To Die Cut or Not?

Accucut Go!   

When It comes to die cutters and quilting at first glance it seems like the best idea ever.  A machine that you put fabric in on one end and it spits out perfectly cut shapes on the other a quilters dream, no more worry about accurate cutting.   It sounds good in theory, but lets dig a little deeper.

Dies - Every shape you want to cut will require a die, depending on the brand and design I have seen them cost anywhere from $15 to $115.  And then you have to hope they make one in the right size.  One of the few times I actually had a practical use for our Go! Cutter was for a Dresden plate that every one was working on, but at the time there was only one die available for a Dresden plate, and it was not close enough in size to even consider using it.  A Die Cutter is like a cheap printer, sure it only cost you a $100, but it costs a $150 for the ink to run it.

Fabric Grain - Die Cutters got their start in the scrap book world cutting paper.  What happens if you cut paper on a bias?  Nothing.  The same can not be said about fabric. A perfect 2 inch strip that is cut on a bias will not stay perfect for very long.  Much of the efficiency you thought you were going to gain using a die cutter is lost in the time it takes to precisely align the fabric with the die.

Why get one? - Applique, if you like applique and you can find some dies that you love they work great for applique shapes.  A die cut machine, to me, is impractical for basic quilting shapes as a rotary cutter and ruler are faster and more efficient.

Brother Scan N' Cut

Scan N' Cut - This magic little device is what we wanted die cutters to be.  No dies are needed so you can always get the shape and size you want.  I think it is still impractical for basic quilt shapes, but we use ours all the time for lettering and applique.  Instead of trying to find a corresponding die for our applique patterns we simply scan the pattern in and it cuts what the pattern calls for.

I know there are happy die cut machine owners out there and I would love to hear from you.  What aside from applique do you use your machine for on a regular basis?