My AccuQuilt Die Collection
I went through my AccuQuilt Die collection recently, and below is a run-through of all of the dies I own and what I use them for.
Shh!….also below is another brand of fabric-cutting dies that I use with my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter.
Not sure what an AccuQuilt Go! Cutter is? Check out my AccuQuilt GO! Review here first!
What is Die Cutting?
This post contains affiliate links – please see my disclosure policy for more details.
If you’re new to crafting or quilting, you might be wondering what die cutting is. Quite simply, die cutting is using a machine to cut out a variety of shapes of fabric, card, or paper.
A die is a metal shape with a sharp cutting edge, a bit like a cookie cutter.
The dies make accurate cuts and can be used on all sorts of different types of fabric.
These complex or simple shapes can then be used to embellish projects, quilts, clothing and more.
My Top 3 Favorite Dies
I have 30 fabric cutting dies in my collection.
Here are my top 3 favorite dies based on how often I use them and how much hassle they save me:
Keep reading to see all of my dies and what I use them for, or head to the bottom of this post to see my video run-through of all my dies.
A Word on Seam Allowances
When you are purchasing AccuQuilt Dies, it is worth noting that they cut for the 1/4″ quilter’s seam allowance.
You will usually see two sizes on the packaging – one for the cut size and one for the finished size, which takes account of that quarter-inch seam.
Unless I use the word ‘finished’ in my description of the size of a die, I am giving you the cut size, not the finished size.
A Note on my Cutters
I have two AccuQuilt Fabric Cutters – the Accuquilt GO! Cutter, which is the middle of the line standard size cutter, and the Accuquilt GO! Me, which is the baby fabric cutter.
You need to check which specific dies will fit with which cutter before you purchase, as not all dies work with all cutters.
Crazy Petals Die
The Crazy Petals Die is one of my most used dies even though I haven’t used it (yet) for it’s intended purpose which is to make easy applique flowers.
I used it for my Rainbow Raindrops Baby Quilt and I am currently using it for my Weight Loss Quilt.
Triangle Dies
I was drawn to the AccuQuilt system not just because I hate cutting with a rotary cutter but because I was interested in experimenting with different shapes – especially geometric shapes like triangles.
There is no way I would have the patience to cut accurate shapes without my accuquilt cutter!
I have the 4 1/2″ Equilateral Triangle Die & the 5″ x 6″ Isosceles Triangle Die.
I made my Triangle Madness Quilt with the Isosceles Triangle Die.
I have also experimented with the equilateral triangle die – see below.
Circles Die
I use my Circles Die a lot. It has 2″, 3″ and 5″ Circles. I use the 2″ & 3″ circles for my Weight Loss Quilt and there are loads of other ways you could use this die for applique including:
- Sun
- Soft toy tummies and eyes
- Wheels
- Sports balls
- Snowman
- Planets
- Ice cream
I’m sure you can think of plenty of other designs you could make using different sized circles but these are the ones I thought of when I was deciding about buying this.
Orange Peel Die
I have the 4 1/2″ Orange Peel Die.
I first used it to make an Orange Peel Block in my Learner’s Quilt and I’ve since used it to make what I’ve called a Double Orange Peel Quilt Block using 8 orange peel shapes per block.
Clamshell Die
I have the 4″ finished Clamshell Die.
Accuquilt do a bigger one I believe but I have the 4″ one.
I have experimented with it but I haven’t perfected it yet so it isn’t foolproof.
If you already know how to sew clamshells but you just don’t want to cut them then this is great because it has the registration points already cut into your fabric to make it easier for you.
Hexagon Die
I bought the Hexagon Die to cut hexies for English Paper Piecing primarily but you can use it to make a machine-sewn quilt as well.
Half Square & Quarter Square Triangle Dies
These next two I can’t speak to with any authority as I haven’t even opened them!
They came free with one of my cutters and I have so many quilts on my bucket list I just haven’t got to these yet!
I heard they are great because you can make HSTs (half square triangles) and flying geese without having to square up or trim tips.
8″ Mix and Match Cube & Companion Set
For many people, the AccuQuilt Cubes are their go-to fabric cutting dies, but for me, the cubes are some of my least-used dies.
I did use several dies in the 8″ cube for my Scrap Blocks Quilt Along though and it came in very handy!
