Tools of the Trade: Machingers

Since I began quilting about five months ago, I have done lots and lots of piecing, but I have only quilted about eight things. Four baby quilts and four table runners. In the beginning, I was quilting on a machine with a fairly small throat. It would be cumbersome at times, but I was able to make it work. Thankfully I had an extension table, which helped tons. While it wasn’t all that difficult to quilt, I knew there had to be a tool to make it easier.

One tool that I discovered at a local quilt shop is Machingers. I couldn’t believe how much easier it was to quilt when I was wearing them. The biggest difference was how I felt physically when I was finished. Before, my arms and hands would be really tired when I finished a project. I didn’t realize how much of a strain I was putting on that part of my body just trying to move my quilt around. I love this product and at around $8 for a pair, they are one of the less expensive tools I use.

I love that they are form fitting, but they aren’t hot. They are easy to get on and off and they come in a variety of sizes. If you don’t own a pair for yourself, look for them at your favorite quilt shop or they are readily available online. I have found them for as low as $7.09 at Create for Less.

**Do you use gloves when you quilt?**

Tools of the Trade: Accuquilt Go!

This post is the first in a new series I have entitled Tools of the Trade. My initial thought was to keep this series quilting related. Since I have such a broad spectrum of interests in the crafting world, I will be highlighting my favorite tools regardless of craft. I hope that regardless of your level of skill that you will find the information informative. Please share your comments - we can all learn from each other!No matter what your craft of preference, it is my firm belief that if you are going to participate, it is important to have the right tools. For this first post, I will be highlighting the Accuquilt Go! Fabric Cutter. I have no doubt there are experienced quilters who may question why I would choose to blog about this first as opposed to a basic supply like the rotary cutter... you may be one of them. So please stick around, grab your favorite beverage and read on.

In my opinion, accurate cutting is to quilting, what good footers and a foundation are to home building. If you don't get it just right, it will be hard on the pocketbook and hard on your emotional well-being.

Soon after I fell prey to the lure of quilting, I realized that all. that. cutting. was going to be an issue for me. Even though I am fairly accurate, the idea of spending immense amounts of time cutting fabric was not appealing. I am impatient. I want to get to the fun part faster! I have enjoyed the ease of die-cutting in the world of paper crafts for several years, so I really hoped there was an equally brilliant product made especially for fabrics.

While the price tag for the machine is high (MSRP is $349), I instantly felt that it would be a wise investment. Never one to pay full retail price, I searched the Internet until I found a retailer who has figured out a way to offer this item and the dies & accessories for a much lower price. It also helps to have a quilting buddy to share with. My friend Royce has purchased some dies and so have I. We share them and that eases the strain on the crafting budget.

I recently designed a custom quilt for my mother in law, the center panel is comprised of 5" charm squares. I literally cut all of the squares for this quilt in less than 10 minutes. With the strip dies, I can cut my binding strips for the entire quilt in about 2 minutes... and they are perfectly straight!

The Go! cutter won't eliminate the need for other cutting tools, but it does lessen the number of manual cuts significantly. The accuracy and time savings are what keeps me going back to this tool time and time again, and why I believe this is a tool every quilter (or quilting group) should have in their tool bag.

Edited to add: I have recently joined forces with a group of accuquilt bloggers organized by SewCalGal. By following this link, you will have access to dozens of other blog posts related to the Accuquilt Go! Cutting System.