I make a lot of crumb and scrap blocks so in the beginning when I first started using my friend's Go, I had a lot of scraps. Now that I've used it quite a bit I know how to cut my fabric and place it on the dies with less waste.

I think it depends on what type of patterns you are using.
The applique dies seem to be the worse-of the ones I've used.

I have a Studio, but I agree that with the geometrics, you don't have much more waste than if you were cutting by hand. The shape dies (like a flower) are more apt to produce waste if you just lay a single piece of fabric on the die. As others have stated, with practice you become better at minimizing waste.

I love my Accuquilt Go. I got it at a yard sale. It was amazing, I didn't even plan to go to that one. I have bought a few dies to go with the 2" strip cutter and mat that I got when I bought the Go. There are several sites on the web where you can get dies much cheaper than on the Accuquilt site. I have gotten more than one at Fabric Hut on sale. I am looking for some more strip cutters on sale. It seems the price for those is higher than others.
I have 6 1/2",& 4 3/4" squares, circles, hearts, critters, and rectangle (can't remember exact measurement). So far I have mainly used the 6 1/2" square.

Love my Go! My favorite dies are the small tumbler, hst's and triangle in a square. Any of those, b/c the corners (dog ears) are already cut off. I did a tumbler quilt so quickly it was amazing. Everthing fit together perfectly.

Strips are nice as they can be used as is, or you can turn cut strips to subcut squares or diamonds. You'll find tips on doing that at the Accuquilt site. Of course, you can also buy dies that allow you to do wthat without turning to subcut...

I belong to a yahoo group (pinsandneedles) that sells dies at a 30 - 35 % off msrp all of the time. She is an authorized dealer, so if there are problems, Accuquilt takes care of replacements. Just something to keep in mind when buying discount - buying from non-authorized dealers (ebay or people who are selling "extras" or no longer wanted items) you won't get that kind of service.

You can also order custom dies through the group. Some have ended up being ordered in multiples as there were others who wanted them, thus cutting the cost per die.

Happy birthday, and congratulations on a DH who wants to give you a gift that you will enjoy using.

The ones I had on my "priority list' when I purchased the GO were the curved ones....drunkards path, robbing peter to pay paul, applecore, and tumbler......I have all now and love them, makes cutting curved pattern pieces a breeze, even if you have "templates" for these designs, the die is so much easier-no slippage!!!!! The piecing is also a piece of cake because the pieces are so precisionly cut they just "fall" together.......Now, I have accumulated the triangles, squares, rectangle and strips.......and now have ordered some of the new ones that are out...not from mfgr...from dealer, price is better....so shop around and see who offers the best price....

This is a great question, gigi4419! Thanks for posting, I'm going to bookmark it. I haven't purchased the Go yet because I really didn't know which dies I should get. The folks here have given us prospective purchasers a lot of very useful information. I am planning on initially getting the 2-1/2" strip for bindings and possibly some HSTs; these seem to be the most practical for me right now.

I would love one. I would love the square for the rag quilt. I have someone cut up the dogs for me and butterfly's. Maybe one day I'll get one.

Don't forget to check out Bayside quilting. I think they are offering free shipping or something...
Look for Baysidequilting.com..
Kirsten

I thought you must mean 3 HUNDRED until I read the ad. 3 THOUSAND! Yikes!

:lol: I know, I don't know anyone that would plop down that amount of money right off the bat. I'm not sure if I would ever actually want all of the dies produced...maybe if I won a constest or something.

I do want the new basket one. I'll keep looking to find it at the very best price.