Slice Fabrique Product Review

Edited 3/3/11*

The Slice Fabrique arrived here at IHAN headquarters yesterday and those who have pre-ordered them, they are on the way!! 

I'm going to do a review and I'm warning you it is a long post with more photos than probably should be here...but if I do it by video camera...I have to wait for Mr. McSteamy to edit and post....well....it may be awhile....so go to the bathroom now, turn off the oven, get a drink and then you might be ready :)

Please don't make any conclusions until you read the entire post.  I will link it to the side bar on this blog under Product Reviews in case you want to read it another time.

Since I'm as good of an "anybody" as anyone else, I decided to give it a whirl.  This is the box....

and this is what is inside.  It comes with everything you see here: Slice Fabrique Cordless Fabric Cutter, 6 x 6 tempered glass cutting mat, power cord, reposition able adhesive, foam brush, 3 replacement blades, blade adjustment wrench, applique basics design card, user manual and 3 6 x 6 fusible web sheets.

You might notice there is a "Quick Start Guide" (upper right).  I figured that must be the way to go because who wants to drag out the process....giddy up go baby.

First thing, paint some adhesive on the glass cutting mat -CHECK (let it dry 2 min)
Run over and iron the Slice Fusible onto a piece of fabric - CHECK
Set the button to Applique  - CHECK
Press the Cut Button on the Side - CHECK

Cut out the letter I - CHECK

Press the button and select the letter H and press cut CHECK

Then repeat for the letter N - CHECK  (wonder what I'm spelling don't ya?  I didn't think so...easy one to guess.)

Here is a close up of the right side of the fabric.  You can barely see where the N is until I did a close up photo.

 

Here is the back side.



Neat isn't it?  Then you peal off the paper backing and press with a hot iron (no steam).

These are like stickers, you have to pull off the paper backing.  I had no trouble removing the paper backing,  but if you have a manual dexterity problem this may be very difficult.

I wanted to conserve space on my fabric and cut out more than one letter but I could not figure out how to place the cutter so I could maximize the fabric.  I only have the 3 pieces of Slice Fusible Web that was included with the cutter.  I read the Users Manual and there is no mention of  how to place the fabric on the cutting pad so you can get more than one cut out of the fabric.  Which makes me wonder, why the measuring lines on the glass cutting pad?  What difference does it make if you can't line it up to get another design cut. 

Now I'm thinking to myself, perhaps there are tips and additional information on the Making Memories Website.  On their website there is a Quick Start Guide posted  so I looked to see if it was the same one that just came in my brand new, just released, Slice Fabrique.  The information they have there is not the same as I have enclosed in my box.  This must be for the other Slice Cutters.  There was  no additional information to help me trouble shoot.  There is a phone number and yes I obviously can phone them....but for now, my job is to be the "average person" and do what everyone else does....open the box and start using your Slice Fabrique....isn't that what most people do?

At this point I have used  2 of the Slice Fusible Web sheets that came with my Slice Fabrique Starter Set, so I figured I would do a test of some other fusible that I had handy. 

The first one, Pellon Fusible Wonder Under Regular Wt. 

then Steam-A-Seam Lite

and lastly, Steam-A-Seam 2.   Keep in mind there are many paper backed fusible I did not have handy...you could also try Heat and Bond.  I did not have any handy.  

I decided to refer to the Slice Fabrique Fabric Cutter Users Manual because I had read in the Quick Start Guide under" Step 8 - Additional Tips: #2 For thicker materials, be sure to adjust your blade housing 3/4" of a a turn to the left (counter-clockwise).  This lowers the blade to allow Slice Fabrique to cut through thicker materials." 

Being somewhat normal, I could not figure out what they were talking about in the Quick Start Guide.  No where did they mention anything about the "blade housing" much less how one would turn anything.  I made an educated decision and referred to the Users Manual.  I do not understand why they would have a "Quick Start" booklet when really....you have to refer to the Users Manual to really understand what you are doing.  My opinion....waste of paper. 

This is when the whole operation stops.  Now I have to understand what they are saying in the Users Manual. 

Page 12 Basic Operations

Step 5 Turning On Slice Fabrique - CHECK

Step 6: Homing the Blade (for initial use) No CHECK 

"6.1 Press Menu button.  The menu screen appears with the Settings option highlighted. "  Not mine, mine started with the "Applique" highlighted....see photo below....if you are thinking the darkened in Applique means highlighting....then it would reason that if you pushed the Menu button the homing the blade would appear....it doesn't.  I turned off the machine and restarted the sequence to be sure I had not messed something up (operator error)...the same thing happened.  (no operator error...at least not that I can figure.)

