I saw an ad that is for Simplicity Bias tape maker that you cut a strip for bias tape and roll it onto a feed roll, feed it thru the bias tube and it rolls and feeds it thru a pressing area so that when it comes out it is already ironed. Has anyone used one yet? I hate pressing bias. I always burn myself. This seems like a great investment if it works.
hi stephanie, are you talking about the new electric one? i haven't tried it, but the little clover bias makers are pretty easy, the ones you pull along the strip of fabric, and i haven't burnt myself on them yet. gini
gini in north idaho
While we're on the subject of nifty quilt making tools I'd love to have one of those fabric cutting thingys. No, not a rotary cutter...lol. It looks like one of those die cutter contraptions but it cuts geometric fabric shapes. I see them advertised but never a price. They're probably way too expensive.
Joyce -- She who dies with the most fabric isn't sewing fast enough!!!!
they are very expensive, and you have to get different dies for different shapes, the dies were about $40, and they woudl only cut out three to five pieces at a time. i tried it in a quilt store in arizona, and it is neat, but i dont think it would save that much time because it cut so few pieces at a time. you were also limited to the dies they make. gini
The new Cricut machines (sold for srap-booking) are expensive, but you can get software that eliminates the need for buying all those extra cartridges (you do have to have one to get the software to work but they usually come with one). My husband bought me one this Spring. I haven't had enough to play with it as much as I want. But it will cut fabric (only one layer at a time), mine will do a 12"X24" piece of fabric, they do have other ones that are a little less expensive, but they cut from smaller pieces. The software is a third party program (not made by the Cricur people), but it is fairly user friendly. I just need more time to really play with everything and to create the applique designs I want to work with. But like I always tell my kids - I will get threre someday, it just won't be today.
Shellie - south central Washington state
Linaria Dalmatica Designs
I've seen the Cricut machines and if I was a scrapbooker I would definitely have that in my aresnal of supplies. But what I was talking about was the Accuquilt Go machine. Here's a picture I found on the web. In watching the demo, you're right about one thing. It doesn't look like it cuts too many layers. About 4 - 5 is all that it looks like it will do. And I just saw the price!!! $349.00!!! And the die sets!! eeek! At those prices I won't be buying this anytime soon. But if the Accuquilt people want to give me one as a sample for test purposes, I'd be glad to be a tester!!! ;-)
The price is stopping me as well, but remember that's 4 or 5 layers of multiple squares, circles, etc from each layer (whatever will fit on the piece of fabric) with every pass.
Kissimmee, FL
joyce, i still think, for most cuts, the rotary cutter would be as quick. you have to cut a small quare of material just to fit in the machine. so even though it takes several layers. theyre only about 14" square. since you have to line up the fabric to cut the squares already, you might as well just keep on going with the rotary cutter. however, it's probably quicker to do curved shapes. for the price, i'll use scissors. gini
I got one (on sale of course) for the fussy cut pieces like SunBonnet Sue, Double Wedding Ring and Drunkard's Path. I think one of the strip blades came with it, but I agree it doesn't seem cost effective unless you do a great many of the same quilt pattern. sometimes it's just about trying the new toys.
Stephanie, I have the Simplicity electric bias maker. It's very easy to use and it's quick. You can purchase different size attachments for it in order to make various widths of bias. You'd probably like it.
I just noticed that the original post was from 2009 !!! I guess if Stephanie was considering a purchase of the bias maker, she's done it by now!
Hi Stephanie,
A friend of mine had one..I fell in love and ordered one. Can't wait for it to arrive. If you order on line, look around the prices are all over the place.
What I make with my hands, I give of my heart.
http://www.sewforless.com/item/AccuQuilt_GO_Fabric_Cutter_55100/8197/c507 it is $199. on this site. I was never into quilting until I got this machine, I love it and even spent more money and purchase the Studio cutter at www.accuquilt.com Now for the dies for them when I first purchased the go I went on ebay and got some dies at a very cheap price. I must say I probably have a fortune in the dies and both cutters but love them.