I chose to receive dies for 2 1/2" strips, a set of 2", 3", 5" hexagons, and a set of triangles. Accuquilt also included 2 corresponding cutting mats for me to use with the dies.
Specs
The machine is about the size of a small waffle iron and weighs about 8 pounds. The dimensions are 12" W x 4.5" L x 8.25" H, so it's very portable and easy to store. The dies I recevied are 6 3/8" wide. The hexagon and triangle dies are 12 1/4" long and the strips die is 24 1/4" long. The dies will never dull and the cutting mats can handle hundreds of cuts. When one side of the mat wears out just flip it over and use the other side! You can cut up to 6 layers of fabric at a time. The photo below shows the open machine with the hexagon and triangle dies. The green side is a hard plastic and the gray/black side is a dense foam.
Getting Started
To get started you just open up the two sides of the GO! Baby. Then place your die foam side up. On top of that stack your fabric and then your cutting mat. Place the stack into either side of the GO! Baby, turn the handle and run it all the way through. The handle turns smoothly and the whole process is fast and easy. Literally, in less than 15 minutes from the moment the UPS man set it on our porch I had a pile of perfectly cut strips of fabric.
In the photos above I cut knit fabric and the GO! Baby handled it like a pro. The best way I can describe the dies are that they are like a dense sponge with a cookie cutter (the blade) hidden inside. When you roll the die through the machine it presses the cookie cutter through your fabric and cuts it. I didn't have any loose threads or ragged edges. I found that I could even leave a bit of fabric hanging out the sides but it did cut better when I trimmed the fabric to the size of the die. If you run your hand over the dies you don't feel any sharp edges and the die blades are completely hidden within the foam.
Strip/Hexagon/Triangle Dies
The strips die is open ended so you can fold your fabric and run it through the cutter and have very long strips. These strips would be perfect for quilt binding. The hexagon die is pretty straightforward, no special information needed. The triangle die is at a slight angle which, according to the Accuquilt website, ensures a better cut. Accuquilt recommends that you align your fabric to the blade rather than the die itself. To make it easier they suggest using a permanent marker to outline the blades. The triangle die already has the corners clipped which is another great timesaver!
And since I showed the strips above, here's my other two dies.
More Information
If you want more information, you can visit the Accuquilt website or check out their You Tube video demonstrating the GO! Baby.Final Thoughts
Even though I'm not a quilter I can still see myself using this a LOT. I think if you're a quilter this may be the best thing that's ever happened to you. I've never quilted because precisely cutting so many small pieces of fabric just sounded too indimidating and time consuming. With the GO! Baby I might be ready to give it a try!
If you're interested in purchasing from Accuquilt, they offer the GO! Baby which I tested. They have nearly 60 dies available. For even more options and quilty fun, check out the Studio Fabric Cutter with over 350 dies and it cuts up to 10 layers of fabric.
If you'd like to stay up to date with Accuquilt and their great products, use the link below to sign up for their e-mails and you'll receive 22 free patterns!
And lastly, if you were wondering what I did with those pink strips of fabric, I made this Rosette Ruffle Pillow! The tutorial is here. I'll be posting tutorials soon using the hexagon and triangle shapes.