Ok, onward...the Blade is now "homed" - CHECK

I selected a little car design.  As you can see it cut the paper but not the fabric. I remembered Step 8.2
Then I went back to Step 8.2 (copied from above) Step 8 - Additional Tips: #2 For thicker materials, be sure to adjust your blade housing 3/4" of a a turn to the left (counter-clockwise).   No photos of this in the Users Manual....and no photos of how to change the blade either.  I'm a visual person....what can I say

 

The fabric was scored but not cut through.

So, I used my trusty Dovo scissors (they have the sharpest and finest point).  No worries....I got the little car free.  But I thought the Slice Fabrique was going to cut it all the way through.....hmmmmm.  I remember reading about adjusting the blade....time to refer back to the manual.... 

Then I went back to Step 8.2 (copied from above) Step 8 - Additional Tips: #2 For thicker materials, be sure to adjust your blade housing 3/4" of a a turn to the left (counter-clockwise).

So I figured out how to turn the blade to raise it so it will make contact with the fabric...that took me a few minutes to figure this out.  I did exactly as they suggested and moved on to the fabric with Steam-A-Seam 2.

 

Same result....it cut the paper but not he fabric.  By now you can imagine my frustration.  Either I'm doing something wrong or the Slice Fabrique won't work with other fusible.  I keep moving on.....

This time the screen says "Shadow"....I don't want the shadow....I want the 4 inch Car I had cut the first time.  I could not change the setting so I did what I figured most folks would do....turned it off and back on.  Still the Shadow.  Next I pushed the menu button and the arrow buttons to see if perhaps I'm just "slow".....

I start to see these screens....go figure....no mention of this in the Users Manual....ok...none of my business I guess....keep moving.....

The Users Manual (Step 7 Setting the Cutting Speed) does say to adjust the speed of cutting to low or medium  or high.  The low and medium speed is for using embossing tips.  Oddly enough....mine only has two settings....low and high.

Ok, time to use my last remaining piece of Slice Fusible Web....I should have stocked up...LOL  At this point I was thinking it was the other fusible webs that just would not work....I was wrong. 

 

 

The cutter would not cut through the Slice Fusible Web on the fabric either.  So...I've adjusted the blade just as the instructions indicated....did it three times to be sure I was doing it correctly.  Ok...forget it....I'm installing a new blade and if it doesn't work....then I know it is the cutter and not me.....

PERFECTION!!! 

Not only with the Slice Fusible Web....but also with the Steam-A-Seam Lite and Steam-A-Seam 2. 

(After I wrote this entire review...I went to You Tube....and of course I might have noticed that I was supposed to have the fabric facing up....well my, my, my....guess I caused a great deal of my own frustration!  So you may ask....why didn't I just erase the above and skip to the chase?  Because I report what I find and what I've done.  Mistakes is how we learn sometimes and it may help the Making Memories folks see what us "regular untrained folks" do...not to mention what other people might do too!  :)

and the Wonder Under....HURRAY!!! 

Gotta love when you get it right :)

I think this is an excellent video and you should definitely watch it first, even before referring to the Owners Manual.

Even after my initial frustrations and some things not being clear....I still think the Slice Fabrique is a great way to cut appliques and alphabet (from 1 inch to 4 inches in 1/2 inch increments).  Talk about easy hexagons for Grandmas Flower Garden...you can even cut the paper templates and then the fabric...gotta love that!  English paper piecing just got a whole lot easier!!!  Embellishing children's clothing with their names....that will be very fun!! 

Cutting blades and design cards are interchangeable, that is great if you already have one or find a sale on them.  Some designs are more intricate and are meant for paper and not fabric so keep that in mind when you are looking at the design cards.

The Slice Fabrique is really light weight, the cutter alone weighs 1 lb 13 oz here on my postal scale.  The design cards are small like a camera card which I find convenient.  It would be a good idea to store them carefully so you don't loose them.

Just a reminder for those with manual dexterity issues....you might want to try a friends first to see if you have any problems.

I have no reservations about recommending the Slice Fabrique....definitely a good investment if you like applique.

 Edit:  Since I mentioned Grandmothers Flower Garden the question came up....do you have to use fusible because most of us don't fuse our Grandmothers Flower Garden....darn good question Jenn!!!
No, it will not cut just the fabric....however....I did spray some 505 Temp Adhesive on a piece of fabric and then put a piece of copy paper on the back...cut perfectly.  Thanks Jenn!!  Anyone else have any questions or recommendations...e-mail me at ihaveanotion@yahoo.com   Thanks !

