A Beginner's Guide to Print & Cut with the Silhouette - focus on stickers

Over on the Silhouette UK Blog I have a Print & Cut project for the Silhouette using a sticker design from the Silhouette Design Store. It includes step-by-step instructions for manipulating the store bought design to get maximum value from these purchased studio sticker files. The instructions include: how to set up a Print & Cut sticker page, adding a trim line around sticker sets, re-sizing sets, and cutting sticker planner pages.

I have a second post with further ideas for getting more from sticker files from the Silhouette Design Store. These include mirroring the images, splitting the set of images, isolating individual images, and making co-ordinating functional stickers.

Here I have reproduced the general Print & Cut section as I'm sure you'll find it useful if you are new to Print & Cut, or if you haven't used the Silhouette Sticker Paper before.

This is the design I used. I think these birds are so pretty. The stickers can be used on SO many crafting projects.

Little Bird Stickers by Carina Gardner (#284076) 

Here are my Print & Cut Instructions - just four easy steps.

(a) Page Setup for Print & Cut

In the Page Setup panel, change the Page Size to match the sticker paper (Silhouette Printable Sticker Paper is U.S. Letter sized).  Also tick the Show Print Border and Show Cut Border boxes.

From the Registration Marks tab, select Type 1 in the Style dropdown box, I like to also increase the Thickness to .60 to make the marks easier for the sensor to detect. If you were to look at the virtual mat, you'd see that the registration marks are joined by the cut (red) line. Any item outside of this red box will not cut.

(b) Print Page Setup

In the Main Menu (top of the page), change the Print Page Setup to match the Page Setup (i.e. Letter size). If there is a borderless option for Letter size DO NOT select it. Leave the scale at one hundred percent.

The print (grey) line will now be visible within the page borders and outside the cut line. Any part of an item outside the grey box will not print. Where possible avoid overlapping the hashed area (dark printing in this area can cause the sensor to mis-read the design).

(c) Print the Design

Once your have placed your sticker design in the correct position, print the design on your printer (from the Main/Top menu chose File > Print). For most printers select 'Best' or 'Photo Quality' for the best result. You may notice that any line with the thickness set to zero will not be printed.

(d) Cut the Design

Press the printed sheet onto the cutting mat, aligning it with the top left-hand corner of the sticky area. Load it into your Silhouette and open up the Send tab. Select the cut setting for "Sticker Paper, White". Adjust the force to achieve a "kiss cut" (cutting through the sticker layer, but not the paper backing). I usually reduce the force to '12' and recommend you use a Test Cut to find your ideal setting. Highlight the Cut option and check that the correct lines on the design will be cut. If they are correct, Send the design to cut. The Silhouette will attempt to read the registration marks and then cut the design.

I hope you find this useful.

Lori Whitlock's Haunted Houses and a design tutorial on Using Simple Offsets

Hiya, over on the Silhouette UK Blog today I have a simple design tutorial using the offset function in the Silhouette Studio software.  I've used it to show how to make glow in the dark embellishments quickly and easily using the default offset setting.

To demonstrate the technique I've used a couple of Lori Whitlock's new Haunted Houses (#276325 , #276343), concentrating on the embellishments that are included with the files. Adding an offset, adds a quick and easy enhancement. The embellishments not only glow in the dark, but are thicker and more dimensional. Of course, this technique isn't limited to Halloween projects; you can apply the same steps to any shape which isn't too complex.

I also included a bonus project showing how to turn the embellishments into badges, or brooches. I transformed the cute cat embellishment by adhering it to a piece of card cut out at the same size. Then I added a pin closure and I now have a fun set of badges to wear for Halloween!

These are the designs I used


... and these are the Silhouette products.

Do pop over to the Silhouette UK Blog if you'd like to find out more.

Sewing Project - Sun Glasses Case

Hiya, and YES, ladies and gents, I do use other machines than my Silhouette Cameo. This week I've been driving my old sewing machine, and it's been behaving beautifully. I used it to sew this sun glasses case, finishing off the edges with a little hand sewing.

