Sizzix Big Shot Pro

 I never thought this day would come, but I took the plunge and purchased the Sizzix Big Shot Pro.  The reasons I didn't want to buy it:

• High price tag
• The large size and weight
• The added expense of the dies
• Storage space issues for both the machine and the dies
• I already have the Cuttlebug, the Cricut Expression, and the Silhouette Cameo die cutting machines
• I already have a rotary cutter, scissors and rulers for cutting fabrics

What finally swayed me to purchase this version of die cutting machine:

• May 2014's rotary cutter injury to the fingertip of my left hand ring finger and the previous thumb slicing and stitches from a mandolin slicer. I realized that the money savings on the machine and dies were not worth injuring my fingers any further.  
• I could pay for the machine with just 2 or 3 visits to the doctor to treat said fingertip injuries.
• Cut 10 fabric layers at once!  With my handheld rotary cutter, I could only cut through 2 layers of fabric at a time, and would often slip my grip on the ruler during cuts, resulting in crooked shapes. 
• Machine cutting fabric saves time and prevents injuries.  This means more time to have fun sewing and quilting!
• The Double Wedding Ring Quilting die is calling my name.  It only fits into the Big Shot Pro machine--not the other die cutting machines.  I have tried to make a DWR block with shapes I printed for free online, but the shapes cut out crooked by scissors no matter how hard I tried.  This made piecing them together a real bugger.  I didn't complete an entire block because I struggled to match up the crazy curved seams.  I haven't bought the die yet.  But, I got the larger Pro machine so that the option to get the die is there.
• I knew that I could save some money buying the smaller Big Shot machine, but I bought the smaller Cricut machine originally, and kept wishing I had the larger Expression until I finally bought it.  So, I started with the biggest Big Shot Pro.
• A post I read online said that Sizzix quilting dies do not fit into the Accuquilt machines, but that the Accuquilt dies do fit into the Sizzix Big Shot Pro.  I wanted the machine with the most die cutting options.  Also,  the AccuCut dies tend to cost more than the Sizzix dies, based on the online research I did.  I'm still enough of a cheapskate to want cheaper dies.  If I find a particular die only available through AccuCut, I can still buy and use it.

 The first die I tried with the machine is one that I purchased on sale for 30% off at scrapbook.com.  It's the tessellating pinwheel die, which is small enough to fit in the Cuttlebug or either smaller Big Shot or Vagabond.

Only some of the Sizzix quilting dies are compatible with smaller die cutting machines.  The photo above shows the die on top of a Cuttlebug B cutting plate.

The 2 1/2" strip cutting die is 6" x 25", so it's too big for the Cuttlebug.   I use it to cut bias binding for quilts.  It can also cut squares, rectangles, and diamond shapes with two passes.

My sewing machine is out for a 2-3 week vacation.  I'll sew these fabric pieces together when it returns.  At first I was afraid to use the Big Shot Pro because it is so big and beastly.  I felt buyer's remorse at the price and weight of the thing, but chose to wait and keep it.

My husband has several different kinds of saws, because each saw does a slightly different thing than the other ones.  I view die cutting machines as tools, too.  Some are better for cutting multiple fabric layers at once (Sizzix Big Shot Pro), while others are better for cutting intricate images purchased online or designed on the computer (Silhouette Cameo).  It is so quick and easy to cut fabric this way!