One of the most frustrating things with using a Silhouette machine is when you have a great design and materials, but can't seem to get a good cut with them. Maybe it's that the cut doesn't go all the way through your material. Or perhaps it's … [Read more...]
Frugal Friday: Making the most of expensive HTV and vinyl material
As I told you in my first Frugal Friday tip, I hate to throw away scraps of expensive or beautiful material. I like to try to find ways to reuse the bits and pieces whenever I can. That’s certainly the case with any patterned adhesive vinyl or HTV. … [Read more...]
Canvas Wedding welcome sign
I’ve been helping one of my daughter’s friends make some items for her wedding lately. She was struggling to figure out a cost-effective way to make a Welcome to our Wedding sign. We liked the idea of a plain black canvas with white letters. The main … [Read more...]
Frugal Friday: Using margin scraps of white tattoo paper
I admit it. I’m a craft hoarder. That means not only that I have probably way more craft materials than I could use in 3 lifetimes, but also that I HATE to throw away bits and pieces of materials that are leftover after I make a project. My brain … [Read more...]
HTV Projects Checklist
This post is part of my Checklists series. Each post in the series is a set of brief reminders to guide you while you work on a project. The HTV Projects Checklist helps you remember each step to take when you are cutting and applying HTV (heat … [Read more...]
First Steps in HTV: Project #1 — Polka Dot Heart Tea Towel
I didn’t realize when I bought my first Silhouette machine that I could use it to make custom shirts, or that heat transfer vinyl would turn out to be my favorite type of material to work with. My boys (and their friends) seem to have several new … [Read more...]
Yeehaw! I made my Leather earrings!
I’ve been meaning to try making leather earrings with my Silhouette machines for quite a while. I freely admit I’ve been coveting those worn by JoJo on Fixer Upper. I was attending a country wedding this past weekend so finally had the motivation to … [Read more...]
Successful Beginner Projects: #10 – Vinyl Wall Quote
Are you ready for your final beginner project? If you haven’t gone through the Software Basics series and the other Successful Beginner Projects yet, I recommend you do those first because we will build on the skills already taught. In this project, … [Read more...]
Cutting without the mat without losing your mind — Tip #14
So you’ve followed all my tips and are now a pro and cutting without the mat. There are still 2 more things to keep in mind after your successful cut. (To start with tip #1, go here.) Note: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click … [Read more...]
Cutting without the mat without losing your mind: Tip #12
I told you in tip #10 that it's difficult to load materials like vinyl and HTV because they are floppy. I also said I'd let you know another reason they are tricky. That's today's tip. Because these materials are often on a roll, they become curled … [Read more...]
Cutting without the mat without losing your mind — Tip #10
This tip is probably one of the most important to remember when cutting without the mat, and it's one many folks don't ever recognize as causing an issue with their vinyl shifting. It's all about getting things started straight so the material stays … [Read more...]
Cutting without the mat without losing your mind: Tip #7
Okay, so you've read tips 1-6 on cutting without the mat and you've got all that down. (If you haven't you can find #1 here). You're excited about testing your new skills. BUT -- before you load your material and start cutting, you need to check the … [Read more...]
Successful Beginner Projects: #7 Teapot vinyl decal
Now that we’ve gotten a simple 1-piece vinyl project under our belt, let’s move on to one with multiple pieces in a single design. If you haven’t done projects 1-6, I highly recommend you do. As we go in order through the lessons, I add new concepts … [Read more...]
Cutting without the mat without losing your mind — Tip #4
Today's tip on cutting without the mat has to do with the size of your material, specifically its width. (To start with the first post in this series, go here.) Note: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click the link and purchase … [Read more...]
Cutting without the mat without losing your mind — Tip #2
You need to tell the Silhouette software that you are cutting without the mat, as your choice has several implications. In this case, we're going to actually choose None. We’ll talk about that here and in the next post in this series. (To start with … [Read more...]