Posted on December 31, 2023January 30, 2024 by silhouettesecretsplus — Leave a comment

Cutting Faux Leather with Your Silhouette: Essential Tips

I’ve wanted to write a faux leather tutorial with tips for Silhouette for a long time, but other things seemed to jump in front of it on my to-do list. So when Amy announced her Faux Leather event, I made it a goal to really dive in and create with some faux leather.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amy Romeu, hailed as the Queen of Faux Leather by many, recently hosted an event that I attended. I had a great time crafting along with her videos and picked up a lot of great tips that can help in being successful in cutting faux leather with any cutting machine.

Before we get too far in, let’s cover a few things about faux leather that will help in the process.

Faux Leather Information

Can Silhouette machines cut faux leather? Yes!
Can Silhouette machines cut ALL faux leather? NO!
Can all cutting machines cut ALL faux leather? NO!

Faux leather is such a broad term, just like “genuine” leather is. Cutting some faux leathers is easy, some pose greater difficulty, and others simply do not cut well at all.

Factors influencing whether a Silhouette or another machine can cut faux leather include:

Color – Yes! Many users don’t know this, but color affects how materials cut. Different colors go through different processes in the production and that can affect how it cuts. Some can be tougher than others due to coloring.
Backing – Faux leathers can have a variety of backing on it. Some don’t have any and are soft and pliable. While others can have a mesh, woven backing which can be difficult to cut through.
Texture – Faux leathers can come in all kinds of textures such as embossed, glitter, sequins, etc. This will affect how it cuts. Just think of a blade trying to bounce over a texture material to cut a clean line. Texture affects it! The texture also influences the ease of cutting by hand. The same is true for a cutting machine.
Thickness – There is a wide array of thicknesses for faux leather. Super thin ones can be too pliable and just smoosh around on the cutting mat. Thicker ones may need multiple passes to cut through and a longer blade such as the Deep Cut blade.
Composition – Faux leather is such a broad term. The definition of “faux” is artificial or fake. So keep in mind that faux leather is fake leather.
What it is made of?
A wide variety of things. Plastic mostly. For instance, I ordered some leather on Amazon and it is PU Leather. It is by definition, artificial leather, crafted from a thermoplastic polymer commonly employed in the production of furniture or shoes.
Faux leather = fake leather = plastic

Supplies I Used:

Silhouette Cameo 5 – other Silhouette models can also cut faux leather!
available at CrafterCuts or Silhouette America
Silhouette 2 mm Manual Blade (this is what I used – more info below), Premium blade or Deep Cut blade, Silhouette Autoblade, 1 mm Manual blade, Silhouette blade
available at CrafterCuts (code SECRETS for 10% off) or Silhouette America (code 10OFF for 10% off)
Silhouette cutting mat – CrafterCuts or Silhouette America
Faux Leather from Craft Chameleon
Faux Leather from Amazon
Faux Leather from The Polka Dotted Peach
Blue painters tape
Silhouette hook or other sharp tool
Brayer (optional but useful)
Scraps of HTV (project dependent)
Fabric glue (project dependent)
Earring hardware (project dependent)
Files by Amy Romeu – Red Truck Christmas Ornament, Initial Christmas Ornament, Snowflake Earrings File, Red Cardinal Ornament

Faux Leather Varieties — Craft Chameleon Warehouse Faux Leather Supply

So the first place to start is to gather your supplies for whatever you are working on. I was so excited for these projects and I knew I would be creating several, so I pulled out all my faux leathers and my scrap HTV. I have several boxes of scrap HTV and it’s a great way to use it by adding it to faux leather projects.

Keep it a secret, but I actually obtained more faux leather than shown because I needed to test several during these projects. And once I went down that rabbit hole, I found many patterns I wanted to collect.

Faux Leather Variety — Faux leather from The Polka Dotted Peach

Tips for Cutting Faux Leather with Silhouette

Cut the faux leather down to size and give yourself some extra space for taping down the edges to the cutting mat.

Place the faux leather front facing down on the cutting mat, so you are cutting through the backside first.
**NOTE: if cutting real leather, DO NOT place it face down or you can ruin the finish on the real leather. That can be a very expensive mistake!

Tape Faux Leather to a Silhouette Cutting Mat

Utilize a reliable sticky cutting mat to secure the materials in place during the cutting process. Using a brayer to smooth the materials down to secure it. If the materials shift during the cut, the cut may fail, or your blade might become stuck.

Securely tape down the material edges. I found that using longer pieces of tape not only ensured a better hold but also reduced the risk of it getting caught in the machine during cutting. You can also reuse painter’s tape if removed carefully at the end.

For best results, keep the painters tape away from the edges of the cutting mat so it is not going under the rollers. Any change in the surface area under the rollers and it can cause it to lose grip or the left and right roller to not move at the same rate, which can cause issues.

When using a Silhouette cutting mat, you can use the grid for exact placement for lining up your materials and your design. If you load the mat properly, the on-screen design will align with the Silhouette cutting mat. Third party cutting mats may not line up and it will be a guessing game for design placement and alignment.

Give yourself a good allowance and grace because you may still mess up, just like I did in the photo above. I would recommend that you cut a little bit excess of the faux leather and not try to cut through the painters tape as it can affect the cut results. The cut was ok in this instance, but it went off my faux leather, so I ended up cutting another truck piece.

For tips on lining things up check out this tutorial HERE. I use this method all the time and still make mistakes. Remember to “measure twice, cut once.” But, I find I make the most mistakes if I’m rushing or I tell myself it will be just a quick project.

Test cut, test cut, test cut!!!

I used a 2 mm Manual blade for all of my faux leather cuts. This blade is the equivalent of the older style Premium blade, it’s just redesigned to fit directly into the newer model machines housing without needing an adapter.
The 2 mm Manual blade (or Deep Cut blade) allows you to go from 1-20 in the blade depth settings. All faux leather will vary and some can be cut with a regular blade that is 1-10 settings, while others may need a higher blade depth than 10. Test cuts are the way you will know.

Do not unload the mat after you cut!!! Check to see how well it cut.
Having a thread or two is not a bad thing! Grab a sharp pair of scissors and simply snip it.

Check the cut on the Faux Leather after Silhouette cuts

If it does not lift easily or has more than just a few threads hanging on, send the cut again. If you have not unloaded the cutting mat, it should cut again in the exact same place. If you unload the cutting mat, it will be a hope and a prayer trying to get it lined up perfectly again to cut in the same place.

Clean cuts on Faux Leather with Silhouette

Some faux leathers may take more than 1 pass and this is why test cutting is such an important step. I write down the settings that worked for each of the materials I test and keep a log so I can refer back to it. It is not a bad thing to use more than 1 pass with certain projects. I find with thicker materials, you can get a cleaner cut when you are not trying to force the machine to do it all at once time. However, for thinner materials such as adhesive vinyl or regular cardstock, multiple passes shouldn’t be necessary if the blade is installed properly.

This is white faux leather from Craft Chameleon.
I used the 2 mm Manual blade (equivalent of the Deep Cut blade) .
Blade depth – 9
Force – 30
Passes – 2

For more details on what blade depth and force are, check out this in-depth tutorial on the Silhouette Send tab HERE.

Cut Success with Silhouette and Faux Leather

Once the cut is successful, unload the mat, remove the painter’s tape – it can be reused and carefully peel away the excess. Snip any threads as you carefully remove the excess so you do not stretch the design.

When cutting, check the blade regularly for debris stuck to it or inside the cap. The fibers of the faux leather can hinder the cut results.

It is perfectly normal to have to increase the settings of the blade as you cut materials. A blade cutting any material is going to dull with usage. Keep in mind that you are cutting through plastic and fibers. That will cause a blade to wear differently than other materials.

For this design I used the Red Truck Ornament file from Amy Romeu and there is a front and back layer cut from faux leather that will be glued together. The rest of the design is cut from HTV, so I swapped out my blade for my HTV blade and set up my cutting mat to cut different colors of scraps at the same time.

I used the Cut by Fill Color so I could set up different cut settings for my Smooth HTV versus my Glitter HTV. The Autoblade did all the work to change the settings once set up. Check out this tutorial HERE for tips on cutting by line or fill color – they are the same.

Cut multiple colors at once on a Silhouette Cutting Mat

And then I set up my cutting mat to match exactly what I had set up on the Silhouette software. Check out tips on cutting multiple colors at the same time HERE.

Then I simply weeded the design and pressed the pieces on according to Amy’s instructions. I also cut this design out of cardstock and adhesive vinyl too! The faux leather ornament is on the left and the cardstock ornament is on the right.

Check out Amy Romeu’s YouTube video HERE for instructions on the assembly. Even though she is using a Cricut machine to cut, the process and tips are useful.

I was having so much fun cutting faux leather that I couldn’t stop and wanted to test more!

Next, I used this Silver Embossed Leather from Craft Chameleon with the Initial Ornament file.

I followed the same tips as above and taped it securely to my cutting mat.

Secure Faux Leather with Painters Tape on a Silhouette Cutting Mat

If you compare this photo to the first one, you’ll notice that the backing differs on the white versus this silver embossed piece. That can affect the cut settings and results. The woven backing texture can be a bit more difficult to cut and may require higher settings and more passes to cut cleanly.

I used the 2 mm Manual blade (equivalent of the Deep Cut blade).
Blade depth – 9
Force – 30
Passes – 2-3
however, that was still not a clean cut, so I then increased the Blade depth to 11 and did 2 more passes.

In this case, the Embossed texture on the front is uneven and can affect the cut.

I did not have all the supplies to finish this out as Amy did, so I used what I had on hand and made my own holly berries and leaves. The holly leaves are drawn from scratch in Silhouette Studio. If you want to learn how, I show step-by-step in the Designing in Silhouette Studio – Creating Keepsake Ornaments class HERE. I cut the leaves from cardstock, painted some small craft balls, and then glued it all onto the ornament.

Check out Amy Romeu’s Initial Faux Leather Ornament YouTube video HERE for more details on this project. I picked up a neat trick for tying bows and ornament hangers in Amy’s videos, so make sure to check that out too!

In both the designs shown above, the faux leather was cut for the front and the backside and then glued together so it had a finished look. But for this next project, I used Siser Metal HTV and adhered it to the backside of the white faux leather from Craft Chameleon before cutting.

I pressed it once with the carrier sheet on and then a second time without the carrier sheet for just a few seconds. The second press allows the texture of the faux leather to show through and it is gorgeous! Photos do not do it justice.

But keep in mind, anytime you add something to a material, that can change the cut settings.

I used the 2 mm Manual blade (equivalent to the Premium blade).
Blade depth – 10
Force – 30
Passes – 1
And I probably could have done one more pass.

