My designs are pretty intricate so you need a crisp paper and not to thick, 65 lb is perfect. I love the WorldWin cardstock like the ColorMates. It cuts like butter and are perfect for intricate designs but any similar paper should work. Always use a sticky mat so the cardstock doesn’t move when cutting and be sure your blade is sharp.
The settings I use when cutting with my Silhouette Cameo
Blade set to 2 or 3 depending on how new my blade is.
Thickness 30
Speed 10 (Yes, I always cut on max speed!)
I can’t recommend the cutting settings for other machines because I don’t have any experience with these.
How intricate can I cut?
When I draw a design, I always have in mind that I want it to cut well in most cutting machines. Therefore, I try to make the lines not too thin and inner angles not to pointy. If I only should consider what my Cameo is capable of, I would be able to draw even more detailed and delicate designs. But I know that not all machines are as good as my Cameo.
I recently made a test cut on one of my doilies (Layered Doily 56) to see how small I could cut it. Here you can see the result:
First cut. Original size. The doily measure just over 7.5 inches (19,5 cm) in diameter.
7,5″
Close up on the first cut. Nice and clean. No weeding was needed, all the small parts stayed on the mat when lifting off the design.
Here are the two next cuts. The one on the left measure 4 inches (10 cm). The one on the right only 2,5 inches (6,3 cm).
4″
Close up on the second cut. Still nice and clean. Only a little weeding was needed.
2,5″
Close up on the third cut. Here you can see that the edges are slightly shaggy but you never notice it when looking at it in real. It’s so tiny so it looks just fabulous when holding it in your hand.
This size took a little bit longer to weed.
I think it’s amazing that you can cut the design so small and still get a great result.
The result shows that if you have a good cutter, you should be able to cut most of my designs much smaller than the size they are in the files.
/Monica
Jag fick samma goda resultat när jag testade med en av dina doilies. Den blev otroligt fin! Var beställer du ColorMates? Jag har inte lyckats hitta något bra ställe.
Hej Ann-Marie! Jag beställde för några år sedan en jättehög med ColorMates från Decor Unique, shop.d-u.nu, när de hade utförsäljning. Jag har fortfarande kvar en hel massa av det. Ett annat papper som funkar jättebra och som jag köper i stora mängder är färgad kartong från cchobby.se. Det är ett 180g papper och finns i många färger och storlekar. Det är även syra/ligninfritt samt ph neutralt. Jag köper 100-packar i A4 (kostar 85 kr) och använder det till det mesta. Eftersom det är så billigt så behöver man inte snåla. Testet jag gjorde ovan är från detta papper.
Beautiful doily Monica, thanks for sharing. Your cuts all work perfectly with my Zing too. ~Diane
Artist, CAD designer, a great photographer, concrete designer, gardner, You are a genius! How do you find time to do all the things you do? I think you might be the most amazing person I have never got to meet! LOL I am truly awe struck!
Hei Monca.
Jeg har lett etter kartongen du viser til i ditt svar til Ann-Marie. Er det riktig at det er et 180 g papir? Kan du gi meg artikkelnummeret på kartongen? God sommer fra Lise
Hej Lise
Det gick inte att länka direkt till rät sida men gå in på cchobby.se och klicka in på “Kartong och papper” sedan “Kartong” och sist “Färgad kartong”. Här hittar du den kartong jag köper mest av. Klicka in på önskad färg och storlek så hittar du mer info om pappret.
I just found your site and can’t wait to try cutting some of your designs! Thank you so much!
I have been downloading your designs for a while now and I just absolutely love them. Since I do most cards, and not scrapbooking, I always cut smaller designs out and they are ALWAYS perfect. Thank you so much for your generosity!!
Hi Monica, in your post you said you need a crisp paper and not to thick, 65 lb is perfect. Can you please tell me howmany grams that is ? I finaly got a silhouette sd and cant wait to cut some of your designs as soon as i have bought a new blade,
Best regards and please keep designing and sharing those beautifull treasures…
Barbara (from the Netherlands)
Hi Barbara, 65 lb is about 175 gram. I often use a cheap 180g cardstock when cutting my designs. It works just as good as the WorldWin cardstock.
I love your designs. Do you have instructions on assembly. I downloaded your Chapel and would love to see instructions or tutorial on assembling. I am having trouble finding a glue to stick.
I’m sorry but I have not made an assembly instruction on the 3D Chapel.The design is quite simple and you should be able to assemble it just by looking at the picture.
Thank You
Thanks so much for sharing ! I love your designs !