I've been turning this
into this
with the help of this
purchased with several other members of my guild.
We paid full price for it,
and purchased a package of dies with it.
Not sure it would have been worth it on my own,
but it's fun to have a share in this.
For now, I'm cutting HST triangles and squares
as big as the scraps allow
to make up some scrappy quilts.
Thinking of cutting up some of my yardage into bits
to use it up, or give it away as quilt kits.
I resisted purchasing a die cutter for a long time
mostly because I thought I'd be fine with the rotary cutter.
I've spent six weeks in pain and $400 in physio
dealing with tendonitis in my dominant hand.
So I decided it was worth it.
The Accuquilt people claim their cutter makes cutting 90% faster.
They make no claims about their product saving time sorting through the scrap bin
and ironing all the little bits so they lie flat in the cutter, lol.
And for the record, I threw out all the off cuts.
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9 comments:
love your comment aobut ironing the little bits :-)
and you were brave to throw the off cuts away !
You always inspire me, Brenda!
I just purchased a second-hand Go! Baby and I've been wondering how to get a jump on using it. Heading to the scrap bin is a fabulous idea!! Thanks!!
What kind of Doctor / therapist did you see for your hand? I', having major trouble and don't know where to start. Thanks for any help you can give.
I've gone back to the old template and scissors myself. Apparently I have my cutting table at the wrong height and it is misery to try cutting more than one cut on it. (Sciatica - my back and all down the right leg... I'm on heavy duty meds for months now.)
The trouble with cutting machines is they only do one shape and at only one size. I can make a template any shape or size, but then I do have to trace and cut... I guess there are bugs in every method.
Thanks for sharing your info about cutters.
Hug
I LOVE doing what you are doing with scraps. I'm all giddy when I realize that I have just enough fabric to make ONE 2" HST or ONE 2" square. (Both to finish at 1.5".) The dies come in really handy on Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville Snips and Quips scrappy quilts. Yes, there is a lot of ironing and sorting. I keep my scraps and strings in gallon ziplock bags in bins sorted by color. But I'm so happy at the end when I realize that more than half of a quilt was "given" to me because the scraps were too small for someone else. Have fun!!!
A suggestion from a friend about my tiny scraps - pop them into an old pillow case - when full, just machine sew the end and hey presto! a pet cushion which is completely machine washable.
The Go! is a good investment. It's helped me a lot to keep my fabric stash under control!
After awhile you will start saving your scraps in nice flat piles. I rarely store my scraps all wrinkled any more. I have 3 piles right now ready to cut if I can just decide which shape.
How awesome that a group of you can share the die cutter . . . what an excellent idea!
Wanda is right about how you store your scraps after you start thinking in terms of die cutting.
And I agree, the off cuts go in the trash here unless it is a much beloved fabric and I can get a useful something from the last bit.
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