of the fabric. Run it through the machine. When the die is run through the cutter, the system compresses the foam, forcing the blades to cut through the fabric layers and into the mat. Remove the mat to reveal perfectly cut fabric shapes.
Three Parts To The AccuQuilt System:
The Fabric Cutter
Scissors and rotary cutters are so old school. AccuQuilt state-of-the-art fabric die cutting systems are accurate, effortless, and 90% faster! For specialty cuts, this will rock your quilting world. I have owned the AccuQuilt systems many times over the past 20 years. Usually, what happens is that I have the system set up in my shop, and a customer comes in and insists I sell my set up to them. Have to admit this has happened many times.
I have been using the Electric Go Big! for the last several years. At some point I am just going to bite the bullet and get the Studio 2 professional cutter, which will let you cut up to ten layers of fabric. My 'expert' opinion is to purchase the largest cutter you can afford. You will be able to use most every die with it.
The Die
Perfect quilts start with perfect cuts. The die collection lets you get to the creative process in a flash. No more tedious measuring or cutting by hand. Just place several layers of fabric and cut! Layer the die, fabric, and cutting mat, and get an impeccable shape each time. Note that the smaller dies can be used on ALL cutters. The larger dies cannot be used on the smaller GO cutters.
The Cutting Mat
The cutting mats are made specifically for your AccuQuilt machine. It's weird, they go on TOP of the die, instead of underneath your ruler and fabric. The mats can be used hundreds of times before needing to be replaced.
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