A Perfect Pairing for Quilters: Scraps + Die Cutter!

✓ Sign Up for our FREE Newsletters! Get an insider look at all things quilting, plus a bonus gift of jelly roll quilt patterns FREE!

As we know, the now-ubiquitous quilting rotary cutter, mat, and ruler haven’t always been around—instead, quilters made templates and traced around them onto the wrong side of fabric, added a quarter-inch seam allowance, and cut out each patch. Nowadays, most quilters consider rotary cutting tools essential! Nonetheless, most of us keep some trusty template material and marking tools on hand; we still need them from time to time. Read on to see how Valerie cut her scraps with a die cutter.

A perfect pairing for quilters: scraps plus a simple die cutter.

I want to share about a tool that although it’s been around for 16 years, I’m just beginning to explore its possibilities; that tool is a die cutter. At first, I was a little overwhelmed with so many varieties of dies and cutting machine sizes. So when I got AccuQuilt’s cute little GO! Me die cutter, I felt a little like Goldilocks—it was just right! It is light weight, folds up neatly into a small footprint, has a built-in carry handle, and uses diminutive, non-intimidating, easy to understand 6” square die boards*.

I needed to cut over 100 squares from these scraps!

When I was making the vintage Golden Glow quilt block from scraps for the Play It Again feature in Love of Quilting, I was faced with cutting over 100 patches from scraps. I’m not talking about crosscutting rotary-cut strips here; I’m talking individually cut patches from a pile of tiny scraps! It was TIME to try that little die cutter!

Preparing to try the die cutter for the first time.

I started by pulling scraps in five values of a single hue plus gold, cream and dark gray. After pressing and organizing those by value, I referred to the pattern and was ready to venture forth with this new-to-me die-cutting tool.

I started with a scrap of gold fabric for a single square patch.

I began with the single gold square, and since I only needed one patch of this color, I quickly realized that I could place my scrap so that it only covered a single square on the die.

In one side and out the other—like an Easy Bake Oven!

I placed the cutting mat on top and quickly rolled it through the machine—in one side and out the other, conjuring pleasant childhood memories of an Easy-Bake Oven. Not only easy, but fun! (And that valuable remainder of the gold scrap? Returned to my scrap bin.)

I used the die cutter to cut all the small 1½” squares, and my rotary cutter for the few larger gray patches.

For the remaining multiples of red squares, I could stack the scraps as needed in several layers over the die, ensuring each layer extended slightly beyond the cut lines before rolling the die through the cutter—I was so pleased at the efficiency and perfection of each square.

I should mention that my starting dark gray fabric scraps were a little larger. I learned that I did not need to pre-cut squares for the four-up die grid (as I used to think was necessary!). Instead, I simply fan-folded the fabric until there were enough layers over the die cutting lines for the number of squares I needed, allowing the remainder of the scrap to hang off the edge of the die board as with the gold fabric (see image above).

Note: The die cutter can cut six or more layers at a time, depending on the fabric! For the few larger gray patches, I used my familiar rotary cutter.

Tiny wisps of fabric waste after die cutting over 100 squares from scraps.

I really had fun using this little die cutter! And in my mind, it elevated from a “gadget” to a truly useful tool. Does it <em>replace</em> a rotary cutter? No. But just like rotary cutters can’t replace template plastic and scissors, they’ve certainly made most cutting tasks easier. I for one will be looking for more ways to use a fabric die cutter—stay tuned!

One finished Golden Glow vintage quilt block, featured in *Love of Quilting* Winter 2025.

Look to the Play It Again feature in the Winter 2025 issue of Love of Quilting to learn fun ways to make a scrappy lap quilt, colorful bed runner, or one-block baby quilt from the vintage Golden Glow quilt block. The Golden Glow block was first published in The Romance of the Patchwork Quilt in America by Carrie A. Hall and Rose G. Gretsinger, Caxton Printers, Caldwell, Idaho, 1935. #1840, Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns by Barbara Brackman, 1993

*The exact die I used was #55232, the GO! Square 1½” (1” finished) die. Although it can be purchased separately, it’s also included as part of the GO! Qube Mix & Match 4” Block set. Also, you should know that the GO! Me die cutter I used is not limited to 6” square die boards like the one I used; it can also cut shapes on 6” x 12” and 6” x 24” die boards.

*This article contains affiliate links that help us earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We’re grateful for your support!

From our Shop