Quick Cuts for Applique and Quilting

AccuQuilt's GO! Baby fabric cutter. www.accuquilt.com

Photo: AccuQuilt

I’m fascinated by the AccuQuilt GO! and GO! Baby fabric cutters, although I’m not a quilter. I think either tool would be a handy way to cut accurate multiples of shapes for appliquéing crafts, accessories, or even clothing—not just quilts.

Children’s clothing would be an obvious use, and the AccuQuilt dies offer some cute appliqué shapes that could be adapted to this purpose. But I’m also thinking about its potential for embellishing women’s clothing, especially formal-wear, with a bit of whimsy.

I’m betting it would seriously speed up the process of cutting hundreds of fabric circles that could then be layered and tacked to create oodles of fluttering petals on a skirt, as well as butterfly shapes, leaves, or feathers that could be scattered across the body of a gown or jacket, or clustered on a cardigan shoulder. Just think of cutting out by hand enough chiffon circles or more intricate shapes to cover even a short skirt! And a tool like the AccuQuilt would make rendering consistently sized shapes much easier, too.

What do you think about using crafting tools like this for short-cuts in garment embellishment? Has anyone tried the AccuQuilt GO! fabric cutters for quilting or other crafts?

Stephani Miller, associate editor
Posted on Jul 20th, 2011 in tools & supplies, embellishments, quilting, notions

Comments (5)

lovemysinger writes: I just bought one, but haven't had the opportunity to get to it, yet. I'm sure I will love it, and will add Comments after I become acquainted with it.

Posted: 6:17 pm on September 27th

NubianGoddess writes: I think this tool would be great for cutting out fabric for "yo-yo's". I believe this(AccuQuilt Go) will be my next new 'toy'. Where can they be purchased in Canada?
Posted: 7:13 pm on August 20th

sassycrafter writes: I don't own a AccuQuilt but I do own a Sizzix Big Shot, a similar die-cutting machine. I use it to cut flower shapes out of upcycled wool sweaters and then make them into flower pins. The BigShot has been a great time saver for me, because I can roll out lots of flower petals at a time. I have several flower dies, and I mix and match the various shapes to create interesting brooches. The only drawback is that it is slightly more wasteful of fabric than hand cutting, due to the layout of the dies. I imagine that this would be the case for any of the applique-type dies with the AccuQuilt but probably not with the geometric block dies.
Posted: 10:09 am on August 1st

Marvelus writes: My sister and I just purchased an AccuQuilt die cutter and have gone a little crazy in acquiring the dies to go with it! We love them! I think this is a wonderful idea, and was even thinking about embellishing the "pillowcase dresses" with some of the different shapes, as I have so many scraps left over from sewing! What a wonderful way to dress up the dress! You are only limited by your imagination!
Posted: 10:02 am on July 28th

kvenkat writes: Anything that makes a process faster, easier and more accurate yet isn't immoral, illegal or fattening sounds good to me! I have not used an AccuQuilt but have researched it along with several other die cutting machines. Hopefully, sometime this year I can get the $$ together to buy one. I'd love to hear from the owners of various models about the pros and cons of their machines for fabric projects.

Posted: 6:29 pm on July 25th

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