Now, what you’ll notice is that all of the pieces are still attached. However, they easily popped out and I only had a few threads to snip. This actually worked better for the next steps as I could keep it all organized in one place until I was ready to press.

I loved the finished look of the Siser Metal HTV on the backside! And I used up a few scraps of Glitter HTV, not much, but it is the perfect project for those scraps that you might have.

Check out the video on these Faux Leather Holiday Earrings HERE by Amy Romeu.

And here is one more faux leather design cut with my Silhouette.

This was using the Cardinal Christmas Ornament Design and a piece of blue patterned faux leather from The Polka Dotted Peach.

Find the Faux Leather Cardinal Ornament video HERE on Amy’s YouTube channel.

I had so much fun creating along with this event and now have faux leather for many more projects.

I hope those tips help you to be successful with cutting faux leather with your Silhouette machine.

You can still purchase the VIP package for the Faux-La-La Crafting Fun and join in on the fun. You get the files for all the projects, all the videos in one place, a printable guide, and more! Check it out HERE for all the details.

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy !

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Posted on May 4, 2023May 28, 2023 by silhouettesecretsplus — Leave a comment

Stock up on Silhouette Supplies

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Do you need to stock up on Silhouette supplies like cutting mats or blades?
Or are you looking for a new machine?

Check out the deals happening at Crafter Cuts!
And use coupon code SECRETS to save 10% too!

Silhouette Studio Software Upgrades

If you are looking for a Silhouette Studio Software upgrade, those are also on sale too!

Have questions on the Silhouette software upgrades?
Find out what my favorite, most used features are in each upgrade HERE.

Reconditioned Silhouette Machines

Did you know they have Reconditioned machines as well?
Here is what “reconditioned” means.
This is a tested, confirmed working, Cameo 4, with a new Autoblade and Cutting Mat. This machine is not returnable. Packaging may be damaged and minor scratches may exist on the machine.

Check out all the details HERE.

It may be an option that you might look into if you are looking for a new machine at a lower price.
After chatting with CrafterCuts, these are typically machines that they have had returned by customers (most times through an Amazon return) because they didn’t take the time to learn how to use the machine or follow instructions. It happens more than you can even imagine!!! Sometimes as quickly as overnight.
We all know you cannot learn how to use a Silhouette machine overnight – lol.
If only they would have found my website or Teachable classes first 😉

CrafterCuts also has other equipment available as well such as Sawgrass sublimation printers and sewing machines too!

I also shared my new favorite tools a few months back from CrafterCuts too!
Check that out HERE.

Now, you may be asking, who is CrafterCuts?
Great question!
CrafterCuts is a sponsor of the Silhouette Secrets+ step-by-step classes on my Teachable site HERE.
They are an authorized reseller for Silhouette America and who I was referred to through my contacts at Silhouette America. When I started looking into them, I found I had ordered from them through Amazon years ago. They have been around a long time, but many users just have not heard about them.
With their sponsorship, I have been able to continue providing classes through my Teachable site for users.
A great big THANK YOU to them and watch for more classes coming!!!
I’ll have more details to share soon!

————————-

I work with many great retailers and I order different things from them all!
Check out the Recommended Retailers list at the top of the website or click HERE if you are looking for other supplies too!

And THANK YOU!
Using links I share supports Silhouette Secrets+ and helps me to bring you more tutorials, classes, testing, and information!
The cost of the products is not more for you and I may get credit for the referral as an affiliate.
Sometimes the cost could even be less with special coupons I may be able to get through those retailers.
So don’t forget to use your coupon code SECRETS at CrafterCuts to save even more!

Enjoy !

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Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.

Looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

Posted on September 12, 2021October 2, 2021 by silhouettesecretsplus — 11 Comments

15+ Tips for the Silhouette Kraft blades

This post has been a long time in the construction process. After almost 2 years of testing this blade, I feel comfortable in being able to give you some tips on it.

The Kraft blades are designed to cut thicker materials. And they do, but it is not a blade that you can simply pop into the machine and cut perfect with right away. It can take some time, testing, and materials to find out what will work. And I’ll tell you right off the bat, not all materials or designs will work well with these specialty blades.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

First, let’s go over some information about these blades that will help to understand a little bit more on what machines they work with and how the blades work.

Silhouette Kraft blades

There are currently 3 Kraft blades for the Silhouette machines.

2 mm Kraft blade

This 2 mm Kraft blade pictured above is compatible in the
– Silhouette Cameo 4 models with the white adapter
– Silhouette Portrait 3 with the white adapter
– Silhouette Cameo 3
– Silhouette Portrait 2
– Silhouette Curio

2 mm Kraft blade (Type B)

This 2 mm Kraft blade (Type B) pictured above is compatible in the
– Silhouette Cameo 4
– Silhouette Cameo 4 Plus
– Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro
– Silhouette Portrait 3

The Type B 2 mm Kraft blade fits in the Tool 1 housing and is designated with a 1 on the front of the blade. No adapter is required.

3 mm Kraft blade

This 3 mm Kraft blade pictured above is compatible in the
– Silhouette Cameo 4
– Silhouette Cameo 4 Plus
– Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro

The 3 mm Kraft blade fits directly in the Tool 2 housing on the Cameo 4 models only and is designated with a 2 on the front of the blade.

You can find the Kraft blades at most Silhouette Retailers:
Silhouette America – use code 10OFF to take 10% off your order
(coupon code not available on machines)
The Vinyl Spectrum – fast shipping
Swing Design – use code SECRETS10 to save 10% (coupon code doesn’t apply to all products)

In order to have access to the Kraft blade settings, user’s will need to use a version of Silhouette software of v4.3.370 or higher.

Blade Depth

The Kraft blades are all a manual blade, which means that you have to turn the bottom of the blade to adjust the blade depth.

The numbers on the bottom of the blade are the blade depth in increments of 0.10 mm. Blade depth is how far out the blade extends from the bottom of the blade housing.
In the photo above, the 2 mm Kraft blade is on the left and the 3 mm Kraft blade is on the right.

Just as a heads up. More is not always better, but we will discuss that in a bit.

Blade comparison

Like I said above, this is not a blade that you just pop in the machine and it is perfect.
This blade is a broader tipped blade and works more like an Exacto knife.
Let’s take a look at how it compares to other Silhouette blades.

In the photo above, on the left is the Premium blade, the middle is the Autoblade, and the right is the 3 mm Kraft blade.
As you can see, the blade construction is very different.

The Premium blade & the Autoblade are smaller more concise blade tips, while the Kraft blade is a broader tipped blade.

What this means is that the Kraft blade cannot turn like the Premium or Autoblade. It does not turn sharp corners or change directions like the other blades.

As a comparison, think of using an Exacto knife by hand.
Can you cut an intricate design or even a square without lifting the blade up to turn in a new direction or turning the material on your workspace? Can you cut completely around the design, by hand, in one continuous cut?

How the Kraft Blade Works

The Kraft blade works on a system called “Smart Cut” technology.
But the basics of it are, the blade cannot cut in one continuous motion and change direction. It has to either lift and touch down somewhere to orient the blade for the next direction or it has to draw a loop to turn to get headed in the next direction.
These are called “hooks” and “loops”.

Photo example from Cutting Leather Class

These hooks and loops DO cut on the material. There is just no way around that. The blade has to turn somehow and since it is a broad tipped blade, it cannot just turn 90 degrees.

The Kraft blade NEEDS these “hooks” and “loops” to work in the best manner that it can.
Turning the Kraft cut action off means that the blade is trying to make those corners and the blade can be sideways and trying to cut because it has not had the chance to orientate to the new direction.

Understanding how this blade is constructed and how it is designed to work, can help in your future projects.
Does it eliminate the frustration you might have when working with it?
No, but you will understand it better and why it might be acting the way it is.

I have spent many, many, many hours testing this blade over the past 2 years and I’ll say right out front – I’ve been frustrated, I’ve walked away, I’ve grumbled at it; BUT I have also had some success with it too!

I have cut chipboard, balsa, basswood, and leather with the Kraft blade.
I have also developed a full Cutting Leather with the Cameo 4 & 3 mm Kraft blade class that I released at the virtual All Things Silhouette Conference in May 2020.

This class is now available on my Teachable site HERE.

It has all taken a lot of time and testing with this specialty blade.
Not everything has been successful.
But, that’s why I’m here to share some tips to working with the Kraft blade.

Tips for the Silhouette Kraft Blade

I would suggest reading through all the tips before starting any project as they all work together in one way or another.

Tip #1 – Turn the blade all the way up and then back it down to what you need.
Basically, I do not pay attention to the numbers.
By exposing all the blade and turning it back down, you can set it to the depth you need according to tip 2.

Notice in the above photo that even when the blade is extended completely, the red number is not at a 30. The collar on the blade can be “off” either from use or if it’s been unscrewed and screwed back on. This is going to vary blade by blade. My Kraft blade is well used and I cannot even tell you what I’ve used it on or how much.
When you open a new Kraft blade, look at it closely. Look and see where it is lined up.
This is one reason that I do not use the number, but move on to #2.
While technically, the numbers on the blade equal 0.10″ mm, if the collar is off even just a bit, the numbers are off too.

Tip #2 – Measure your blade depth against the material thickness.

This will show you the max depth that the blade can be.
Turn the blade back down to the thickness of the material.
You do not want the blade extended out more than the thickness of the material or it will get stuck in the mat or cause the cut to go wonky.
The blade depth should be just barely out enough to make it through the material.

Tip #3 – Some materials need multiple passes at varying blade depths to cut through.
Not all materials can be cut through in 1 pass.
This requires testing and will vary depending on the material, the way it is constructed, and the density of the material.

For instance, I referenced above that I have cut this SPC Light Chipboard Sheets with the 3 mm Kraft blade.

This is heavier than the Silhouette brand chipboard, but is still classified as a “light” chipboard.
(I have not had success with medium chipboard).

In order to cut this I used a brand new blade and had to make a series of passes on each shape.
Pass #1 – Blade Depth – 3, Force – 15, Speed – 5
Pass #2 – Blade Depth – 6, Force – 15, Speed – 5
Pass #3 – Blade Depth – 6, Force – 15, Speed – 5
*Keep in mind Tip #1 and Tip #2 – make sure the blade is not out farther than the material thickness or it will just get stuck in the mat.

For materials that need variable blade depth and/or force, do not try to skip a pass and go from a lower blade depth or force to the max blade depth or force. It only resulted in the blade getting stuck for me and the material was eaten up.

Tip #4 – Simple shapes work best
Not all designs will work!
Simple shapes are best.
No intricate cuts.
No interior cuts.

Testing is the only way to know.
If a design is too complex it will either just eat up the material or it can crash the software when the Kraft cut action is activated.