Kelly

Westminster Sizzix, AccuQuilt and Slice Fabrique - Some Fabric Cutting Answers

If I had a dime for every question I get about the Westminster Sizzix, AccuQuilt and recently the Slice Fabrique by Making Memories I would be able to retire.  Since I'm not retired....I'll get on with it :)

Slice Fabrique

This is the Slice Fabrique Starter Set  and it works with design cards specifically customized for fabric allowing you to cut alphabets, numbers, flowers, icons, basic shapes etc.  The Slice Fabrique has a large 2" graphic preview window, and runs on  rechargeable battery or can be plugged in.  This package includes: Slice Fabrique Cordless Fabric Cutter, power cord, 3 replacement blades, blade adjustment wrench, 6" x 6" glass cutting mat, repositionable adhesive, foam brush, 3 - 6" x 6" fusible web sheets, user manual, quick start guide, Appliqué Basics SD design card and design card booklet.

This is a photo I took in Houston at Quilt Market.  As you can see it cuts nice and clean.  You can make appliques between 1 and 4 inches in 1/2 inch increments.  Some designs are 2-4 inches in 1/2 inch increments.  The Slice Fabrique cuts one layer of fabric at a time.  All of the Slice Design Cards (Slice Fabrique and Slice) work in the Slice Fabrique however you need to be aware that many of the Slice Design Cards were made for paper and some of the designs are too intricate for fabric.  The Slice Fabrique comes with a One Year Limited Warranty.  Making Memories handles all of the Warranty issues which is great because you don't have to return it to the place of purchase....just to Making Memories.  

The Slice Fabrique is an excellent choice for those people who want a larger variety of shapes and who want a variety of fonts for letters.  Keep in mind that it cuts one layer of fabric at a time.

AccuQuilt GO!, GO! Baby Fabric Cutters,

Westminster Big Shot, Big Shot Express, Vagabond

and Westminster Big Shot Pro

There are lots of misconceptions about all of these machines and which dies work in which machines etc.  I am going to do my very best to clarify these questions for those people who want and need to know what works with their machines.


AccuQuilt GO! Fabric Cutter
Will take every die that has been made by AccuQuilt for the AccuQuilt GO! and GO! Baby.

AccuQuilt GO! Baby
Will take every die that has been made by AccuQuilt for the GO! Baby and some of the AccuQuilt GO! dies as well.  For a complete list of AccuQuilt compatibility click here.

Neither of the AccuQuilt Fabric Cutters will take Westminster Sizzix dies.  Simply put: DO NOT USE Sizzix Dies in your AccuQuilt GO! or GO! Baby.  How is that for easy :) lol

The AccuQuilt GO! and GO! Baby both fold up for storage and can cut 4-6 layers of cotton fabric at one time.
 

Westminster Sizzix Big Shot, Big Shot Express and the Vagabond

These fabric cutters will take ALL Sizzix Sizzlits, Sizzix Bigz and Bigz XL dies as well as the AccuQuilt dies that are 6 inches wide or less.  The bed of these machines are 6 inches wide so they will not take dies that are wider than 6 inches.

Westminster Big Shot Pro

The Westminster Big Shot Pro will take ALL Sizzix Dies and ALL AccuQuilt dies

Clearing up some of the confusion (hopefully):

I think much of the confusion is about the size of the AccuQuilt GO! dies and using them with the Sizzix Cutters. 

AccuQuilt dies come in the following sizes according to their website: 5 x 10, 6 x 6, 6 x 12, 10 x 10, 6 x 24 and 10 x 24.  A consumer might conclude that these measurements are the exact measurements of the dies themselves.  The dies are actually between 3/8 and 1/2 inch wider and longer than these measurements when measured from the green plastic edge to edge.

 This is the GO! Rectangle die....as you can see it does not measure 5 inches exactly.

 

This is the GO! Hexagon die which does not measure 6 inches exactly either.  The issue of exact size is only important when using Fabric cutters other than AccuQuilt.  All of the AccuQuilt dies work well in the AccuQuilt Fabric cutters.

The AccuQuilt dies that will work in the Westminster Big Shot, Big Shot Express and Vagabond Cutters are:

GO! Alpha Baby
GO! Baby Baby
GO! Feathers
GO! Funky Flower
GO! Half Square 3" Finished Triangle
GO! Heart
GO! Parallelogram
GO! Rectangle
GO! Rose of Sharon
GO! Round Flower
GO! Square 2"
GO! Square 3 1/2"
GO! Star
GO! Star Points by Sarah Vedeler
GO! Sunbonnet Sue
GO! Overall Sam

All AccuQuilt dies will work in the Westminster Big Shot Pro.  It is just the smaller AccuQuilt dies mentioned above that will work in the other Sizzix cutters. 

