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The Quilter Magazine
Excerpt from a review
"What is your time worth and how much of it do you spend cutting fabric?
Visit Alto's website and you'll read numerous testimonials about their easy to
use QuiltCut fabric cutting system. We could describe it in detail, but the demo
on the website tells the story better. Suffice it to say that as many as eight
to ten layers of fabric can be layered on the QuiltCut worktable, securely clamped
down, and quickly cut into strips using a rotary cutter and the sliding cutting
guide. It's fast, fun, and takes the drudgery out of cutting a large quantity
of strips and pieces! The cutting guide pivots so that you can cut squares and
triangles in to time at all. If you layer your fabric, you can cut hundreds of
pieces in just minutes!"
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Quilting Today
Excerpt from of a review by "S.B."
"Pretty and Pieced - Written as a companion to the QuiltCut Fabric Cutting
System by Alto's, this book is a hands-on how-to for making quilts the QuiltCut
way. Carol and Laura were involved in research and development of the accurate
cutting system. Although the 11 patterns were made with the QuiltCut system,
the step-by-step instructions, illustration, and many timesaving tips can also
be used with more familiar quilting tools. The necessary pieces for each quilt
are listed on a cutting chart for quick reference. Full-color photos are included
for the contemporary and traditional quilt designs..."
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Traditional Quiltworks
Excerpt from of a review by Elsie Campbell
" ...Simply aligning the fabric with the mat's grid and clamping it in place
allows you to slide an acrylic ruler along a side of the system and cut accurate,
straight strips. In addition, the ruler can be locked at 45°, 60°, or
90° angles, enabling you to cut triangles and diamonds from strips."
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Miniature Quilts
Excerpt from of a review by Elsie Campbell
"Rotary cutting revolutionized the quilting world. Now, Alto's has taken
it a step further with a new Fabric Cutting System. With it you can cut any number
of strips, squares, rectangles, and any kind of triangle with amazing speed and
accuracy..."
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The Virtual Quilt Company
Excerpt from of a review by Robert
"At the end of one aisle near the front of the hall at the Fall 2000 Quilt
Market in Houston, there was a small booth set up with a table in the front to
demonstrate one of the multitude of new products introduced at Market. Almost
every time we passed this booth, there was a crowd of people around it, watching
enthusiastic company representatives cut squares and triangles out of fabric.
Various famous quilters, including Carol Doak, could be seen oohing and aahing
along with the rest of the crowd.
What was being demonstrated was a new rotary cutting system invented and manufactured
by a small Washington state company called Alto's. Alto's has traditionally been
in the business of making machines which assist picture framers in cutting photo
and poster mats very precisely. The leap to a quilt fabric cutting device thus
was not a large one, as it requires the same stability and precision to cut the
tiny pieces of fabric quilters use.
The demonstration we watched was quite intriguing, with the demonstrator slicing
and dicing fabric into all sorts of shapes with great speed and precision. Impressed,
we purchased one to test it out for ourselves.
Anyone who has ever cut fabric using a rotary cutter and mat knows that although
this method of cutting fabric is vastly superior to scissors, it does have its
problems. Rulers and straight-edges have a tendency to slip on the fabric, even
as you are cutting, and the fabric itself can easily slide sideways, or even
pull entirely off the cutting table and onto the floor. The QuiltCut very effectively
deals with both of those problems. Because of its attachment to a rail, the straight-edge
does not slip out of place as you cut. The need to walk your fingers along the
ruler and hold it hard against the mat is eliminated, replaced by a moderate
degree of pressure you exert on the anchored straight-edge to hold it down. The
QuiltCut demonstrator at Houston told a story about a one-armed woman who was
able to use a the Quiltcut by putting a small weight on the end of the straight-edge.
Basically, the QuiltCut supplies you with an extra set of hands with which
to manage the multiple challenges of slipping fabric, slipping rulers, and tired
fingers. You don't need to worry any longer about the straight-edge not being
straight or the fabric holding steady. Moreover, since you can concentrate more
fully on manipulating the rotary cutter, cutting with the QuiltCut is likely
a good bit safer than older methods. Visits to the emergency room should be less
frequent with this wonderful invention!
Probably the most useful part of this apparatus, though, is the Speed Gauge.
This little right angle of plastic, once set properly in its place, eliminates
the need for repeated measuring to cut exact strips. Just move the speed gauge
to the point of the last cut, and begin the next one. At this rate, you could
cut a whole bolt's worth of 3-inch strips in no time!
In very short order, QuiltCut has joined the elite group of indispensable
devices in our quilting repertoire. It is brilliantly designed and sturdily built,
and enjoys a place of honor on the table next to Lynn's old beat-up Bernina,
on top of the rotary mat that used to be the center of cutting activity.
... After all, you're worth it!"
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The Creative Machine
Excerpt from of a review by Judy Kauffman
"If your ruler tends to slip just a bit when using the rotary cutter, then
you are going to love this new cutting system...
The instructions are clear and easy to read, with pictures for every step,
including how to approach each cut from both a right- and left-hand perspective.
I carefully checked with another ruler to confirm that the measurements were
exact. One edge has a clamping system that holds your fabric. You can cut up
to 10 layers of fabric, creating squares, strips, or triangles, without moving
the fabric; you merely reposition the cutting guide...
I really like this cutting system and easily cut pieces for a quilt that were
the most accurate I have ever done..."
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Quilter's Newsletter Magazine
Excerpt from "Tools 2000 Review"
Strips, squares, triangles - you name it and, with a little practice, you can
cut multiples of whatever shape you need, quickly and accurately. Just clamp
in your fabric and you are ready to cut without worrying about your fabric shifting
and sliding. ..."
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EditorsChoice Web site EditorsChoice.com
Excerpt from a review by Cynthia Alberts
"Every now and then someone comes up with a really fantastic device to save
us time and Alto's QuiltCut Fabric Cutting System is one of those great time
saving devices. This incredible fabric cutting system is a must have for every
quilter from the hobby quilter to the professional. It is designed to make quick
work of cutting out all of the squares, rectangles and triangles needed for any
quilt project.
... will easily pay for itself in the time and effort it saves you over the
conventional rotary cutting systems."
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Taunton's Threads Magazine
Excerpt from "Tools of the Trade" Product Review by Sandra Millett
"New or old, I like gadgets - as long as they work as claimed. When it comes
to quilting tools, I'm a stickler for accuracy. If a tool is off even 1/32 in.,
you and I both know what that fraction means when it's multiplied across the
dozens of seam lines in a typical quilt top! So, when I'm testing a new tool,
I check all measurements against a U.S. Bureau of Standards ruler. I recently
inspected a lot of new gadgets and found quite a few worthy of further investigation.
Imagine cutting layers of fabric into strips, slicing those strips into squares,
and then cutting the squares into triangles, all without moving the fabric or
putting your fingers in jeopardy. No problem with QuiltCut..."
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Star - Telegram Newspaper
A short excerpt from "Needle 'n Pen" by Sandra Millet
"... When you add the quality of this product with its sturdy carrying box
and instructions manual (photos with clear, concise directions) that other companies
should emulate, then it's worth the price. ..."
More soon. |