Tip #5 – Cut 1 design shape at a time.
This is for several reasons.
If something goes wrong such as the blade getting stuck or the cut doesn’t work. You only have wasted one section of the material instead of an entire sheet.

The hooks and loops change according to what is placed on the design mat and where the designs are in relation to each other. By placing 1 design on the mat at a time, the hooks and loops can adjust to give you the best cut on the design and you can measure and place your next design according to where those hooks and loops did cut.
The more familiar you can be with your cutting mat and the virtual mat in the software, the better. The virtual mat matches up exactly to the Silhouette cutting mat. If you are familiar with it, you can get pretty darn accurate on placing your design and materials where needed. It all takes practice.

Check out this quick video on my YouTube channel showing the hooks and loops changing depending on where the design is placed on the cutting mat.

Tip #6 – Only send 1 pass at a time.
Even if you are doing a series of passes, only send 1 at a time and do not increase the passes on the Send tab.
This will allow the Silhouette machine to reset and start the cut from the beginning, instead of adjusting on the 2nd pass and possibly throwing the cut off.

Tip #7 – Get extra materials
You will need them!
The Kraft blade requires more room to work and more testing than the regular blades.

Tip #8 – Be patient!
Maybe this should have been the #1 tip.
Patience is probably the toughest part.
Be patient with your computer, the software, and yourself.
This is a new blade, new skill, new technique – it’s just new! It will take time to learn to use.

Tip #9 – Use high quality materials
This can be very important!
Low quality materials are just that – low quality and may not yield good results at all.

For instance, when developing the Cutting Leather class, I tested hundreds and hundreds of dollars of leather. Craft store leather, real leather, thick leather, thin leather – I tested A LOT!

High quality leather from a leather company worked the best.
I used Badalassi Carlo – Minerva Smooth “Vacchetta” Veg Tanned Leather – Split to 2-2.5 oz or 2.5- 3 oz – 12” x 12” piece from Rocky Mountain Leather.
Craft store “genuine” leather did not work well because it was soft, pliable, and mushy.
Those are the best technical terms I can describe it as.
The Kraft blade just pushes it around and gets stuck vs being able to cut clean through it.

For more details and information on this example, check out this Leather types video I have on my YouTube channel HERE.

Chipboard is another example. Because of the way chipboard is constructed, not all brands are equal. Chipboard is fibers pressed together. How that holds together while it’s cutting will affect your final result. Some are more fibrous and will just separate.

Tip #10 – Turn Carriage 1 (Tool 1) off before using Carriage 2 (Tool 2)
Carriage 1 is the default tool for all machines. In order to activate only Carriage 2, you first have to select the design on the screen by clicking on it and then choose No Cut to turn it off. Bold red cut lines will turn off. Then go to Carriage 2 settings and set up the Kraft cut settings.

Tip #11 – Do not turn off hooks and loops
These are important in how the Kraft blade can complete the shape.
If you turn them off, the blade may not orient to move in the new direction and your blade may be sideways while trying to cut. This will result in the blade getting stuck in the material.

Tip #12 – Keep the design away from the edges of the material
The Kraft blade does need more space and material to cut.
Keep the design away from the edges of the material and give it a wide allowance.
If the blade goes off the material while cutting, it may not be able to get back up on it again properly and the cut will be off.

Tip #13 – Check the blade for debris often
This is especially important when cutting a fibrous material such as chipboard.
I found that I had to check the blade between each pass while I was adjusting the depth.
Fibers would build up on the blade and cover the sharp edge, which would cause the blade to get stuck in the material on the next pass.

Tip #14 – Design position matters
Because of how the hooks and loops work, some designs cut better in certain areas than others.

As an example when I cut the SPC Light Chipboard Sheets, the pennant design would cut on the left side but it didn’t cut well on the right side.

I also found that if you can position the material at the bottom of the cutting mat, then you can check the cut easier to determine if it needs another pass. I used this method especially with more expensive materials. If you unload the cutting mat, you will not be able to get the mat lined up exactly perfect to cut in the same place if multiple passes are needed to cut through.

This is why in the Cutting Leather class, I start with the design in the bottom right corner of the cutting mat and not at the top. Through lots of testing, I determined that the shapes used in the class, cut the most successfully in that area and could be checked easier.

Tip #15 – Be patient!
I know that I said this as tip #8, but I think it needs repeating.
If you are looking for a quick project, you might want to try a different technique.
If you have some time to test and see what can happen – give it a go!

I have had many failures with the Kraft blade, but as I said, I have also had success too!

Chipboard pennant shapes cut with 3 mm Kraft blade.
Cardstock pennant shapes to match & letters cut with the Autoblade.

Cutting Leather with the Cameo 4 & 3 mm Kraft blade class
Details HERE

Now, I did mention that I’ve cut balsa and basswood as well. I do not have a tutorial on that and I am not sure if there will be one at this time. My best suggestion is to cut your templates with the Silhouette machine and grab an Exacto knife and cut them by hand. It will save you time, money, and lots of frustration.
For a bit more information on that, check out this post on my Facebook group HERE where I shared my experience and results.

And in all honesty, if you want to cut wood, I would recommend either a laser cutter or a scroll saw. You can still use the Silhouette software to help in your creations and I have seen some amazing work with both.
I know we would all like an all-in-one tool, but sometimes it’s all about the right tool for the job!

More Tips!!!

Extra Tip #1 – Software versions
Earlier versions of the software tend to work better than the later releases of v4.4 for the Kraft blade and the Rotary blade.
I have reported these issues and they are under investigation, but later versions of the software are adding in hooks and loops but not showing those on the screen.
These additional hooks and loops do not always cause an issue, but sometimes can.

However, the biggest one I’ve found is the initial touchdown of the Kraft blade to orient to start, is taking a bite out of the actual design. The photo below shows one of those “bites”.

Cutting basswood with the 3 mm Kraft blade
More details on that in my FB group HERE

If you do plan to start cutting projects with the Kraft blade, I would recommend using an earlier version of v4 software. Silhouette Studio v4.3.370 is the earliest version in the software that is currently available that supports the Kraft blade action and can be found under the Legacy section as you scroll down HERE.
*Portrait 3 users will need to use higher than v4.4.259
*Cameo Pro users will need to use higher than v4.4.281
*Silhouette software can be found HERE

The only way to know how it is going to behave…..
TEST IT!
Grab a big cup of your favorite drink, an extra dose of patience, and try to have fun just playing.

Extra Tip #2 – Blade housing reset
If the Kraft blade gets stuck in the material, it can throw off the housing alignment.
Immediately, press the pause button. If it does not pause quick enough, press the power button.
Do not let it continue! It won’t help anything.
The cut is most likely out of it’s path now and it will not cut right.
Time to start over, either by placing the design in a new area on the material or this is where tip #7 – extra materials – come into play.

After the blade gets stuck, it may need to be realigned.
To reset the blade housing, I unplug the Silhouette machine.
Then CAREFULLY, move the blade housing all the way to the right and all the way to the left.
Do this 3 more times and leave it on the right side.
Plug it back in and turn it on.
The housing will reset to it’s proper location.

Extra Tip #3 – Don’t be afraid of it!
As I’ve said, I’ve done lots of testing with a variety of materials.
While my blade has gotten stuck a LOT, my machine is still going strong.

Extra Tip #4 – Custom settings
You will most likely need to create a custom cut setting for the Kraft blade.
Check out the video below or on YouTube on creating a custom setting.

I know that is a lot of information!
I would suggest reading it through a couple times and then decide what you will do.
Take the Cutting Leather class if you want step-by-step instruction and use the recommended supplies for the class for the best success.

But, I cannot just leave it at that.

Additional Resources on Kraft blade:

Smart Cut with the Silhouette Rotary & Kraft blade video by Silhouette America
2 mm Kraft blade video by Silhouette America
3 mm Kraft blade by Silhouette America

I’d love see what you create with the Kraft blade if you do decide to try it out!
Or if you have questions, feel free to post on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee.
Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.

Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on February 28, 2021October 2, 2021 by silhouettesecretsplus — 5 Comments

Cutting HTV on the Cameo 4, Plus, or Pro – Troubleshooting

Cutting HTV on the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, or Cameo Pro
Troubleshooting

Are you having issues with getting HTV to cut properly on the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, or Cameo Pro? Or are you noticing issues with the HTV feeding properly through the machine?

Recently, I was cutting HTV with my Cameo Pro and was having feed issues. I see several times each week on Facebook where users are having cut issues with their machines. I kept loading and unloading the HTV and began to notice a pattern.

Note: these tips will work for all Silhouette machines, but you may find that you notice it more on a Cameo 4, Cameo 4 Plus, or Cameo Pro models

If you are having cutting or feed issues with your Cameo machine
is your HTV curled?

As I watched the machine load and feed through, I noticed that the HTV was curled.
If it is, this will affect your cutting and HTV feeding through the machine 100%!
If you lay your HTV flat and the edge curls up, this can cause issues.

Typically, HTV comes in a roll and is shipped that way, especially if you are buying it in longer sections. Depending on how it’s rolled, it can retain that shape and then it will not roll flat through the machine.

Why do you have cut or feed issues?

Since the HTV is curled, it will catch inside of the machine as it rolls through.
This is not a machine fault, this is due to the HTV being curled.

First, the number one thing that needs to be checked is that the blade is installed properly. I cannot even tell you how many posts I see daily on Facebook that the blade is not installed properly. This is one of the best things you can learn to do for yourself & to save yourself headache in the future. It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced user or a beginner. If the blade is not installed properly with no gap and adjusting properly, you WILL have cut issues.

This is how the blade should be installed on a
Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, Cameo Pro, or Portrait 3.

There should be absolutely no gap between the lip of the blade and the housing.
AND the lock on the front of the blade needs to be pushed in completely.

Then watch as the machine does it’s “tap dance” at the beginning of the cut. Does the red line inside the blade adjust properly and to the correct number?

If it does not, we can start troubleshooting it with a photo of the blade installed with the cutting mat or vinyl loaded if you post on the Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook group or check out this video by Silhouette America on Cutting Machine Maintenance and how to Reset the Motor at 4:38 in the video. This should reset the housing so that it is properly aligned to hit the adjustment holes correctly.

Once the blade is installed properly and adjusting properly, the next place to look is where this curled HTV can cause issues.

3 places to watch for curled HTV catching

1 – The Roller bar
Is the HTV loading properly and straight?
If the HTV is curled too much, it may not be securely under the rollers and the machine cannot grip it well. This means that it may be pulling it in at an angle.

Here is an example of what it might look like if the HTV is not securely caught between both the rollers. One side may pull in more than the other.