I also get many questions about the difference between the Westminster Sizzix Big Shot Pro (Purple) and Sizzix Big Shot Pro's (Blue).  The Westminster Sizzix Big Shot Pro comes with the Extended Cutting Pads, Extended Adapter Pad and the Extended Tray.  The Blue Big Shot Pro comes with the Standard Tray and Pads.  The Blue Big Shot Pro will not take the Extended dies so many quilters have purchased them thinking they are saving themselves money when in reality they frequently need to purchase the Extended Tray and Pads separately costing them more money.

Using AccuQuilt dies on your Westminster Big Shot, Big Shot Express and Vagabond Cutters:

The AccuQuilt dies are not as thick as the Sizzix dies so they require a shim to be put under the pad/die/pad sandwich prior to putting it through the machine.  What size shim you ask?  Well, for my Westminster Big Shot and Vagabond cutter I use some cardboard and I took it from the back of a notepad.  Please don't call or write and ask me what size my cardboard is....I don't have any measuring instruments that will measure it.  Just use what you have and check until you have a depth that will consistently cut through all layers of your fabrics.  If it is not cutting through....that is a good sign the cardboard you used is not thick enough.

Using AccuQuilt dies on your Westminster Big Shot Pro:

As I mentioned above the AccuQuilt dies are not as thick as the Sizzix dies and everywhere I've read and everyone I've spoken to says you will need a shim to raise the AccuQuilt dies. Below is a photo of the Sizzix Big Shot Pro Standard Mylar Shims. 

This is a photo of the Sizzix Big Shot Pro Mylar Shims and the cardboard I use for my Westminster Big Shot and Vagabond cutters. 

I want to show you how I've been cutting fabric with my Westminster Big Shot Pro with an AccuQuilt die.  I'll start by showing you the things that come with this cutter.

This is a photo of the extended tray that comes with the Westminster Big Shot Pro.  It is 27 x 12 1/2 inches wide.

Below is the Extended Adapter Pad for the Westminster Big Shot Pro.

The photo below shows you the thickness of the Extended Adapter Pad.

You also get two Extended Cutting Pads with the Westminster Big Shot Pro.  They are PC Plastic (according to the Sizzix website)  I call them "acrylic" and when you use them you will hear a sound that seems like you are breaking or cutting into the pads.  You are not hurting your Pads and this is how the machine works.

If I recall correctly, when I opened my Westminster Big Shot Pro the Adapter Pad was in the bottom of the Extended Tray with the two Cutting Pads on top of the Adapter Pad.  So what did I do?  I left the Adapter Pad right where it was.  However when I want to cut fabric using an AccuQuilt die....

I take the Extended Adapter Pad out and put it under my table.  I replace the two Extended Cutting Pads into the bottom of the Tray.

Here is the die I used for this demo, The GO! Rectangle.

I sandwiched the GO! Rectangle die between two Standard Cutting Pads with the fabric covering the foam side of the die.

You can see in this photo my Extended Cutting Pads are dirty and I left them that way so you could see I have them in the bottom of the tray.  I put the die sandwich in and cranked the handle.....and.....

wahhhhh lahhhhhhh I cut two rectangles using an AccuQuilt die without a "shim" per se'.  Since I left the two Extended Cutting Pads in the bottom of the tray they served as my shim. 

How many layers of fabric can I cut with my Westminster Big Shot, Vagabond and Westminster Big Shot Pro?  I didn't know until tonight.  I ran back to my machines and started layering the fabric up.  I cut 6 layers of cotton fabric with my Westminster Big Shot and 10 layers with my Westminster Big Shot Pro.  I just about flipped when my Vagabond cut 16 layers...yes....16 layers that were cleanly cut without any hanging threads....can you believe it?  I would not if I had not done it myself.

I also get asked what machine is my preference.  I like my Westminster Big Shot Pro because I can cut both Sizzix and AccuQuilt dies on it.  It is heavy and it does not fold up for storage.  I keep mine under my cutting table and move it to the table when I use it.  Of course I'm completely Ga Ga over my Vagabond.....I still can't get over how well it works and all I have to do is push a button.

There is more information on the machines that I have published previously....click here to read that post.

Everyone has different preferences and needs.  I think it is best to do your research first.   I hope this information helps!

Smiles,
Kelly