Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Nested Dies

After my last post on cutting triangles, I had a number of comments as to how the nested dies work on my AccuQuilt fabric cutter.  I thought I would try and explain that a bit better today.



Nested dies come with two "nested" sets.  There is a set with cutting blades (top left) and one with "blanks" (bottom right).  They are called nested because in each triangle die, there are 4 to 5 pieces nested together.


So once you know what size you want to cut, you pull out that triangle from the blade set and drop it into the blank die.  



So when it all together, this is what it looks like with the 8" triangle die chosen.  You can faintly see the blade tucked down in the foam.




The blank dies help to keep the fabric flat against the die so you get accurate cuts.  I love that all the registration notches and clipped corners are precisely cut into each piece.



But the really great thing about having various sizes in one die, is I can take smaller scraps of fabric and cut them with the 4" triangle die (by swapping out the dies) and then piece them together to make the same size triangle I am using in my quilt.  These nested dies are also cheaper than buying individual triangle dies.  

Having all these options allow me to use the appropriate cut size for the scraps I have - which means I get a great yield from my scraps!

Hope that clears up any questions you have.  I look forward to getting this up onto a design wall soon and get to sewing.  I think I have everything cut and just need time to sew!





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7 comments:

Robby said...

Well, I didn't ask, but I was curious. This is very cool. Thanks for the explanation. Now I'm looking forward to seeing if you go with all one size or mix and match as it were.

myrtovl said...

Do these dies fit to all the acuquilt machines? I have the regular one not the Studio.
Thank you, Myrto

Libby in TN said...

I was curious, too. The singularity of shapes and sizes is one of the reasons I have avoided getting a cutter. The dies can be very expensive.

Vicki in MN said...

Another curious one here that didn't ask, so thank you for the explanation!

Chantal said...

I too couldn't figure out how the nested dies work. Happy to know now. Thanks for the clear explanation. ;^)

The Joyful Quilter said...

The caveat is that you have to have the bigger cutter to make use of these dies. Not helpful with my small Sizzix Curt. :o((

Barb Neiwert said...

Ah, now that makes sense!

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