It can also catch on the bottom of the blade in the Tool 1 or Tool 2 housing.
If the HTV is curled and you do get it loaded straight, the curl on it can catch on the bottom of the blade(s) as it rolls back and forth.

Here is an example of what it might look like if it gets caught on the bottom of the Tool(s).

If the material does not load straight, unload and try again. If it loads crooked, you will most likely have an issue with it feeding properly. It is better to try again until it is loaded straight or try one of the other solutions below.

2 – The middle bar in the machine.

If you look at your machine, you will see there is a white piece that sort of has a curl up on the front that runs behind where the blade housing moves. The curl on the machine is designed so when a material is loaded and moves toward the back, it directs the material down and through the machine.

However, if the HTV (or other materials) is curled, when it gets to the white piece in the machine, it will go up instead of going down. This means the HTV is not moving freely through the machine and may get caught. This can cause both cut and feed issues.

Watch as the HTV is moving through the machine to see if it’s catching here.

3 – The back of the machine

If it makes it past the first 2 areas, then the last place it might catch is the back of the machine and you may or may not see this as the vinyl coming up behind the metal bar that runs the length of the Cameo 4 models. If you listen close, you will be able to hear this when it catches or you might actually see it come up behind that metal bar as well.

All of these areas can affect the cut or feed of the HTV. Since the HTV is curled, it cannot roll smoothly and flat through the machine. The machine is functioning properly, but since the material is curled, it will catch.

Now, I’m sure you may be wondering how I figured this out. When I noticed there was an issue, I tested. And I tested. And I tested. I watched how the machine was grabbing the materials. I watched how it was moving through. And I watched what parts of the machine were moving when everything was happening.
This is a great way to learn your machine and what it doing!

Now, how do you fix it?

Solutions to curled HTV

Tip 1 – Feed the material through the machine until the curl is out the backside.

To advance the material through the machine, press the down arrow on the right touch panel on the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, or Cameo Pro machine.

Or you can advance the material by using the down arrow key next to the Test Cut button on the Send tab in the software. This would work for all machine models.

Now, this is not always the most ideal or conservative way to work with your HTV roll because you will be advancing it into the machine about 4″ or more to get past that curl.

However, if you are pressed for time, it may be the fastest way to work with it.

Tip 2 – Roll the HTV backwards when you get it.

Once you have identified this as a possible issue you may have, you can then re-roll the HTV rolls when you receive your order. This can help the curl “relax” a bit. And then store the vinyl this way.

If the HTV roll came with a piece of tape on it, tape it securely so it will start to retain the new shape. When you want to use it, the inside of this roll will hopefully be relaxed a bit and less curled.

If you do not have the tape from the original roll, grab a core from an old roll and then place the new roll inside so it will conform to the shape more and be held securely.

Tip 3 – Use a cutting mat to hold the vinyl down.

If the design will fit on the cutting mat and you cannot get it to feed properly, then I would suggest a good sticky cutting mat to help hold that vinyl down as flat as possible.

I do know some users who will even use painter’s tape and tape the HTV so it lays flat. My only caution here is to not place the painter’s tape on the left or right edges where the rollers may roll over it as it may lose it’s grip because of the difference in surface area and cause the mat to skew.

If you do place tape in the roller paths, just be aware if the mat skews or the cut is off, that this could be one reason why. If the left roller is gripping a different material, say the smooth surface of the mat, but the right roller is rolling on painters tape, it can cause it to roll at different rates. This can cause the mat to twist in the machine.

This can also be the case if the right roller is rolling across the adhesive on the cutting mat. It can not only cause your roller to get gummed up, but can affect the feeding of the mat as well since it is rolling on the adhesive and not on the smooth edge of the cutting mat.

Tip 4 – Slow the speed of the cut down.

On the Send tab in the Silhouette software, you can adjust the speed. Faster is not always better. If you continue to have an issue, slowing the speed of the cut down can help not only in the cut, but in also being able to identify the cause of an issue.

Wine Tasting Team Captain by Megan Hardy Designs – Design# 322093

Tip 5 – Test cut with a capital B you type out placed below the design area.

If you are not doing test cuts before you send the design to cut, I highly recommend getting in the habit of it. It only takes a few seconds, but can save you time, wasted materials, and big headaches!

This is my favorite way to do a test cut!
I use the Text Tool on the left side and type out a capital B. Move the B to a place that is below your design or towards the bottom in the negative space.

Why so far down?

By placing the capital B test cut at the bottom of the design, you will be able to see how the machine and HTV will track as it goes. It will have to roll all the way to the bottom of where the design will be and perform the cut. By doing this, any issues may show up before you’ve actually tried to cut the full design and it didn’t work properly.

One More Tip

This one actually has nothing to do with the machine itself, but it more on the software.

I would suggest reading through this next section entirely so you understand how this one works and also how to “fix” it.

In 2016, there was a new “pop-up” message that was released into the software for Heat Transfer materials called the Mirror pop up.

For heat transfer materials you are generally placing the material face down on the cutting mat and then cutting through the backside of the material. This means that you have to “mirror” the design so it will cut properly.
How many times have you cut heat transfer material only to have that “head smack” moment after when you realized you forgot to mirror the image?
So the idea behind the “pop-up” message is great!

If you have never cut HTV before or are just getting started, then I would suggest this
Silhouette “Secrets” for HTV – Beginner Tips & Tricks
blog post to get started.

However, this “new” Mirror pop-up released in 2016, did not just mirror the design in the exact place that it was on the design mat. It flipped the entire mat when it mirrored the image, but it does not show that on the screen. So the design that shows on the screen on the left side of the mat/material, is really going to cut on the right side if you choose
“Send Mirrored” and let the software mirror it for you.

If you choose “Send As Is” it will send it to cut in the exact location and exactly as you see it on the screen.

Now, I know that may seem like “old news” since this “bug” has been in the software since 2016. Some users got used to it this way while other users would learn to flip the design themselves and just choose “send as is”.

Now, let’s move to the present.
A few months back, I started to notice users commenting that their HTV was not cutting as it should. They would tell the software to mirror it and it wasn’t cutting in the right spot. I reported the issue and found out that the old mirror “bug” was changed in February 2020 the software release.
Now, it would flip the design in the exact location you have it placed on the mat, but still does not show you that on the screen.
However, if you have anything else on the design file, it will mirror all of the objects. Whether they are in the “holding area” off the cutting mat or not.

If you choose “Send Mirrored“, it could mirror all of the designs on the file.
So when it flips it, this is how it would cut.

Now that would come as a complete surprise when you cut and it’s not what you thought it would be.
Note: the above screen shot is a representation of how it may cut, you do not see this change on the software screen at all.

This is present in the software versions from v4.4.247 until v4.4.438.

From v4.4.438 and higher, the software now is back to mirroring the design on the opposite side of the design mat than what shows on the screen.

How to work with this?

In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal, if you know about it and know how to work with it.

My suggestion to you is to mirror the design yourself.

The fastest way to do that is to right click on the design on the Design tab before you go to cut and choose Flip > Horizontal.

This will flip the image on the screen, in front of your eyes.

And it will then cut in that exact spot if you choose “Send As Is” on the Send tab.

If you do not have right click menus enabled on your computer, you can also find this in the top menus under Object > Mirror > Flip Horizontally too.

I use the Mirror Pop up as my final reminder and it has caught me several times when I forgot to mirror the design. Then I go back and mirror it myself before I’ve sent the design to cut.

Hopefully with those tips above, you will be well on your way to cutting HTV smoothly and being able to troubleshoot when you do have an issue.

For more tips on the Cameo Pro and troubleshooting check out this post
5 Steps to Setting Up the Cameo Pro & Troubleshooting
that also includes a free, downloadable PDF document for future reference.

I would love to hear if this helped you in identifying a problem or if you just learned something new in today’s post. Feel free to comment below or post on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.
We love to see what you are doing and creating with your Silhouette machines!

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee.
Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.

Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on February 12, 2021October 2, 2021 by silhouettesecretsplus — 5 Comments

New Tools for Cameo 4 models & Portrait 3

New Type B Tools – 1 mm and 2 mm blades releasing!
Coming Soon!

You asked and Silhouette America listened! Many said they didn’t like having to use the adapters with the Cameo 4 models or Portrait 3 machines. Well, they heard that and created a new 1mm Manual Blade and 2 mm Manual Blade. These are equivalent to the Premium blade (1 mm) and the Deep Cut Blade (2 mm) blades that currently are out, except the new ones fit directly in the housing.

Let’s take a closer look.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ok, so first, as I write this post, these blades have been released in some International areas right now (February 2021). They are estimated to be released in the U.S. in March of 2021. Keep in mind that this is an estimated time and things are crazy right now as they have been this past year.

I am lucky enough to have International contacts and a big shout out to my FB group Admin (Teresa P.) who was able to order and ship them to me! Yay!
So I get to share this information with all of you!
Thank you Teresa P.!

Again, I want to make sure that for all my U.S. readers – these blades are coming, but have not been released in the U.S. yet. Estimated release of March 2021.

Here are the new Tool Type B tools.
On the left is the 1 mm Blade, which is the equivalent to the Premium blade. And on the right is the new 2 mm Blade, which is the equivalent to the Deep Cut blade.

So, let’s talk about the differences between these blades and the older style. The main difference is that the new Tool Type B tools will fit directly in the Tool 1 housing of the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, Cameo Pro, or Portrait 3.

Tool Type B 1 mm Blade = older style Premium
Tool Type B 2 mm Blade = older style Deep Cut Blade

All of these blades are “manual” blades, which means that you will have to adjust the blade depth “manually” by turning the bottom of the blade to the correct blade depth. But, the best part is that with this manual style blade, you can actually go in between on the numbers if you want. For example, to do a 1.5 blade depth if needed.

Note: in the older software these blades will be called “ratchet” blades because of the manual setting. In the newer software versions being released, starting with v4.4.472, they will be called “manual” blades in the Tool Type on the Send tab. Both designations still mean the same thing. You have to “manually” adjust the blade depth, the machine does not do it for you.

Since you set the blade depth manually, there is no need to wait or watch to see if the blade adjusted to the correct depth like you do with the Autoblade. You set the blade depth and the software knows it’s a “ratchet” or “manual” blade and it gets to cutting.

How do you adjust these “manual” blades?

Here is a video explanation of adjusting the blades and the adapters that are needed with the older style blades.

What types of materials can these blades be used for?

The Premium blade and Tool Type B 1 mm blade can generally be used for any material that is under 1 mm in thickness. However, keep in mind that material density can play a factor into all materials that you cut. Even if something is thin, it may be dense and therefore more difficult to cut.

The most common materials that the blade is used for are: paper, cardstock, adhesive vinyl, heat transfer vinyl, sticker sheets, and other specialty materials.

