Go! Baby
After seeing so many of my fellow bloggers somehow magically being awarded Go!s of their very own and another one to give away, I was beginning to feel like a character from "Left Behind" (not that I've ever seen it; I'm just imagining). Could it be that I am the last surviving person to be using a rotary cutter and trimming my dog ears? (Sorry, Blackberry -- not a good image.)
The reviews on the Go! -- among bloggers who have received them for free, anyway -- are glowing. Well, what else would one expect? I've not heard any negative comments whatsoever about these gadgets, but I don't think I've read anything written by anyone who went out and purchased one. So I'm feeling somewhat ambiguous.
Dear organized Pat did her homework, and has located places that sell Go! for considerably less than the manufacturer's price of $349, and I'd begun to think a little more favorably about going and trying one out. The thing is, I wouldn't really use most of the dies that they have -- the ones for appliques. Kind of like the embroidery option on a sewing machine -- yes, it's wonderful, but I know I would never use it. But Go! does come with the dies I'd be most likely to use for piecing 12" blocks. Oh, the efficiency of cutting lots of the same units. Oh, the kindness to the carpal tunnels! But, oh, the price! Oh, but the possibility of making a tumbler quilt! Would it actually get used or end up being something else to find a place for a la that darned quesadilla maker.
Can you see that I'm in a muddle about Go!?
And now, to complicate things further, is the announcement of Go! Baby, just in time for Santa and at a price I think he would find attractive, even though all dies would have to be purchased separately.
It's not clear to me whether one can cut just 2.5" HSTs or whether the die simultaneously has to cut the other two sizes. And I'm concerned about wasted fabric (remember, I'm the one who was incensed that The Farmer's Wife template CD printed out one template to a page for a total of over 100 pieces of paper), though I know my buddy Turbo would urge me not to worry there but just let her handle that problem. And then there's the question of whether it cuts enough of a unit at one time to really be more efficient than my rotary. Beg Santa to bite the bullet and go for the Go! vs. show some restraint and request Go! Baby? Or just go out and by some new blades and forget the whole thing? So many questions. Such a muddle.
Is there anyone out there who actually bought (i.e., did not receive it free from the manufacturer or via a blog give-away) a Go! and would provide an unbiased (yes, pun intended) review?
I'm all ears. And I bet Pat is, too.
Not to even mention Blackberry, who really is mostly ears.
Comments
Being a creature of weakness, I went ahead and ordered the regular Go! from Amazon (the best price I could find at @ $223, including the shipping). There are a number of dies that I want as well, but those can wait. Again, Amazon seems to have by far the best prices.
Now if I were to magically get a Go! for free, I wouldn't turn it down - but I won't pay for one... I have my new hobby of dyeing fabric to pay for now.
I'm still up in the air, but will probably put it on my Christmas list as I'm doing more and more scrap quilts and it would certainly help with that.
You still have to crank the handle, and put the Go on a level where it doesn't strain your back.
Have fun playing with it.
Lurking Linda
Word verification: Capples, new fall apples sold with little knitted caps.
They demonstrated how you could cut just one of the shapes on the die by folding the fabric. I was shocked at how much waste there was, and their defense of the waste annoyed me. They said there is less waste with the Go because "you cut everything accurately and won't have any mistakes to throw away." Really?! When I cut something wrong, I put it aside to use in something else. The waste from this isn't usable fabric, for the most part.
I would still consider getting the machine if I had a strong desire to make tumblers, hexagons, double wedding rings, or drunkard's path quilts. I don't want to do any of them bad enough to drop this kind of money yet.
Kathy B
Hugs - Lurline♥
I don't make a lot of blocks the same, so choosing and cutting the fabric isn't a chore.
I have seen LQS that use these for cutting out kits (very sensible) who will also use it to cut out YOUR fabric, ad that seems to me to be an ideal option.
Still loving my rotary cutter....
Judi
I would have loved one for those complicated templates (like Circles, Apple Core and Winding Ways) but can I justify spending the money (the Winding Ways die set is listed on the Accu-Quilt site for $79!) for a quilt I might make once?
For once it has been easy for me to resist quilt gadget temptation and now that some of you have mentioned that the templates that can be used with the Baby are limited, I'm still not moved much further off the fence. Will check out the Amazon deals though and still try to win one.
I can however see this as a tool that would be used by someone with limited use of their hands such as arthritis...
I won't be buying one either..