You'll find the original inspiration for the pattern at A Kailo Chic Life (lots of other fun crafting projects too),  and info on making a pattern with the Silhouette here. I used fabric I'd printed edge-to-edge using the Silhouette Designer software, and you can find details about how to do that here.


Materials Required:
Printer Paper & Printer (optional)
Patterned Fabric (at least 8.5", 21.5cm square). I used Silhouette Printable Cotton.
Plain Fabric, same size as above,
Thermolam Batting & Bondaweb, or Fusible Fleece, twice the size,
Sewing Machine
Multi-purpose Thread
Pins, or Wonder Clips
Embroidery Thread & Needle
Scissors.



1. Prepare your paper pattern (printed instructions here or hand-drawn here).

2. Cut one patterned cotton, one plain cotton, one from Bondaweb, and two from Thermolam. Fuse the Thermolam to the reverse of the cotton fabric circles. Note: the Silhouette Printable Cotton already has a light hold fusible backing. Transfer the markings to the plain fabric only.

3. Pin the fused cotton pieces with right sides together. The two reversed clips (red side up) show where the gap in machine sewing should be.

4. Sew around the piece 1/4" from the edge, remembering to leave the gap, and starting and finishing with a few reverse stitches to secure the ends.

5. Trim the corners and snip the curves.

6. Turn the piece inside out.

7. This seems difficult at first, but take it slowly and eventually (and somewhat alarmingly) it will look like this!

8. With a little easing, and the help of a pointed item (like a knitting needle) push out the corners.

9. Press the piece if necessary, shaping the open section. Hand stitch the opening closed, with the raw edges to the inside.

10. Fold over the piece (pasty, or taco style) and pin.

11. Oversew the edges with three strands of embroidery thread using neat, evenly spaced stitches.

12. That's it - the glasses case is complete.

It's perfect to slip into your handbag or swimming bag, keeping you glasses pretty as well as nicely
protected.

Here are the links again for those related posts:

Print edge-to-edge on fabric (or any printable media)

Design a printable pattern in Silhouette Studio software

Make this Dandelion Printable from Sarah Hurley's cut file

Hiya.  Over on the Silhouette UK Blog this week I have a tutorial showing how to produce a printable using this lovely free dandelion design cut file by Sarah Hurley. Sarah is a British designer, so its always exciting to see her new designs in the Silhouette Design Store.

The project uses this week's featured product - Silhouette Printable Glitter Sticker Paper. It has a fabulous glittery finish and is fantastic for printables. My post has step-by-step instructions for how to transform the cut file into a printable design using the Silhouette Studio software.

It includes how to do the following:

• Arrange the file pieces for printing
• Make a colour swatch
• Colour the file using the "Colour Picking' technique
• Refine the colours for this special media
• Prepare the print.

The Make a Wish file was free in the Silhouette Design Store at the time of writing this post.  I can't promise that it will still be free by the time you read this, but let's hope so. P.S. You don't need a Silhouette machine to make this - just the software, which is free to download here.


The last time I used the Glitter Sheets was to make these. I still regret that we had to use them (would rather have kept them for other years).

Eclipse Card with a drawn Dingbat Font

Hiya, I have a new eclipse card over on the Silhouette UK Blog today using the Silhouette Pen Holder and the Cute Bunny Dingbats Font (#247342) by Carina Gardner.  The dingbat font has lots of cute bunnies (unsurprisingly), and some additional decorative elements. This post addresses the questions that follow, of interest to Silhouette and non-Silhouette users alike.

Which pens can you use with the Silhouette Pen Holder?

The images are drawn onto the card font using my favourite brand of hybrid gel pens, the Pentel Hybrid Gel Grip Metallic Gel Ink Pens - K118.  These fit snugly into the medium sized cuff of the Silhouette Pen Holder and write and draw beautifully without skipping.

In the post I demonstrate the use of some alternative pens, including Sharpie Fine Point markers and Stabilo Fineliners.

The Sharpies with the thicker body like this one only JUST fit in the largest cuff. A better choice are the slimmer Sharpie Ultra Fine Point markers, but these are more difficult to find in non primary colours.