The Deep Cut blade and Tool Type B 2 mm blade are generally used for any material under 2 mm in thickness. However, keep in mind that blade depth 1-10 is the same as a regular blade, the difference comes with the depths of 11-20.
Again keep in mind that with all blades and materials, the material density is going to play a factor.

The most common materials cut with this blade are: craft foam, thicker faux leather, thick cardstock, chipboard, coverstock, and other specialty materials.
If a regular blade set at a 10 and force of 33 is not cutting through a material, then I will give the Deep Cut blade a try and see if it will get the job done.

For more information on materials and settings check out this newly released video by Silhouette America on their YouTube channel called
Silhouette Support Series – Material Types and Settings.

Where can you find these blades?

Again, these are estimated for release in the U.S. in March 2021 and have already been released in some International locations.

These new blades will be available at Silhouette retailers as they get stock in.

Here are a few places you can look for them once they are released:
Silhouette America
Heat Press Nation
Swing Design
The Vinyl Spectrum

Note: Swing Design does have these listed under the blades section on their website. They are showing Sold Out, however did not miss out. They have not been released in the U.S and that is just how they show on the site at the moment.

And I know everyone is going to ask – What do they cost?

At the moment since they have not been released in the U.S., I do not know the U.S. retail value that retailers will be listing. Once released, I will update the post with more information.

Testing these new blades out

Now, I couldn’t just leave these new blades in the package.
Time for testing!

Testing the 1 mm Tool Type B blade

I first tested in the v4.4.463 software and it was recognized as soon as I put the blade in.

I Drink Wine for Your Protection by Sarah Hurley – Design #318719

I first started with a blade depth of a 2 as that is what I have been using with my older blade in my Cameo Pro.

It weeded beautifully!

But, a brand new blade is really sharp and it cut a bit too deep.
Remember I said you can adjust the “manual” blades in between blade depths?

I placed it between the 1 and the 2. Perfect cut!

Testing the 2 mm Tool Type B blade

Now, I just grabbed some of my kid’s craft foam. I have no idea how long I’ve had it or where I got it.

I used the recommended settings for Craft Foam in the software.

I am now using the v4.4.472 software where the new “manual” blade is listed under the Tool section.

Always check the cut before you unload the mat. This way if it didn’t cut completely through, you can send it again. I did have to send the craft foam again to cut, but on the 2nd pass through, it cut completely and cleanly through.

Now, I have not cut a lot of craft foam, so I will be looking for more ideas.
But, why not test this a bit more.
I chose a smaller design, just to see what it could do.

This was a little bit more intricate of a design and after sending the design through to cut twice, so a total of 4 passes, I still had to “pop it out” a bit. But, I am thrilled with the results. I’ve only cut craft foam a couple of times and it definitely didn’t cut like this before.
Again, the craft foam brand can make a big difference to. I have no idea what I grabbed from the stash.

My son asked for a frog when I asked him what I should cut from craft foam.
I was not sure how this card would turn out, but it works!

Frog Motion Card by MiniLou – Design #146072

I always recommend having extra blades and mats on hand. Through experience, there is nothing worse than being in the middle of a big project and not having cuts turn out.
A new blade or cutting mat can make a big difference!

Grab some extra mats and supplies at Silhouette America with my code SILSECRETS and save 30% right now through February 14, 2021.
Enter the code SILSECRETS at checkout and the savings will show.
I grabbed a few extra Strong hold cutting mats this month for an upcoming class
Cutting Leather with the Cameo 4 & Kraft blade.
Stay tuned for more details on that!

We would love to see what you are creating!
Share on the Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee.
Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.

Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on November 4, 2020October 2, 2021 by silhouettesecretsplus — 1 Comment

Maker’s Sign with the Cameo Pro

When I first learned I would be getting the Cameo Pro 24” cutting machine, I started out by making a list of projects that I would want to create, started gathering large wood blanks, and started looking through my Silhouette designs in order to decide what I wanted to create.

I don’t know about you, but settling on a design to make on a project can sometimes be the most time-consuming part for me. Or if I am creating the design, the actual design creation, is the most time consuming because I am overly critical of my design work.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

When I saw this design, I thought it would be perfect to add to my Studio/Office. I wanted to take the Cameo part and stretch it to be more like a 24″ cutting machine like the Pro.

I had purchased a large sign blank from Hobby Lobby and started off by measuring the space I had to create the design. Then I drew a rectangle using the Drawing tools on the left and scaled it to the size I had measured of my design area on the sign using the Transform Panel – Scale tab.

I then opened the Makers Gonna Make file by Planeta Silhouette – Design #324370.

The design opens about 9.6” in size, so I grabbed the corner bounding box and scaled it larger.

Since I have a large size, I want the design to be even larger to fit the space, but just stretching it may not look ok. I right clicked on the design & chose Release Compound Path. For this particular design ungroup was not an option. Each design may vary in what you need to do to adjust and alter it if desired. The easiest way to work with this right now is if I change the color of the rectangle and the design to be transparent under the Fill Color Panel.

When the compound path is released, it breaks the design up into individual pieces.

Notice that each piece now has a selection box around it. This includes the insides of the k, a, e, o. It takes the design apart. Now, we have to put each piece back together so when we move the design it all moves as one piece and when filled with color it will look normal again.

Compound paths can be one of the hardest things for a Silhouette user to understand. Check out this post for more details & examples of compound paths and working with them – Compound Paths.

Select the entire word of Make, including the insides of the a, k, e, and r. Then right click and choose Make Compound Path.

There are multiple ways that you can select multiple objects together in the Silhouette software.

Here are 2 ways:

1 – Click on the red line of the object, hold the Shift key down on the keyboard and then click on each of the red lines of the other objects you want selected, keeping the Shift key held down the entire time.

2 – Left click the mouse button and hold it down and drag it across the entire design making sure to touch each object you want selected. Whatever the selection box touches when you do this will be selected.

You can double check that the Compound Path worked properly by filling the design with color after you have completed this step. For example, here is how it would look before and after the compound path is made.

For all the objects that have multiple pieces, select the full design, right click, and choose Make Compound Path. For this design, that is everything except the hearts.

Now, I can start adjusting the individual pieces of the design.

Since my sign is 26.75” wide, I can stretch the design to fit this size, starting with the Cameo machine image. Since I now have a 24” Cameo Pro, I wanted it to resemble that as close as it can without distorting the image. Keep in mind that you can stretch a design lengthwise, but it may not always look the best when you do. Each design is going to be different in how it reacts.

Adjust the design until you are satisfied and then click on the Send tab in the top right corner. Choose the Material and adjust the cut settings if needed.

Do a test cut! I’ll say that one again. Do a test cut!
The test cut will be your best friend and save you from wasting a whole lot of materials before you send your full design to cut and find it did not work.
You can either use the test cut feature on the Send tab in the bottom right corner or create your own by typing out a capital B and then using that and moving it around the design mat as needed.

And then after you have double checked the material settings and done the test cuts, click on the Send tab in the bottom right corner to send your design to cut.

Note: the video speed has been increased on this video.
The total cut time was approximately 8 minutes.

After it’s been cut comes the time to weed and apply the transfer tape. Keep in mind that this video is a time lapse video and took much longer than the 7-minute video total.

The 2 biggest tips I can suggest are to be patient with yourself and it takes practice to work with the large decals. I don’t even want to tell you how many times I cut and weeded this design. Here is one “oops” to show you.

It all goes great until the very end! And that is just how it happens. Kick myself a little bit and then the best part is, I can go back to my machine and cut it again. It is all a learning experience.

It will take time to practice working with large designs.

And I love it in my Studio/Office!
That space needed something and I think this fit just perfect!

I can’t wait to share the other projects I’ve been creating with the Cameo Pro.

For more information on the Cameo Pro, check out these 2 posts:
Just Released – Cameo Pro 24″ cutting machine
Cameo Pro – The details – New features of the Pro
Find the Pro at Michaels HERE with FREE shipping too!
Pre-order from Swing Design HERE
they are estimating shipping beginning at the end of November to beginning of December

Now, do you HAVE to have a Cameo Pro to complete this project. The answer is NO! You could ungroup this design and cut it in sections with any Silhouette machine, even the Portrait. You would just apply the vinyl in the sections that you cut it in individually on the wood board.

I would love to see and hear about what you are creating on my Facebook group at
Silhouette Secrets with EllyMae.

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

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Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on February 28, 2020May 16, 2022 by silhouettesecretsplus — 5 Comments

5 “Secrets” to Cutting Crepe Paper

Update: re-published blog post can be found here: https://silhouette-secrets.com/2022/05/16/5-secrets-to-cutting-crepe-paper-with-the-cameo-4/

I have been having an awesome time learning to make crepe paper flowers. Now that the Cameo 4 can cut crepe paper with the rotary blade, I have several bouquets & individual flowers in my studio.

I just started working with this in November/December of 2019, so it is all fresh and new to me. But, I am loving it. Just a warning though – it is addictive!

Today, I am a guest blogger over on Terri Johnson Creates blog sharing my 5 “secrets” to cutting Crepe paper with the Cameo 4. Check it out HERE.

There are so many fabulous things that you can do with a Silhouette machine and my project list just continues to grow!

Head over to Terri’s blog to check out my “Secrets” and then make sure you share what you’ve been working on with your Silhouette on my Facebook group
Silhouette Secret+ with EllyMae.
We love to see what you have been creating!

Enjoy!

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on February 7, 2020February 25, 2020 by silhouettesecretsplus — 5 Comments

Interview with Lia Griffith – Paper flower guru

Who is Lia Griffith? And why am I hearing about her on the Silhouette Secrets+ blog?

Lia is a paper flower artist. She & her team develop paper flowers and files that can be reproduced by others. As well as many other crafty projects using different mediums.

She is a crepe paper guru! And now with the new Silhouette Cameo 4 & the rotary blade it is possible to cut crepe paper. Yea!!!!

I first met Lia at the Silhouette Summit in May 2019. We happened to be in the same group during the event and just started talking. Of course, since we were at a Silhouette event, the talk turned towards crafting. Lia showed me her Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/liagriffith/) and I was blown away. The spark was lit and with the new Cameo 4 announced, cutting crepe paper was added to the list of material it could cut.

Who better to learn from than the crepe paper guru!

After the Silhouette Summit, I contacted Lia and asked about an interview once the Cameo 4 was released and she’d had a chance to use it. I started cutting crepe paper a little bit before the November 2019 All Things Silhouette Conference to test for the classes that Lia & her team were teaching. It was only the beginning. While I didn’t have a lot of time to really dive in, in December 2019 I took that plunge and I am hooked. I want to share that with all of you.

*Note affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Interview with Lia Griffith

I recently sat down with Lia and through wonderful ways of technology & Skype had a great time learning more about her, her journey, and her tips for crepe paper and getting started.

