As a Silhouette beginner, the best thing you can do is start with some simple projects that get you successful right out of the gate. That's what the Successful Beginner Projects series is all about. In project #2, we’re going to use the butterfly we … [Read more...]
Successful Beginner Projects — #1: Schoolhouse Card
I used to work in Customer Support for Silhouette America. I vividly recall taking a phone call from a beginner who was having trouble cutting her project. As I talked with her, I found out she-- had never used a computer before. had been … [Read more...]
Test cut the smart way
I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say, "I just wasted a whole package/roll of (insert material name here) because it wasn't cutting all the way through" or "it was just ripping up my material." I always think to myself, "Why did you … [Read more...]
Software Basics (version 4) – Lesson 15: Saving your work and shutting down
This is your last lesson in the Software Basics series. Give yourself a cheer! You’re well on your way to becoming a Silhouette expert. Since you’re going to be creating some amazing things, let’s talk about saving those files. You can save in 1 of 3 … [Read more...]
Software Basics (version 4) — Lesson 14: Making your first cut
Today is the day! If you’ve gone through all the Before You Begin and Software Basics lessons up to this point, you will be well-prepared to make your first cut. If you haven’t, I highly recommend checking out all those lesson for my best beginner … [Read more...]
Breaking a solid shape into pieces with the magic of Divide
Let's talk about a common design question. Say you have a design that's a single piece, but you want to cut it from several different colors or materials. You want to break it apart into multiple pieces, like this--What about using the knife tool? … [Read more...]
Before You Begin series #9: Firmware updates
If you have a Cameo 2, 3 or 4, Portrait 2 or 3, or Curio machine, you need to know about firmware. Just like computers have software programs to run them, machines have firmware. Firmware helps the machine communicate correctly with your computer. If … [Read more...]
Before you begin series #8: Opening the box and getting to know the machine (Cameo)
It's an exciting day! You’ve got your software and materials ready to go so it’s finally time to set up your machine. I’m going to walk you through each step of unboxing everything and getting ready to cut. Note: This post contains affiliate links. … [Read more...]
Software Basics (version 4) — Lesson 13: Basics of working with text
Text in Silhouette Studio is different than most other software programs. You may be used to working with text in something like a word processor or even email. In those, you add text just to make words for someone to read or to print out. That's not … [Read more...]
Software basics (version 4) — Lesson 12: Adding shapes to the page and basic manipulation
You’ve got your free shapes in your library and you’ve learned how to get around in the Silhouette Studio software. Let’s learn how you put those images on the page and start working with them. (If you need to start with Lesson 1 of the Software … [Read more...]
Before you Series Begin #7: Good Materials to Start with
Our next lesson will be on unboxing and setting up your machine. (To start with Lesson 1 of the Before You Begin series, go here). Before you do that, you’ll want to have some materials on hand to start with. Even if your goal is to make t-shirts … [Read more...]
Before you Begin Series #6: The Silhouette America website
While working in Customer Support for Silhouette, I once spoke to a woman on the phone. She was upset about something and asked, “How would I have known that?” I replied that the information was on our website, to which she then replied, “Well, how … [Read more...]
Software Basics (version 4) — Lesson 11: Getting your free shapes
Your Silhouette cutting machine comes with free shapes to get your started. They are stored in the machine itself. So we're going to open the software and hook up the machine to bring them into your library. We'll do your first projects with some of … [Read more...]
Before you Begin Series #5: Subscriptions
Have you heard about subscriptions yet? A subscription is a frequent shopper discount for the Silhouette Design Store. You agree to pay a certain amount per month for a set number of months, and in exchange you get credits. You then use the credits … [Read more...]
Before you begin series #4: Getting to know the Silhouette Design Store
The Silhouette Design Store is the place where Silhouette America sells cut images, printable patterns and fonts that you can use in the Silhouette Studio software. When you purchase a design, it is downloaded into your library in your software and … [Read more...]