8” Mix and Match Companion Set (Different to the one I have though – I couldn’t find the one I have on the site)
AccuQuilt sells a number of starter sets that include their different cutters with a collection of dies.
I bought my GO! Cutter on ebay secondhand and the 8″ cube and a number of other dies were included with it which is how I ended up with them!
There are various companion sets for each size of cube and there are many sizes of cubes for different size blocks!
Value Die
Another die that I got bundled with my cutter purchase was the value die which has a 4 1/2″ square as well as a 2″ square and an HST cut all on the same board.
I haven’t used this one much but I know plenty of people who use it all the time.
Alphabet Die
The 2” Uppercase Alphabet Die is another one of my most used dies. I use it for putting kid’s names on things mostly. I tend to use raw edge applique with fusible web and I have put names on backpacks, quilts and reading pillows (see photo below).
Holiday Medley Die
I used this Christmas-themed die for my Quiltmas 2023 quilt. It was an applique Christmas Wreath Quilt that I did as part of a fabric swap with 11 other YouTubers. The quilt was then won by one of my YouTube subscribers!
I used the holly leaf and berry parts of this die for that quilt – photo of the finished quilt below.
Strip Dies
I have a number of Strip Cutter Dies for cutting straight edges and fabric strips and I love them.
The one I use most often is the 2.5″ Strip Die which I use for cutting my binding strips.
Here are all the strip cutter dies I own:
- 2.5” Strip Die – Used for binding strips and sashing
- 2” Strip Die – For thinner binding strips and sashing
- 1 1/2” Strip Die – For sashing and strip quilts
- 6” Strip Die – For borders
- 4 1/2” Strip Die – For borders
Accuquilt Alternative – Blue Wren Fabric Cutting Dies
I found out about Blue Wren Cutting Dies, which are sold by an Australian company called A1 Craft and Quilting, in a Facebook Group.
The long and short of it is they can (unofficially) be used with the AccuQuilt GO! Cutter.
I took a chance on buying a few of these based on the comments from other quilters in the Facebook group.
Even with shipping to the UK, the price was a bit cheaper than some of the AccuQuilt dies and they had a few options I hadn’t seen on the AccuQuilt website.
I felt like these seemed thicker going through my cutter so I was nervous about using the 6 layers of cotton fabric that you normally do with an accuquilt die.
However, the owner of the company that sells these dies told me they can be used with a number of layers of fabric and that they were designed to be used with AccuQuilt – I can’t swear to that myself but she reassured me it was safe!
I also haven’t tried these dies with different types of good quality fabric like denim or anything thick.
NOTE: USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! These are not officially compatible so I can’t promise you won’t run into problems using these!
Each Blue Wren die comes with a cover and a cutting mat – the accuquilt ones you often have to buy the cutting mat separately.
The ones I have from Blue Wren are:
Charming Rings – 6858
Charm Square size – Multi x 2 – 6315 – I bought this one as it is a 5″ square die so it makes charm pack squares essentially.
I think there is an equivalent AccuQuilt die but I think it was more expensive or maybe it only made one square at a time….don’t quote me!
Drunkards Path 8″ quarter block, 16″ full block 6814
My AccuQuilt Die Collection – Video Version
Dies I Don’t Have
There are quite a number of ‘block on board’ dies from AccuQuilt like the Hunter Star or the Feather Star for example where you basically cut an entire block in one go which can be great for 2 or 3 color quilts as you would just mix the fabric pieces around from cut to cut.
There are also loads of other dies for anything from burp cloths to Christmas-themed applique, etc.
Frankly, I’m not sure I have time to use all the dies I already own but I am occasionally tempted to grow my collection when new dies come out!
I hope you have enjoyed my run-through of my fabric-cutting die collection. I’d love to hear what your favorite dies are and what you use them for.
Leave me a comment and let me know!
More posts to explore:
- Why I Traded in my Bernina 770QE!
- 31 Thoughtful Sewing Gifts for a Seamstress
- 27 of the Best Quilting Books for Modern Scrappy Quilters
- 14 Inspiring Quilting Magazines to Read in 2023
- Sewing for Charity (2023)
- Rainbow Raindrops Baby Quilt – Free Applique Quilt Pattern
- Scrap Fabric Quilt Block Tutorial for Floral Scraps!