How did you get started with crafting? Is it something you’ve always done?

My parents were both artists. When I was born, they were both photographers. And I was the 4^th of 4 daughters, so I was the youngest. And our whole life was handmade. Almost by default because we didn’t have money, we were those folks. We had our own garden, we sewed our own clothing, we made Christmas gifts all the time; it was just the way we lived. That’s what we knew.
And then when I went to college, I went to graphic design school, that was my career of choice. And my parents actually the 3 of us went to school together. My Dad was getting his sculpture degree and he went on and got his Masters. And then my Mom was an illustrator and potter. And she went on to be a professional Illustrator. And then I went on to do Graphic Design. So that was kind of a fun part of my life. Just that, going to college with my parents.
So, it was a combination of art was our focus, but yet, our life was crafted. As I said, it was all DIY. Everything was DIY. And I think it came to me naturally too, when I was, I remember, specifically when I was 4 & 5 years old, we lived in this farmhouse in Oregon. And I would spend my time while my sisters were at school & I was home alone, and I would spend my days making things out of paper. So, I would make this cardboard car that I would get in and drive and I would make these paper clothing that I would wear, little costumes and shoes and things out of paper. I would my own dolls out of paper. I would take toilet paper and wrap them and glue it. I actually still have them. And make these little 3-dimensional dolls and then dress them.
So, when did I start crafting – huh? I don’t know how not to.
But as far as doing this for a living, I spent most of my career as a graphic designer. But I was always searching for something bigger. So, I’ve opened a couple retail stores, I had a flower shop, I had a baby clothes store. I actually had a baby clothes line that I produced for a while, that I designed and got out there, got into Nordstrom’s and Disney picked it up. It was ok.
But 7 years ago, I started this company (LiaGriffith.com) and right before that I was working as a Creative Director for a wedding stationary company, and I started a DIY wedding blog for them. Teaching, you know this was a while ago, 7 years ago, and there weren’t a lot of paper flowers back then. And just teaching brides how to take things and make their own DIY things for their wedding. And the blog went crazy of course because it was such a fresh new idea back then. And that’s when I started making paper flowers for real. I had made some prior to that when I did the paper runway show. So, I had made some large, jumbo flowers as part of the costume or part of the outfit and then I started making them in smaller versions. And then started thinking, ok, how can I create this so people can replicate it and it would be beautiful and it’s not difficult? So, my mind started going that direction. And at that point, all of my flowers were, I’d call it frosted paper at this point, but at that point, I would just use printer paper, light weight and I would paint on both sides, then cut it, and make these flowers. And then I discovered the frosted paper, which is something I’d used in graphic design prior. So, all of that 3-dimensional sculpted paper flower was really where I started. And then I looked at crepe paper and I was like “Eh – ok, I know there’s other people doing it. It’s not very pretty to me” And I tried a few things and didn’t love it. And then, I think it was about 4 years ago, well actually a little prior to that, the Italian crepe paper company came and said, “Do you want to try some of our crepe paper?” And I did. I did some videos for them and I liked it ok. I did a couple dozen flowers with them. And then the German crepe paper company came and said we’d love to have you collaborate with us. And that was when I really fell in love with crepe paper. Because they offered up not just the heavy weight crepe paper, but then they offered up the extra fine and then the double sided. So, having that range of 3, really shifted how I looked at crepe paper. And I feel… It’s been great having Megan and Krista as well, where we really dive in and wrap our head around how to best use the crepe paper.

So, that was kind of my journey into the crepe paper flower world and who would have thought, right?

Do you think the cutting machines have made it more popular or made it easier or do you think it was easier to do it by hand, because that’s how you started is by hand?

You know as far as the frosted paper flowers are definitely easier with a cutting machine because of the detail you can get. So, the Hellebore design, these are a pretty detailed design, with the tiny details. The petals aren’t so much but the little tiny stamen and the center bits & pieces, I mean you couldn’t cut that by hand. So as far as cutting machine for this, “Oh yeah!”. And some of the some of the other projects we have on our site, like one of my favorites are the little Amsterdam houses, but the detail work in that, there’s you know… without a cutting machine, who’s going to sit there with a knife and cut all those.
When the cutting machine came into my life, it changed the way I designed. It changed the way I prototyped; I was able to get through design ideas faster because I wouldn’t have to start over. There it was and it was like “Ok, let’s tweak here and there.” and then cut it again. It would get me from point A to point Z quicker… prototyping became a snap. And I think that’s true for all of the designers here on this team, is we rely… our cutting machines are running every day. Every day.

So as far as crepe paper goes, I feel like when we are prototyping crepe paper flowers that we usually cut by hand. And the way I do it is, I’ll prototype it by hand and if I cut something, I’ll sketch it and then take a photo of it with my phone with a ruler. And then put it in my computer and then do the svg cut file from that. That’s my methodology.
So, every single crepe paper flower that we design we always have a svg cut file for it. And I would say we do about 50/50 on the crepe paper. Sometimes if it’s a project, like these peonies, we’ll cut these all by hand just because it’s easier and you can stack them. You can stack 3 or 4 of them at a time and cut them. But, when we are cutting, say for the All Things Silhouette Conference, and we had to get all the packs pre-cut for everybody… those were all cutting machines. So, it sped it up so fast. So, there is definitely a time and a place for both – so I would say about 50/50.

What would be your top tips for a beginner wanting to make crepe paper flowers?

So, one of the things that I think is a great place to start is the Crepe Paper Flowers book.

Not to promote it, but I feel like it’s very simple & basic and it goes through each… everything you might want to know or that you may not know you want to know. It gives an overall view so that it takes the fear away from the crepe paper because I think I’ve heard over and over, “Oh, I’ve got my pack of crepe paper, but I’m so scared to cut it.” So, if you understand that the grain is important, that it goes a certain direction on the petals. And if you understand different techniques of cutting, it takes away the fear.

The book and there’s a video on our site & on YouTube that I recommend for anyone who is wanting to start working with crepe paper. It’s called 10 Amazing Facts You’ll Want to know About Crepe Paper. It covers the really important things that are in the book but I talk about it and show it, so it’s easier to consume. It talks about the different types of crepe paper. It talks about Italian, Chinese, Mexican… so that you understand… and of course German. It talks about why I might use Extra Fine over Double Sided, or where I use the different types of crepe paper. I would recommend that for everybody who wants to make crepe paper flowers, to watch that video. Because again, it just takes away the mystery.
(You can find that video HERE.)

Second, when you are making paper flowers, remember that this is a new skill. People don’t pick up a violin and play it immediately. Be gentle, enjoy it, enjoy the discovery of the new material and seeing how it works and watching the magic of how it will stretch when you pull it this way and that way. It’s a magical material! It’s so fun! And also, with the curling tool. So between with the curling tool and the stretch, there is just so much you can do in shaping. And so, my tip on that is really just go into the magic of how and the process of discovery of crepe paper.

“Because it’s addictive!”

And the third thing is, when you are making a crepe paper flower, it is really hard to make an ugly crepe paper flower. It’s really hard… I mean you can… but it’s really hard. Every crepe paper flower is a beautiful crepe paper flower.

If there was 1 flower you would recommend for a beginner to start with, what is it?

I always recommend the Anemone. Because it has enough detail that it makes it interesting, but there’s only 9 petals so it’s easy to assemble. And you have the foam ball in the center, or we use the cotton spun balls, so that gives it some structure. So, it gives it kind of a neat detail, structure, and then only 9 petals and it’s beautiful! Easy to make.

If you had to pick 1 flower to make for each season, what would it be for Winter?

I really love the Hellebore. To me it’s a new discovery flower for me. I only became aware of this flower a couple years ago. Because it’s different and new. And the colors are a bit more plum, mauve, and a limey green.

Spring?

I love my tulips! And the tulips we made with crepe paper, we put the wire in the petal center, which shaped them. And it’s so much fun. We are going to be doing some new tulips. We will be doing some beautiful Parrot Tulips this Spring. We will probably be doing a Member Make Parrot Tulip; I think it’s on our list.

Summer?

Roses. I love my roses. Peonies.

Fall?

Dahlias.

We did the Dahlia for a Member Make this fall. Dahlias have been one of those things because it has so many petals that we’ve avoided it for awhile and then finally we had one that was ok. And we finally jumped in and Megan developed this one, it was so easy the way she developed it. It made it so easy to do.

And that’s kind of how we go on all our flowers… how can we do this so that anyone can reproduce it?

What is your favorite flower to create?

The Gardenia – the double-sided Gardenia. There is something about that flower to that… I think it really reminds me of my mother. It just has that homeyness to it.

Have you had a chance to cut with the Cameo 4 and rotary blade? What are your thoughts?

Yes! It’s beautiful. The rotary blade is magical! There are so many things you can do with that blade. Not just with crepe paper – which it cuts spot on – but we also love to cut felt with it.

What did you think of your first All Things Silhouette Conference?

I loved it! We had so much fun! I mean after we got back, I said to my team, “We are going back. And more of us are going.”

(You can find out more information about the 2020 All Things Silhouette Conference HERE. Hope you will join us and get a chance to meet Lia in person.)

What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t crafting, creating, or working at the office?

Cooking, eating out, hanging out with friends, all that. I love to be outside in nature, going on hikes and walks, hanging out with my dog. Meditate. I read a lot. I don’t read, read. I listen read. So, I’ll listen to books. Last year, I read “listened” to, I Audible read, 27 books. I like to consume knowledge.

Last year, I did a pottery class, that just put me over the edge. So, I’m really wanting and craving, getting back into pottery more. So, my Mom was a potter. And I took a sewing class. I love to travel and hang out with my 25-year-old daughter.

You just were in Germany; you were there for a trade show. What was exciting about your trip? And are there new things coming for 2020 that you can share with us.

New paper flower kits, the flat ones and are all pre-cut. Which is great because if someone doesn’t have a cutting machine, it’s a way to introduce them to things that can be cut on a cutting machine. So those are doing really well for us. We have 12 packs right now and we are expanding that collection.
And we have new paper pads that are out now and those are really fun, most of those are flower colors for the frosted paper flowers.
We are also getting wires, those are coming. Those should be out in a month or two.
So, we are just trying to expand to be a one stop place to get supplies.
We are going to start doing more kits, we might even do a monthly subscription kit from our shop, eventually. There’s a lot of things in the air.

We are excited about creating beautiful craft experiences for our community, such as craft boxes, events and more. In fact, we are working on plans for a Bloom Summit here in Portland in the fall … a couple days and it would be a combination of making and just inspiration… creating beautiful lives, as women who have businesses. I will provide more details as it comes up.

What is one thing you plan to create in 2020 that you have never done before?

