Two reviews in one!

If you haven't signed up for our bodacious giveaway, please click here --- you don't want to miss the opportunity to win an Accuquilt Go! Baby, dies to go with it, AND free fabric from the Green Fairy Quilt store! 

I realized that I had never actually completed a review of the Accuquilt Go! Baby for you special peeps! Although I bet by now, you know that I am over the top in love with this baby! Hoppy Froggies! I can get more fabric cut FAST and ready to piece with this sweet thing, than I could ever hope to do with my rotary cutter, ruler, and mat (and my achy hands).

Not only does it turn out pieces quickly, it cuts them out in shapes that eliminate the little "ears" that happen with half square triangles -- taking out another time-consuming task for us!

I do have two tips that I think will help those of you who receive a Go! Baby for Christmas. It * IS * on your wish list, right? 

I had heard that if you have dies that are all one color foam, you should mark the outlines of the blades, to help with aligning your fabric. (Ya don't want a chisel piece that's not all there, right?!)  I heartily agree --- the first thing that I did after unwrapping my dies, was to mark them with a silver sharpie marker, so that I could see the outlines of the blades. See?

This makes it much easier when I'm scrap-busting, too, to get the fabric over the correct area, to get whole pieces! I can lay small pieces of fabric over each chisel, and get lots of different, scrappy pieces to make a project! 

The second tip is for your cutting mats. These are the heavy vinyl(?) pieces that top off your die and fabric, so that the whole kit and kaboodle can roll through that baby.  In the manual from Accuquilt, you will read a note that reminds the user to alternate the sides of the vinyl, so that one side doesn't get worn slap out. (You'd get worn, too, if you were being pressed against those sharp blades, time after time!) 

I figured that with my fuzzy brain, I might not remember to flip the mat over each time. (Or I might think I had flipped it over, and I didn't. Or I might think I hadn't flipped it over, and I really had, so then I would flip it again and be right back where I started.)  OK, enough of this flipping!  I took a black sharpie and wrote "A" on one side, and "B" on the other:

Now it's a simple matter to alternate the sides when I am cranking out hearts, chisels, and half square triangles! So you might want to try that, too!

Now, today you are getting two reviews for the price of one, because I'd like to tell you about the Green Fairy Fabric store, too. Many of you already know about them, but for some of you, they may be unfamiliar. Clint and Judi are the kind and gracious hearts behind the Green Fairy Quilts ministry, taking quilts and school supplies to needy kids in Romania. You can check out the videos from past trips right here.

Also, Judi is a genius with her free motion quilting --- you can check out her blog and see numerous examples of her gorgeous work. To me, that would be the equivalent of handing my quilt sandwich over to a Raphael or Michaelangelo . . . no, I'm not kidding. Take a look at this post and you will see! Isn't that awesome?!

Clint and Judi are devoted to their family and so a home-based business was perfect for them. And Green Fairy online store is -- well, how can I say this --- addictive! Go and check out the lovely fabrics that they have there: jelly rolls, layer cakes, bundles and yardage, and even a Pre-purchase section so that you can drool over what will be in the store in the coming months!  I love their selection of charm packs, too.

Right now they have some sale prices that you really should check out, OK? Just sayin' . . . 

Many thanks to both Accuquilt, for the opportunity to give away a Go! Baby, and to Green Fairy Fabrics, for sponsoring a layer cake of Chemistry, by Cosmo Cricket, to go along with it!

Love,