I did find that the point on the end of the Stabilo markers did get a bit bent over. A more durable alternative are the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens - 334 (don't be put off by the triangular barrels - they still fit in the pen holder) as the felt tip is metal clad.

If you click on any of the pen links you'll realise that they take you to the UK-based Tiger Pens online shop. I've included links to them as they have the complete colours ranges of all the pens I've mentioned. I don't have any association with Tiger Pens, except that I usually buy my pens from them as they have a great range (including Copic markers), free delivery, and very prompt service.



Selecting Images from a Dingbat Font

The images from the Dingbat font can be selected from the Glyphs panel in the Designer Edition of the Silhouette Studio software, and the post includes an alternative method for those who only have the basic edition of the software.

I used the Cute Bunny Dingbats Font (#247342) by Carina Gardner, but there are loads of dingbat fonts available from the Silhouette Design Store, and are now available to non-Silhouette users, as they can be downloaded independently of the Silhouette software.

How do you make an Eclipse Card with a Silhouette?

I love using my Silhouette to make cards using the 'Eclipse' technique, where letters are cut from the background and then raised above the background on several cardstock layers. Originally the technique was used with traditional metal alphabet dies, but by using the fonts on your Silhouette there is much more flexibility in terms of font, sizing, style etc.

I describe the technique in detail in my Silhouette post and in the instructions for the Santa Express Box Card.

For these party invite cards the letters were cut from pink cardstock and also from the background panel on which the bunnies had been drawn. The text for the eclipse letters is LW Super Font, although any bold block font that cuts well should work.

I made a couple of variations which include additional text in the Sisters Sketch Font (#76091) by designer, Rivka Wilkins.

I loved using these drawn versions of these bunny images, and I hope you'll try out a dingbat font with your pens. You'll find that the Silhouette Pen Holder gives so much flexibility and variation.

Printing Custom Cards in Silhouette Studio

Hiya.

Over on the Silhouette UK Blog today I have a tutorial for making and printing quick, custom cards in the Silhouette Studio® software.

A batch of cards can be made super fast by printing from the Silhouette software onto pre-made card blanks. I've used some hand-painted baubles (painted by my daughter) and quickly turned them into a set of Christmas cards.  I've refined the water-coloured baubles in the Silhouette software and added sentiments from the Silhouette Design Store by Skyla Design. The tutorial shows how to make them for yourself.

Using this method you can be reproduce a whole batch of cards in minutes - perfect for your last minute Christmas cards!

Add a new material type to Silhouette Studio software

Hello again, over on the Silhouette UK Blog today I have a post to show how to add custom media to the list of cutting materials in the Silhouette Studio® software. You'll find adding custom settings can be a HUGE time saver.

My post includes a step-by-step guide (using version 4.1 of the Silhouette Studio® software).

The media I added is glitter wallpaper; which cuts beautifully on my Cameo and Curio. I tested it making bows for my Christmas tags and parcels using Lori Whitlock's 3D Bow from the Silhouette Design Store.

Pop over to the Silhouette UK Blog if you have a Silhouette and haven't mastered this process yet.  If you discover anything extra about adding new cut settings it would be great to add it as a comment and share it with the wider Silhouette community too.

Foil and Acetate Card for Armistice and Remembrance Sunday

Hi, I'm sharing a new cardmaking technique for delicate or detailed cutting files over on the Silhouette UK Blog today.

In recognition of Remembrance weekend, I have used a beautiful poppy file by Hero Arts (#27110). This is my grandad who served in WW1 as a teenager.

These elegant cards are made with adhesive foil and an acetate, or acrylic window, overlaid on a printed background and mounted within an offset of the shape.  Using the Silhouette Printable Foil gives a fine foiled-effect without the need for heat or messy embossing powders. My photographs really don't do justice to the depth, dimension, and prettiness of the cards in real life.

I have a full step-by-step tutorial over on the Silhouette UK Blog today. As usual, there are plenty of additional hints and tips on using your Silhouette and the Silhouette Studio software.