I’ve never done needle punch art. There was so much of that in Germany.

I want to thank Lia Griffith for taking the time to sit down with me and chat about herself and give us her tips for getting started with crepe paper creations!

As a special bonus for all of my readers and followers, they have provided us with a coupon code to save 20% off the annual membership on the LiaGriffith.com website. This gives you access to project templates, step-by-step tutorials, Live Member Makes, a private Facebook group, and more! The coupon code is SILHOUETTESECRETS

Many have asked how I created the crepe paper flowers in the past few weeks and this is how! I am not usually one for a subscription, but I took the leap and treated myself as a Christmas present to try it for the year. I now have more things saved to “My Craft Room” area on the website, then I can possibly complete in a year.

Here is a little peek at what I’ve added.

Don’t forget to use code SILHOUETTESECRETS to get 20% off the annual membership!
This coupon is good for the first 50 people to sign up.

Now, do you HAVE to have the membership to start cutting crepe paper with your Cameo 4?
No!

But, it is what helped me get over any apprehension I had with trying something new and now I am hooked. For me, it was well worth it!

Crepe Paper Supplies

Where do you get crepe paper supplies?

Just like any other project, I think quality matters. Low quality products can end up leaving you with a headache and end up costing you more in the long run.

I have been using the Lia Griffith crepe paper and I love it!
As Lia said above, it is a German crepe paper and it comes in 3 varieties, so you have a lot of options to create flowers with. There is Extra Fine, Double-sided, and Heavy crepe paper that all give a different texture and feel to the projects.

Find Lia Griffith supplies here:
LiaGriffith.com
or
I’ve compiled a list on my Amazon shop
Silhouette Secrets+ Amazon Shop

I have “collected” supplies from both sites and have had to get a few more totes to keep it all contained.

But, I have to say my favorite thing was receiving this card in my supply box from the LiaGriffith.com site.

It is going on my Vision board. (shhh…. that’s on my to-do list too)

It is also in the front of the Lia Griffith Crepe Paper Flowers book, so any time you need a little encouragement, just open it up and read it to yourself.

How do you know which crepe paper to use?

To be honest, I just use what Lia & her team recommend. This is all new to me, so I am learning as I go. But, the best way is to just play with it. “Enjoy it.” as Lia said above.

My main focus is Silhouette & how you can cut the crepe paper on the Cameo 4 with the rotary blade.
For more tips on cutting cutting with your Cameo 4 check out this post
Cutting Crepe Paper on the Cameo 4

For tips on what to do after the flower is cut on the Cameo 4, I will refer you to the experts of Lia Griffith and her team at LiaGriffith.com.
That is where I am learning how to assemble these amazing crepe paper projects!

Like it, love it, save it for later by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on January 14, 2020March 6, 2020 by silhouettesecretsplus — 11 Comments

Cutting Crepe Paper on the Cameo 4

Cameo 4 – Cutting Crepe Paper

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

By now, I’m sure that you have all seen and heard about the new Cameo 4 machine. Well, I went ahead and purchased it when it was released. As soon as the pre-order went live, I was ready to click order. I ended up being #4 who ordered it from Silhouette America, so there were a couple people just as excited as I was that beat me to it.

Why? Well, for me there are a couple reasons. The biggest factor being that as a TJC Licensed Silhouette Instructor, I teach using the Silhouette machines. There are many new features on the Cameo 4, that I can’t teach if I have not used. Since the Cameo 3 is no longer being manufactured that means that more and more students will have a Cameo 4. And if you follow me on Facebook at all, you know that I do a LOT of troubleshooting for users on many pages and groups. In order to do that, I need to know how this machine works and all the ins and outs.

Now, let’s talk crepe paper. This is one of those new materials that the Cameo 4 can cut. I have been cutting crepe paper using the Rotary blade and having so much fun testing it. The more I play, the more ideas come to me, and the more projects I want to create.

After meeting Lia Griffith at the May 2019 Silhouette Summit, I started looking into this whole new world of creating and it opened up so many things. Well, really it added to my list of projects I want to complete.

I have made many 3-D paper flowers, but never used crepe paper because well, I didn’t want to hand cut it all. I have been collecting Pins on Pinterest and supplies ever since. And now with the Cameo 4 being able to cut new materials, it was perfect timing!

So let’s get down to it.

Cutting Crepe Paper on the Cameo 4

For the design in this tutorial I am using a Lia Griffith file for an Amaryllis flower. This was the December Member Make project and once I saw it, I just had to create it. But, you can do this with other files too, as I’ll show you at the end of this post.

I started by opening the svg file, moving it off my design mat, and ungrouping it.

In order to open a svg file, the Designer Edition upgrade or higher is required in the Silhouette software. I feel this is a great investment and saves you time & headache in the long run. For more details on that, click HERE.

The file has all the parts needed to make 1 complete flower. And it tells you how to cut the pieces in relation to the grain of the crepe paper. This is something you want to keep in mind when you place the crepe paper on your mat, or if you are moving the pieces around to fit on the mat.

I started with the flower petals and moved those over onto the design mat to cut. Make sure you measure the size of the crepe paper you are using, so you know the exact length of it. I should have measured twice when I was cutting this file and I filled the entire page only to realize after I cut, that I measured wrong. It happens to us all!

Once the design is on the mat ready to cut, click on the Send tab in the top right corner. The cut lines default to Tool 1 as designated by the bold red cut lines around the design. Since this will be cutting using Tool 2 and the rotary blade, the cut lines need to be turned off for Tool 1. Select the entire design and choose No Cut. The bold red lines will disappear = turn off.

The Tool 1 cut lines must be turned off first or it will complete the Action with both Tool 1 and Tool 2. This means that it will first try to cut with any blade you have in the Tool 1 housing and then move on to cutting the design with the blade installed in Tool 2. This will most likely not work out well.

Next, with the entire design still selected, click on Tool 2 to expand it out and click Cut.

Bold blue cut lines will turn on indicating that Tool 2 is active.

Currently, there is no Crepe Paper preset setting in the software and you will see a note that there are no compatible settings found for this material. That just means we need to add a custom setting in.

To do this, click on the More button on the right side. A menu will pop up and this is how to input custom cut settings. Choose the small plus sign and this will add a new material to the list. Change the name from New Material to match the material being used.

I named mine Lia Griffith Extra Fine Crepe Paper because that is what I’m cutting.

Change the material in the drop down box on the right to reflect what material you are cutting. Then click on the large plus sign to access the Tool 2 settings on the Cameo 4. Choose Cameo 4 Tool 2.

The Cameo 4 Tool 2 defaults to the Kraft Cut Action. Click on the large plus sign and choose Rotary Cut Action.

Next, click back on the Kraft Cut and then choose Remove Action.

For this Lia Griffith Extra Fine Crepe Paper, I used the default settings for the rotary blade.

Click save in the bottom right corner (if needed) and then the big X in the top right corner under the Send tab.

Ta-da – you have entered a custom cut setting!

Next, select the new material setting that was created from the Materials list and on the screen you will notice additional blue lines.

These are part of the Smart Cut technology of the Rotary blade and also the Kraft blade. Since these blades are broader tip blades, they do not turn on a dime. The machine lifts the blade up and then sets it down (hook) to turn the tip of the blade in the next direction it needs to be going or it makes a loop so the blade can be start in the next direction.

Think of it just like using a hand held rotary blade. It is a round blade and does not make fine turns when cutting. For example, I have enlarged this flower petal shape. If you wanted to cut this with a hand held rotary blade, you would not cut it all in one pass without lifting the blade up. You would have to make multiple cuts to change direction. The blue lines show an example of the motion you might use with a hand held rotary blade in order to cut this shape. The same concept applies for the Cameo 4 rotary blade.

Now that the Smart Cuts are explained. We are ready to cut some flower petals.

I placed the crepe paper down on brand new Silhouette cutting mat with the grain running up and down (top to bottom). This lines up with the instructions from the cut file.

I then used a brayer to smooth the crepe paper down on the cutting mat and make sure that it was stuck very well. I am using a Speedball brayer, but any one would do or you can use a hard roll, such as a vinyl roll core, etc. The main thing is to make sure the crepe paper has a good bond to the cutting mat. Since crepe paper has some stretch to it, you want to make sure it is good and secure before cutting or the paper will just move and get pushed around.

Then I crossed my fingers and clicked on Send in the bottom right corner. My supervisor was making sure it was all going according to plan.

So exciting! It cut so well!

Now, something I mentioned above is that crepe paper has stretch to it, so you want to go slow when removing it from your cutting mat. There may be a few spots that it didn’t quite connect the cut because the paper moved just a bit. But, it’s also pretty easy to either snip that little bit or to pull it gently apart.

And the first pieces of the flower are cut.

Now, to cut the rest of the flower pieces.

Then the leaves for the buds were cut from Lia Griffith Double Sided Crepe Paper. I used a force of 20 for these.

Now, keep in mind if the crepe paper does not stay in place, the cut may not be complete. And not every single cut will turn out perfect. All Silhouette users run into issues or mis-cuts. It is all part of the process.

These pieces were cut from Lia Griffith Heavy Crepe paper and as you can see, that last one didn’t say in place for the cut. The great thing about crepe paper flowers is, not all flowers are “perfect”. Each flower or leaf doesn’t grow uniformly, so in this case it will still work for the finished project. I used a force of 25 for the heavy crepe paper.

I then assembled the flower following the instructions provided by Lia Griffith and her assistant in the Member Make live video.

The Amaryllis information that I used can be found HERE on Lia Griffith’s website.

I am so in love with this! I learned a lot in the assembly and I am so glad that I followed the Member Make live to complete it.

Now, do you have to become a Lia Griffith Member to make pretty crepe paper flowers. No! I did because I think it’s something I will enjoy and expand my creative projects.

Since I know that not everyone wants to join a membership, I also tested this with files from the Silhouette Design Store.

I used the Hellebore by the Bleu Dahlia – Design #206393 and Flower Petals by Alaa’ K – Design #16305.

When the Hellebore file opens, it is a large flower design.

I selected the entire design and scaled it down so the flower petal was just under 2 inches tall. I then right clicked on the petal design and ungrouped it and deleted the lines up the center of the design, as those are not needed for crepe paper.

I then duplicated the petals, so there was 5 petals per flower. I cut 3 different colors of crepe paper for the flowers and 2 of each color.

Next, I moved to the leaves. From looking at the files in the Lia Griffith Membership site, I saw that they would cut the full leaf in half and angle it on the crepe paper so the grains of the paper would run diagonal on the leaves to make it more realistic. They cut 2 sides for each leaf and then glued them together. I used the knife tool in Silhouette Studio and cut the leaf in half and then replicated and mirrored the half of the design I wanted to keep.

