The Whimsical Workshop Studio

I am so excited to share some exciting news with you. The Whimsical Workshop is partnering with AccuQuilt  and P&B Textiles to bring you a free project every month using fabrics from P&B Textiles and the AccuQuilt Go! Big Electric Fabric Cutter. Each month I will design a project with assorted dies and fabrics from these great companies and share the project and FREE pattern with you here. Please follow along as I share my projects with you each month starting mid-July.                                     

First things first, I needed to get acquainted with the AccuQuilt Go! Big Electric Fabric Cutter. I have never used this machine before so I just dove in and got started. I wanted to share my first experience with you here before I got started on the projects later this month.

In the box I found the machine in its own bag and a box of accessories. Inside the accessories box, there was a flying geese die, cutting mat, power cord and directions.

After reading the directions (and yes I did read them!).  I was ready to unpack the machine and get started. I slid the machine out of its bag and flipped it open onto a flat surface. Next I found the opening for the power cord and plugged it in. Now it was time to hit the power button and I was ready to Go!

First I had to figure out how much fabric I needed for the project. I found the easiest method to figure this out was to measure the cutting area on the die and cut a piece of fabric a little larger than the area. This way the fabric is more manageable and there is little waste.

Next I had to create a Die Sandwich, I did this by placing the die, foam side up and placing the fabric on top of the shapes, matching the fabric to the correct shape.  Then I placed the cutting mat on top. This created a Die Sandwich with the fabric and the foam side (that has the cutting blades inside) in the middle.

Now time to try out the AccuQuilt Go! Big Electric Fabric Cutter. I positioned the die sandwich onto the machine and gently pushed it into the large slot. The machine caught the die and fed it the rest of the way in, it added pressure to the die sandwich and forcing the blades to cut the fabric. Then it pushed it out the other side.  Once it was finished, I lifted up the mat and Voilá I had all the pieces cut to make one Flying Goose Block. (You can cut up to 6 layers at a time).

 I have say this machine was so easy to use and the pieces were extremely accurate. Once sewn together there was no trimming needed as with traditional piecing techniques. I consider this an added bonus. This was a wonderful way to make Flying Geese Units quickly and accurately. 

There are also some great video tutorials on this product as well as other AccuQuilt products at http://www.accuquilt.com/tutorials

I am so excited to add this piece of equipment in to my studio and I hope you will follow along with me as I explore the large selection of dies from AccuQuilt and the great fabric collections from P&B Textiles over the next 12 months.

                                            Until Next Time…..