Innov8R

I am about to purchase an Accuquilt Studio 2 cutter and am seeking advice from others who use the Studio and Go cutters. Which dies in which sizes have you used the most? I can use Go dies in the Studio, so input from those users is important. I don't do applique yet, so the special shapes are not on my list to purchase with my machine. Since the dies are BOGO and the bundles are 1/2 price I am trying to get my order together today. Please offer any assistance you can.

bearisgray

What size pieces do you use most often?

willferg

I had a Studio Cutter, but it was more than I needed and took up a lot of space. I have an electric Go now.

As far as dies go, strips are good. I have recently become a fan of the half square triangle blocks. I like the tumbler die, I like the smaller squares for cutting up scraps. I don't use any of the specialty shapes, but that's just me. I am eager to try the log cabin die but haven't yet. Same with the hunter's star block.

I used the flannel raggedy die for the Go in the Studio. It went okay, but it wasn't my favorite.

Hope this helps somewhat, these are just thoughts off the top of my head!

sval

Mine is just collecting dust. I have found there is always a better way to piece a unit than cutting out the individual triangles and then sewing them together. Say you were making a half square triangle block. Or a flying geese unit. You can get dies to cut such things. But then you are cutting and sewing each one together as opposed to using a method where you make 8 at a time.
What I do find I use mine for is border strips and binding strips.

Innov8R

Thank you Willferg. I am considering adding the tumbler die to my order.

Jennifer23

When I lived in the city my guild had an Accuquilt Go, and my favourite use was cutting things that would be annoying to cut by hand. I would never have made an apple core quilt cutting by hand, but using the die I was able to cut a good-sized throw in under an hour.

I'm planning on buying a Go, and the top dies on my list are Winding Ways and apple core. It really depends what sort of quilts you like to make.

Prism99

I have a manual crank Go!, so not sure how much help I can be.

I personally do not use the strip dies as much as I thought I would; however, I'd use them more if I had the Studio dies. My problem with the Go! strip dies is that the fabric wrinkles on the middle unless I stop halfway through the crank and straighten the fabric underneath the mat. The roller seems to stretch the fabric just enough (even though I am using the lengthwise grain, as recommended) that I have to do this in order to get straight strips without wrinkles and wrinkly cuts in the middle. It would be worth the hassle if I had a Studio and Studio strip dies, which cut more pieces at one time. I would not recommend getting the Go! strip dies for the Studio. For me, it is simply easier to hand cut strips using my June Tailor mats.

What I ***love*** the Go! for (aside from turned edge machine applique; I use the applique dies to cut my freezer paper) are the irregular shapes and triangles. For irregular shapes, the tumbler is a lot of fun. Any shape that is difficult to cut accurately by hand I like. For example, I have hexagons and circles, and Hunter's Star (none of which I have used yet) because those are more difficult to do by hand. Unlike sval, I really love cutting triangles with the Go! All the "dog ears" are cut off, so matching and sewing become very accurate for me. My favorite die combo is the square in a triangle (requires 2 dies for the Go!); makes a great scrap quilt. I also liked the Go! for large flying geese.

It really depends on what you intend to make. To be honest, it's very easy to over-buy on dies. Although it becomes very fast to cut out a quilt, it takes a long time to piece, layer and quilt a quilt. That is why I and many others have die collections we haven't gotten around to using yet. Also, no matter how many dies you have, you will always find you are missing one specific size down the line.

If you have any intention of making a wedding ring quilt, I would definitely get the wedding ring die (for the Studio) -- including the optional arc -- while you can take advantage of the sale price. That is one quilt that is ideal for cutting out with the Studio.

Edit: I love the look of Winding Ways quilts, so that is a die I would consider getting too.

notmorecraft

I use the 2 1/5 strip die a lot, the circle die, and the qube for various other combinations.

retiredteacher09

If you are a Facebook user, search Accuquilt and beyond. You need to join the group but this topic has been discussed and it's a great group to ask questions.

I started with a Go but then I bought a Go Big! I was thinking earlier today about my dies and how I should have purchased them as I started a new project because I have some dies that I haven't used much like the parallelograms.

Like someone else said, the strip dies are a good choice. If I bind, I use the 2.5" strip die. I also use the 1.5" one on the multiple strip die. I really like my multiple 2" finished HST die and the multiple 2.5" square die. I know you can cut the squares with the strip dies, but I cut mostly from donated scraps that are irregular shaped and/or under 5". generally. I have the strip dies from the multiple one through 3.5".

I do like my tumbler dies.

The 12" Mix and Match set came with my Go cutter from Craigslist. I bought most of the dies for the other sizes and have all 4 Companion sets.

I am sure you will love the Studio.

Prism99: Are you putting the selvedge on the bottom for the strip dies? The strip dies are the only dies that I know that doesn't need to have the selvedge edge or lengthwise grain going through perpendicular to the blades. I always put it on the bottom and the fold on the top so lengthwise grain is parallel. Hope this helps.

Connie

Prism99

I should add that I think the Go! owl is very cute -- cuter than the Studio version. But it does involve applique.