Since the crepe paper is placed on the cutting mat with the grain running up and down, I placed the leaves at an angle to get the grains on the leaves in the manner they suggested.

Since this leaf was not design specifically for this flower and I cut it in half of the original design, when I overlapped it and glued it, it didn’t line up perfectly. I found this was just fine and took sharp scissors and snipped both ends. Guess what? Leaves and flowers are not perfect or each one shaped the same. It worked great!

For the stamen (center part) of the flower, I just cut a long rectangle with my paper trimmer and then used scissors to fringe it. The rotary blade does not cut intricate designs and would just shred the crepe paper on this. I found it faster just to do it myself. Sometimes I think we complicate simple things like cutting a rectangle just because we have a machine that will cut it. Now, don’t get me wrong, if this was cardstock, I may or may not use the machine to cut the rectangle – that would depend on how many I’m cutting. Each project will vary.

And once all the pieces are cut out, you can color as needed, and start assembling the flowers and leaves.

I sure learned a lot of things in creating these flowers.

But, I am in love with the finished designs.

As I said above, I’ve never worked with crepe paper before, so this is definitely something out of my comfort zone and I just can’t wait to create more!

Things I learned:

Crepe paper is forgiving. Neither flowers or leaves are identical and sometimes a blemish makes it much more realistic.
While you can create your own flowers, it is so much easier to follow the step-by-step instructions on LiaGriffith.com. Since crepe paper is a new journey for me, I am learning lots on her site and I don’t think these would have turned out as well if I had been left on my own.
It is easier to cut some things by hand, like the stamen and simple rectangles.
I love crepe paper flowers!
It takes time, but the end result is amazing and something you can enjoy for a long time to come!
Single petal designs are best if you are looking for files to use for creating your own flowers.
They are so fun to make!

And I just couldn’t stop. While this set isn’t finished, I still wanted to share it with you. This one was cut using the Oriental Lily 3D by The Bleu Dahlia – Design #217974 from the Silhouette Design Store. I chose not to cut the stamen centers, but instead used the same technique I learned in the Lia Griffith Amaryllis design so it would look like a photo I found online of the Oriental Lily. I was drawn in by the bright colors.

I can’t wait to share the finished set of 3 Oriental Lilies.

I hope that you will give it a try and I would love to see what you create on my Facebook group at Silhouette Secrets with EllyMae.

Check out 5 additional “secrets” to cutting crepe paper on the Cameo 4 in this guest post on Terri Johnson Creates blog as well.
5 “Secrets” to Cutting Crepe Paper

I would highly recommend the Lia Griffith Crepe Paper supplies. I have found that they are really high quality and look amazing!
They can be found direct at LiaGriffith.com or find links in my Amazon shop HERE.

Don’t have a Cameo 4, but it’s on your wishlist.
When you decide to take the leap check out these great retailers for Cameo 4 deals:
Heat Press Nation
Silhouette America
Swing Design
Or find it on Amazon

Like this? Pin the image below to find later!

Enjoy!

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Posted on November 5, 2019June 15, 2025 by silhouettesecretsplus — 13 Comments

Silhouette Rotary Blade – First cuts

If you’ve been curious about how the Silhouette Rotary Blade works, you’re not alone! I recently made my first cuts using the Rotary Blade, and I’m excited to share the results. This specialty tool is designed to glide through soft, fibrous materials like felt, fabric, and crepe paper—without needing a backing or stabilizer. In this post, I’ll walk you through how the Rotary Blade works in Silhouette Studio, the key tips I discovered along the way, and how you can get clean, beautiful cuts right from the start. Whether you’re cutting fabric for appliqué or crafting adorable felt stuffies, this tool opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities!

On October 18, 2019 a package showed up in my mail box. My kids were excited, I was excited – we were all excited. While their excitement quickly wore off, mine has not.

Four Silhouette Cameo 4 tools packaged on a wooden surface, including a Punch Tool, Rotary Blade, 2 mm Kraft Blade, and Pen Holder.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The new tools for the Cameo 4 had arrived. After attending the Silhouette Summit in May and learning about the new Cameo 4 release and the new tools to go with it, they are finally here.

Updated 6-15-25 – the Silhouette Rotary blade is compatible with the Silhouette Cameo 4 models, Cameo 5 models, and Curio 2.

From left to right they are: The Punch Tool, Rotary blade, 2 mm Kraft blade (Cameo 3 or 4), and the Pen Holder. The 3 mm Kraft blade was not in my box, but will be coming soon.

Today I’m going to show you my first cut with the Cameo 4 – Rotary blade.
It is a pretty simple cut.

Last week while I was finishing the prep for my Foil Quill on a Traveler’s Notebook class for the upcoming All Things Silhouette Conference, I was having a heck of a time getting the same foil results as I had with my original demo. I ended up having several traveler’s notebooks that were “sacrificed” in the testing process.
What was I going to do with all these “failed” tests?

A pink faux leather notebook cover featuring gold foil compass designs and the word 'Test' repeated vertically.

My fabric selection is very minimal, so I just grabbed the first one I found.

A faux leather traveler's notebook with a compass design, resting on a colorful fabric patterned with wine bottles, beside a Silhouette cutting machine.

And no joke, it was the first one I saw. This is leftover from a gift making session a few years back where I tried my hand at fabric key fobs.

Why not cover the journal as a test?
Cut this thin cotton fabric with the rotary blade and test it out. Perfect!

I measured out how big the traveler’s notebook was and then drew a rounded rectangle in the Silhouette software. I added a little bit to the measurements to allow for some overlap around the edges of the cover. In hindsight, I should have allowed a bit more.

So the first thing I want to mention is that when you get the Cameo 4 Rotary Blade, you want to twist the bottom to expose the blade. This is a safety feature so the blade is not exposed right out of the package.
And it won’t cut very well at all if you don’t twist the bottom to expose the blade. You’ll have to trust me on that one.

Close-up of a hand holding a white rotary blade tool for the Cameo 4, with a cutting mat in the background.

Once you install the Rotary blade in the Cameo 4 Tool 2, the software will recognize the tool has been installed with the new Tool Recognition and will give you the cut options for that tool.

Next, when you use the Cameo 4 Rotary blade, you will notice that you have these extra lines on your design mat when you go to the Send tab. This is so the rotary blade can orientate the blade to the correct position to cut the design out.

It is just like a hand held rotary blade and rolls across the material to cut.

A close-up of a Cameo 4 cutting machine with its tool holder, displaying a colorful fabric featuring wine bottle designs laid on a wooden surface.

Now, my design is a very simple rounded rectangle.

A close-up of a cutting mat with a piece of fabric featuring wine bottle patterns, positioned in front of a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine.

While it may be simple, it is a great way to test out the blade to see if it will cut this thin cotton fabric.

And success! There were a few threads that needed to be clipped around the edge, but I’m good with that. And it is improving. There are software updates coming that are improving the cut settings and allowing more possibilities to customize those settings because we all know that not all materials are created equal. As I found with Foil Quill foil, even in the same brand of items, not all will perform the same. The Gold Finch 4″ x 6″ sheets did not foil the same way as the foil that was included in the Foil Quill bundle or like the large roll of gold color did.

Now, I was so excited to test this blade out, that I didn’t really think how I was going to apply this piece of fabric to my traveler’s notebook, which is like a faux leather on the outside. So I reached out to my friend Libby for her advice. It was pretty much the answer I had thought – Heat & Bond or Fusible Stabilizer, but confirmation from a fabric user is always better.

Yes, it would have been much easier to put the Fusible Ez-Steam on the fabric and then cut it, it would have even cut with a regular blade since I had such a simple shape. But, it was a test to see how it would cut with the rotary blade and it was a success!

I can’t be the only one that has these hindsight moments on how to make the project easier….. after the first one is done. Or gets excited and just jumps in before thinking the project all the way through.

I ironed the fabric to get it nice and smooth. Then I peeled the paper backing off the Fuzible Ez-Steam and applied it to the backside of the fabric.

An iron is positioned beside a piece of fabric with a protective paper backing, set on a blue ironing board.

Then I placed the fabric on top of the travelers notebook and carefully ironed it on.

A close-up of a hand holding a small fabric cut piece with a backing, placed over a notebook cover that reads '1st Test' in gold lettering.

After I ironed the outside, I flipped it over and then carefully folded the edges over and ironed those down to the inside. The inside of the notebook is a paper material, so I didn’t hold the iron in the same place very long.

A fabric-covered traveler's notebook with a black backing, pinned edges, and an iron in the background.

You can see in the bottom right corner that the edge was a little bit small, this is where I would adjust for the next one and make it a little bigger for a little more edge allowance.

I poked holes through the fabric to thread and threaded the elastic cord back in the holes, added my notebooks back in, and have covered this “test” subject from my failed Foil Quill project.

A traveler's notebook covered in fabric featuring various wine bottle designs, resting on a wooden surface, with a seam ripper and a weeding tool beside it.

Of course, I couldn’t leave it at just that. I had to add a charm made from an 15/16″ acrylic circle and etched with the Silhouette Curio 1.

A traveler's notebook covered with fabric featuring various wine bottles and tags, accompanied by a charm that reads 'live love WINE'.

Can you see yourself using the Silhouette Rotary Blade in any future projects?

Next up on the testing list is leather, faux leather, more fabric or whatever I can find.
I can’t wait to share that too!

Additional Resources:

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Silhouette Rotary Blade against a colorful background, showcasing its design and features.

Enjoy !

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Silhouette Classes

shop classes

Faux Leather Information

Supplies I Used:

Tips for Cutting Faux Leather with Silhouette

Silhouette Classes

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Silhouette Studio Software Upgrades

Reconditioned Silhouette Machines

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Silhouette Kraft blades

2 mm Kraft blade

2 mm Kraft blade (Type B)

3 mm Kraft blade

Blade Depth

Blade comparison

How the Kraft Blade Works

Tips for the Silhouette Kraft Blade

More Tips!!!

Additional Resources on Kraft blade:

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Cutting HTV on the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, or Cameo ProTroubleshooting

Why do you have cut or feed issues?

3 places to watch for curled HTV catching

Solutions to curled HTV

One More Tip

How to work with this?

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

New Type B Tools – 1 mm and 2 mm blades releasing!Coming Soon!

How do you adjust these “manual” blades?

What types of materials can these blades be used for?

Where can you find these blades?

Testing these new blades out

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Interview with Lia Griffith

Crepe Paper Supplies

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Cameo 4 – Cutting Crepe Paper

Cutting Crepe Paper on the Cameo 4

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Silhouette Classes

**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

Cutting HTV on the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, or Cameo Pro
Troubleshooting

New Type B Tools – 1 mm and 2 mm blades releasing!
Coming Soon!