(make sure you have read the Silhouette Cameo basics…HERE so none of the lingo i’m going to drop is confusing!!!!)
Cutting Fabric With The Silhouette Cameo
today we are cutting some fabric:
I tried a few different ways…first…this is just basic regular cotton. (no interfacing…) just placed on the mat….
and i’m just doing a basic circle..so once i have the design on my page ready to go
you push the send to silhouette it comes up with a cutting screen…you can choose to adjust the settings…which takes you to this page…..
(I also choose to adjust to make sure it’s right)
you can click on whatever medium you are using…(and if you are using something that isn’t up there..you can click on custom media)
the second arrow tells you where to adjust your blade…..
the red line below the number shows you what number it’s on….then you put it in your gray thingamobob(not the official title) and turn it to the proper depth.
then you put the blade back in and and tighten it (make sure it’s super de duper tight.) (that blue thing you see)
NOW..on the same screen..it has a test cut button….
it just cuts a little square with an x through it. (and you can use the arrows to position it where you want to make sure it doesn’t get in the way of your design…)
this is great if you are cutting something you haven’t done before…!
and let’s say it didn’t cut through the fabric all the way…
same screen
bright pink arrow….it’s called the double cut. i clicked it and it just goes around the design twice to make sure it’s cut. (it’s handy)
then you just send to your silhouette……
ah…so easy!!!! (i actually didn’t use the double cut on the basic cotton…and it cut fine!)
next up..i tried to cut some flannel…
it wasn’t a super success..i cut it..(double cut) and it didn’t cut all the way through.
more like scored it…
but i could easily see the lines and cut it out using my scissors….
so i definitely wouldn’t recommend cutting intricate stuff with fabric….
but it did make it so much easier to just cut around the c without having to measure or make a stencil!
see how cute it is on the blanket I made?
Fabric Interfacing With Silhouette Cameo
silhouette sells interfacing….
(and you can actually buy right here on the expressions website for cheaper)
but I wanted to see if regular interfacing worked…..
I bought the thinnest kind
and ironed it on the fabric and put it on the mat…
and it wasn’t really a success.
when I went to peel it off it left a residue (the little fuzz that is on it)
the silhouette interfacing it a clear plasticy surface….so it’s probably worth the investment if you are doing some small cuts. (or more intriciate…cause then you can just iron it on and it will stay put while you sew or stitch around it!!!
also. i think the fabric dulled my blade a little bit. I now have to adjust the blade deeper than recommended to get a good cut. (so if it says 3…i adjust to a 4 or 5) (and fuzz can get up in there so if you have a can air you will want to make sure to clean it out!)
someone on my facebook page recommended buying two blades…one for fabrics…and one for paper and vinyl..and it sounds like a great idea!!!!
(and you can also buy blades at expressions website too! go here)
Answers To Some Silhouette Cameo Questions
alrighty….last Silhouette Cameo post I got so many great comments (and keep them coming if you have questions!) and I will answer them all (or at least try too!) but i’m breaking them up as not to overwhelm you!!!
first up is:
brenda asked: I have heard that the Cameo wouldn’t cut the full 12×12. Close but not the full 12×12. Is there a trick to this?
I tried it out..I put a 12 x 12 piece of paper and made my image overlap the edge…and
yup..you were right. it stopped about 1/4 a centimeter to the edge……
i know with the cricut..it was bigger than that….with sure cuts alot it added a 1/2 inch border around the edge…and my mat was a 6x 12 and with the cartridges it cuts no bigger than 5 1/2. so i’m going to guess that it’s just the way cutters work. it has to stop before the edge to make sure when it’s coming back to cut it doesn’t grab the paper and smoosh it up instead of cutting!!!
(just a guess though)
alright..so are you guys making sure that you are going in each week to get your free shape for your Silhouette Cameo from the silhouette library?
(even if you haven’t got your silhouette cameo yet, download the software and start uploading the free ones!)
I got this great comment on my last post:
If you go to the on line store and put in ‘Original 50′ you can get 40 designs for free.
so go get some cute free designs!!!!
alright–next month is cutting vinyl and cutting bigger than 12in x 12 in.
so if you haven’t gotten some vinyl….go buy some..cause once you know how, you are going to be slapping vinyl on just about everything!!!
Thank you for the “Original 50″ tip. I have a reminder set up on my calendar to check for the Free shape of the week. I am loving my new Cameo, and so is my husband!
I love your blog and my SD. I’m learning from you & confirming a lot of things I have tried (for example the flannel not cutting). One thing I’m having a BIG problem with is the cutting mat. After only a couple uses it stopped being sticky. I tried the running it under water, using the scraper and even got desperate and used spray on adhesive. That doesn’t even work well. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Novene
In regards to not cutting all the way to the edge, have you checked your settings? When I got my Cameo there was a setting I had to change to get the full 12 inch cut. In Menu go to Preferences and then Defaults. There is a little box labeled “cut-to-edge” make sure this is selected. I am not sure why you wouldn’t want this or why it was not already selected by default when I got the machine, BUT it did add a little extra to my cutting area…it still may not be 12 exact though (maybe 11.99999) but still better!
Thanks for the tip about the Original 50! I had no idea. Also, thanks for trying out the different ways to cut fabric, that’s a big help.
Just wanted to mention that the Cameo WILL cut a full 12″ (and even go over the edge of a 12″ piece of paper and cut where the sticky part of the mat isn’t if you’re not careful. If you want to be able to cut full 12″ designs what you need to make sure of is that under preferences (click up on the top bar on Silhouette Studio, then preferences) under Default, make sure you click on “cut to edge of page” and don’t forget to select ok. Try that and see what you get
I can’t figure out where to input ‘Original 50′ for the free designs. Wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if others fin the website is non user friendly. For the life of me I can’t understand why the cameo purchasing website isn’t linked to the shape/design store – sometimes frustration gets the best of me when trying to use this system. Wish it was more intuitive because it looks like you can make some cool stuff!
on the silhouette studio page (the one where you create and design and cut) you click the mouse picture on the left hand side (this takes you to the online store) there is a search box that you can type in orginal 50..you have to scroll through and click the FREE ones and add them to your cart! hope this helps!
I hit the cut to edge box and it still leaves about a quarter of and inch space. Any other tips?