AccuQuilt recently reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in trying out their Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System. I jumped at the chance because I've been really curious about their system for awhile now and I have some friends who use the system and highly recommend it. As an added bonus, AccuQuilt headquarters is located in Omaha, Nebraska, which is where Wren Collective headquarters recently relocated to. I love working with local companies!
What's In The Box
When the Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System was delivered to my doorstep, it came in a big ole' box. There were lots of goodies inside! Here's what's included in this system:
- GO! Fabric Cutter
- GO! Qube 8" Mix & Match Block*
- GO! Cutting Mat-6" x 6"
- GO! Strip Cutter- 2 ½" (2" Finished)
- GO! Cutting Mat-10" x 24"
- GO! Qube Mix & Match Blocks and Quilts Pattern Book by Eleanor Burns
- Pattern & Idea Book
- Die Pick
- Getting Started DVD
- Product Registration Card
- Quick Start Guide
- Self-contained Storage System
*The GO! Qube 8" Mix & Match Block includes the following:
- GO! Square-4 ½" (4" Finished) (Shape 1)
- GO! Square-2 ½" (2" finished) (Shape 2)
- GO! Half Square Triangle-4" Finished Square (Shape 3)
- GO! Quarter Square Triangle-4" Finished Square (Shape 4)
- GO! Half Square Triangle-2" Finished Square (Shape 5)
- GO! Square on Point-3 ¼" (2 ¾" Finished) (Shape 6)
- GO! Parallelogram 45°-2 ¾" x 3 ½" Sides (2 1/16" x 2 13/16" Finished) (Shape 7)
- GO! Rectangle-2 ½" x 4 ½" (2" x 4" Finished) (Shape 8)
First Impressions
As you can see from all that is listed above, the Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System is not messing around; when they say "ultimate", they mean UL-TI-MATE. There are SO many cool things included! This could translate into "where in the world am I going to put all of this?!" But luckily, the GO! cutter itself is super compact in relation to its large cutting surface. It folds in on itself and is stored upright, which actually takes up just a small amount of space in my closet. The dies all live in a compact cube, so it truly doesn't take up much room at all. And if you're anything like me, then real estate is precious in your sewing space! I am very impressed at the thought that was put into the design of the fabric cutter.
It's Fun for Kids, Too!
I have a four year old daughter, Wren, who loves to "help." (If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen her in action.) Helping is her favorite pastime, and quilting is no exception! She is right along side of me as I work on projects whenever possible. Since she's so young, there are only a limited number of quilting tasks she can realistically help with. She mainly helps me pin baste my quilts, helps me hand quilt, and sits on my lap when I chain piece. She's never been involved in the fabric cutting process for obvious reasons (rotary cutters and preschoolers--yikes! I'm an adult and am terrified of my rotary cutter half the time. Clumsy is my middle name.) Enter AccuQuilt!
Since there are no exposed blades, Wren is able to help me cut fabric (under my supervision.) As a result, she is as much of a fan of this fabric cutting system as I am! We decided to make a simple mug+snack rug together using the GO! Square-2 ½" (2" finished) die and some fabric from my scrap basket.
One of the coolest things around the AccuQuilt Go! fabric cutter is that it can cut up to six layers of fabric at a time! We put this to the test and layered six scraps over one of the 2.5" squares.
After layering six layers of quilting cotton scraps over the 2.5" square, we placed the cutting mat on top of the GO! square (as seen below.)
After getting the cutting mat into place, we slid the GO! square against the center of the fabric cutter.
Rolling the GO! square through the fabric cutter was really fun for both of us! I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy it was, too. I also noticed that this fabric cutter put less strain on my wrists than traditional rotary cutting does. Because of this, I can really see where this AccuQuilt Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System would be ideal for those with arthritis/joint issues.
As you can see from the photo below, there is very little waste when using this fabric cutting system. It cut through all six layers with ease!
Here is our finished project: an oversized mug rug (large enough for a mug and a snack! I added a few hand quilting details, which pairs nicely with the texture of the chambray background. I love how it turned out!
Final Thoughts
I can honestly say that I am very impressed with the AccuQuilt Ready. Set. GO! Ultimate Fabric Cutting System. The things I especially appreciate about this system are its compact design, the large cutting surface when unfolded, the ease of use, the fact that I can include my preschooler in the cutting process, and the time it saves me. I have been reaching for this fabruc cutter more and more and cannot wait for my next project using the AccuQuilt GO! fabric cutter. Stay tuned! Have you tried any of the AccuQuilt products? Let me know in the comments below! I would love to hear your favorite things about this fabric cutting system.
Kay says
I have been using accuquilt from the very moment I started to quilt 4 years ago. I love the accuracy of the cutting. Binding is a snap. I only wish there were more partnerships between pattern makers and accuquilt as the selection of modern quilt patterns is limited.
WrenCollectiveQuilts says
I love using the AccuQuilt system, too. That's a good point about pattern designers partnering with them!