Quilt Cutting Dies.....Experiments!

Hello All,

I never can stay away from fabric for very long I'm afraid.

The paints are all still out and in use, but the ideas were missing. So I managed to

make a bit of clean space on another table to get my sewing machine out.

I really struggle with machine piecing.....the points never meet properly and I just

can't get a quarter inch seam!

When I saw an advert for an Accuquilt cutting die system where all the shapes were

in proportion for mix and match, I thought it might help. I also discovered that there

was a stitch in the quilting section on my Janome machine that made a 1/4 inch seam

from the edge of the foot. How could I fail?

But I have a Sizzix Big Shot Plus and you are supposed to use the Accuquilt cutting

machine. So I decided to risk it....and have been experimenting with combinations

of plates this afternoon.

Now I must emphasise that I am NOT recommending this...... I am not responsible for

broken machines or plates. I found that the safest way to approach the problem was

to start with the thinnest combination of plates and increase by the tiniest bit at a time

until it cut properly.

This is MY successful combination for MY INDIVIDUAL machine.

I have to point out that when I got my new Sizzix machine I found that with some

wafer thin types of paper dies, the recommended sandwich resulted in curved dies

and plates and I was a bit cross. However, when I removed the sticky instruction

label from the base plate, it reduced the pressure just enough to reduce this and still

cut. I now understand when demonstrators say "get to know your own machine".

I am quite pleased with the finished quilt block even though I have slightly more

than 1/4 inch seams so the finished block would not quite be 9 inches.

A bit more practise needed before I tackle a super king sized bed quilt I think.

I hope you enjoyed reading this little diverted ramble....... P.