Last night I found myself home alone (the boys were at a movie and Kelly was at the barn as always) so I had some quiet time to sew. Granted the three dogs and the cat were staring at me wishing I was playing fetch or taking them on a walk or whatever it is that they wish for...
I remember last year or maybe even longer (?) that these flowering snowball blocks were popular. I finally got the Accuquilt die cut for them around Christmas maybe? So last night seemed like the perfect time to unwrap that baby and dust off the cutter.
I'll be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the Accuquilt. Granted, it's the only cutting system I've tried so I can't compare but I find so many things about it annoying. For example, why are the shapes for the different fabrics all included on one 'plate'? I have to precut the fabric to almost the exact size so that it doesn't get cut up by the surrounding shapes. By the time I've gotten it all trimmed and layered and lined up perfectly, am I really saving any time?
Also, it takes up a LOT of counter space. This is one reason why I postponed buying one for so long. I have to clear off an entire counter to make room for it and the ginormous die cut to roll through it. If the die cut were separated into separate plates for each fabric piece, it would not take up so much room.
Why are all the shapes at an angle? This is annoying as crap. I have to angle the fabric exactly the same way or my pieces won't be on the straight of grain? There must be a reason for this, but it irks me. Ok, rant over.
I did cut out a set of backgrounds and a set of petals, so I have a few more pieces to work with. I plan to make the next block scrappy to see if I like that look better. Hmm...
(and I've been playing with some 2" strips as well)
But first I have to do those fun Saturday errands like making returns and picking up orders and trying to convince my kids to clean their rooms. I'll need some luck on that last one!
Enjoy your weekend!
Diane
:O Oh those teens and their rooms....I do remember! Okay...so I've never bought the cutter for all the reasons you stated! quick question....do you use any backing when you sew your strips? I sooo want to start a strip quilt but am trying to discover the easiest way? I mean if I do it my way, i'd just sew them together. LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteThis block seems very cute......
ReplyDeleteDid the boys clean their room ?? ;)
Happy weekend Diane !
That seems like a very challenging block, cutter or not. I agree it seems weird that all the pieces for the block are on one die. Maybe they think Quilter's like to do reverse placement with that design. Still weird.
ReplyDeleteYou'll enjoy sewing those Flowering Snowballs together! Just the right amount of challenge. Didn't know they had the template on Accuquilt. I have the Baby model only, and use it just for triangles. I love how they cut off the rabbit ears in advance.
ReplyDeleteGreat string quilt design too!
ReplyDeleteHi Diane… I am interested in the size of your flowering snowball block. Last year I purchased (rotary cutting) templates for the 8" block from a company called Baycreek Quilting, located in Oregon. Of course I haven't used them yet, lol. I was thinking of the desired finished quilt top size, rather than how fiddly sewing the little center block might be. Would love your comments… thank you, Annette
ReplyDeleteP.S. Sorry, I forgot to add that your block looks perfect!!
DeleteThat block is pretty cool. I don't have room for an accucutter, although sometimes I wish i had one.
ReplyDeleteneat block. I think Kelly made them too. What a scarey ad next to this box!
ReplyDeleteHowdy! Just read your post and had a few comments: yes, I wish they would split up the pieces so we wouldn't have to pre-trim them to get the different colors needed for the block. Don't know why they haven't thought of that. But I do know why the die is on an angle (I do paper crafts too and have many for paper dies): if the cutting blade is parallel to the roller, when it hits the roller it "jumps" when it hits that large piece of the die and you don't get a good cut. Placing it on a slight angel allows the die to kind of creep up (for want of a better term) on the roller and it cuts better. Kind of like if you went up a curb at an angle instead of hitting it straight on: it's a smoother transition. Hoped that helped. :-) Now I need to go send Accuquilt a note about the two separate pieces for a block: didn't realize that other people had the same aggravation as me! :-) Hugs, H in Healdsburg
ReplyDelete