This tip will save you hours of time. Each time you purchase a Qube, first remove the cellophane. There is no monster inside the Qube. It is a friendly beast with lots of power. It is a marvelous tool for your creativity. Honest. 

Next. Grab your permanent black marker. On the edge of the dies, mark the number for your Qube. If it is an 8" Qube, write the number 8. If it is 6", write the number 6. If it is a 4" Qube, write 4. And so on. Why?

Marking your dies will (1) keep you from getting the shapes mixed up with another Qube; and (2) help you put your dies back into the grouping where they belong when you are done.

Trust me. These little tips will keep you organized when cutting and piecing. They will also shave hours of time because you won't be searching all day for that one die you need. So, grab that marker and get busy.  

Remember. These tips and more can be found in my Accuquilt for Beginners class. Simply click here to register for a class between now and December. 

These tips are suggestions. I have learned over time that saving time meant telling my brain to stay focused. 

I remind myself to position my rough cuts correctly by marking around the die shape with a quarter inch line. That means my fabric rough cut needs to touch those lines. Then I'm sure the blades are covered. 

I write my rough cut on the die  so I don't have to measure the shape every time. I add an arrow that is parallel to the label so I know where the length of grain is. And I draw an X for use with fussy cutting.  Let me tell you up front that those marks on the die make a huge difference when cutting. They keep me on track. 

The biggest reminder? By adding that 1/4" line around the shape, it makes me lay the fabric on the die at the angle of the blades. That in itself is so important. Always cut on length of grain and at the angle of the blades.

Whenever we pull a piece of fabric from our scrap bag to cut with our die, it is called a rough cut. The fabric can be cut with scissors or a rotary cutter. 

Most important is making sure that piece of fabric covers the blades on the die. Often my rough cuts are uneven. No problem as long as they are big enough to cover the blades.

Take your ruler and measure from one blade to another. Add 1/2" to that measurement for the minimum size square or rectangle of fabric. Much depends on the shape you are cutting. 

In the photo, I'm cutting a 4 1/2" square. You can see the rough cut is 5" x 5", and yes, I write that on my die. Notice how the fabric is angled with the blade. We will talk about length of grain in my next tip.  

Remember: all these tips are covered in the Accuquilt for Beginner class. Pause and take a look at the class dates and what it offers. Click here.