That little dissertation leads me to cutting systems. I himmed and hawed for a long time before I purchased my Accuquilt Go but it is indeed one of my best sewing purchases ever, ever! If you make more than one or two pieces per year this might be for you. (no compensation received or implied by the way.) This is not a lighthearted purchase. It can add up. But with arthritic hands this has been a lifesaver for me, cutting wise. I dislike the cutting process quite a bit, I admit I am not so good at it. Something always 'goes off' and I have to waste fabric to re-cut. With careful planning I don't have as many scraps as I used to when cutting certain shapes. Now, of course, there is more waste with applique pieces or fussy cuts but I can live with that.
My most recent order was this log cabin die. It can produce a 12 inch block. Works for me. I haven't used this one yet, I have several other items in progress that I want to complete before diving into this one. I just ordered the 2 1/2 strip cutter die as well. I am going to proceed to cut my strips as I go to reduce the stash. I am so enamoured with strip quilts and this is a great way to do the prep.
As usual, I like to do a couple quick projects between big ones to get that satisfaction of completion. In that vein I found some scraps left over from a quilt project from a couple years ago. I joined them into off-set rows. These little strings were a bit wonky and not suitable for the quilt but since I am a fan of all Kansas Troubles fabrics they were set aside for another use. I used my fall Accuquilt applique die that had a pumpkin, a maple leaf, an oak leaf and an acorn. I even found some trim I picked up at a quilt show a couple years ago to add some dimension. And Ta-Da, the Fall Theme Mini Quilt Flag. The second in my series.
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| 21/2 inch strips sewn then cut into 2 1/2 inch blocks then joined. |
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| The Banner measures 15 inches x 36 inches. This is a very wrinkled look at the top applique portion. It really doesn't look this bad in real life. I am going to un-stitch those echo's and re-think that section tomorrow. The appliques were cut with the Accquilt cutter, and fused with Steam a Seam 2 EZ. My new favorite fusible. I added the little fabric vine trim to add some dimension. |
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| divided approximately in thirds, the bottom is 2/3 of the overall length. I decided to off-set the block rows to add some interest. A little free motion stitching on the leaf veins and a simple satin stitch around the pumpkin was done using one of the new water activated stabilizers. Not sure about that, need to work with it a bit more. The adhesion was good after a second dampening, it was a mid-weight but it seemed to bubble a bit. I probably did something wrong. I'll let you know about that. |
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| The quilting was done with one of the many decorative stitches on my machine. Straight rows, right down the middle. |
In summary, I am breathless with the possibility this little cutter affords even the most casual sewist. I know some professional sewists/quilters who swear by theirs. Me too!
*Mr. sees me working away, offers a little bag of chips. Quite frankly I think I just ate my shoe, kale and spinach, yuk!
Berlin, Take My Breath Away, the theme from Top Gun
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