I have been dabbling in the fabric world lately, and pretty much caught the bug. Great! Now not only am I collecting beautiful paper, I need fabric too. Here's a great way to use your scraps though. Fabric flowers. You can cut them out on the Revolution or Epic and use them as hair accessories, brooches, or home decor. I used this little arrangement to spruce up the QK croproom.
Then I got to thinking, there must be a way to cut bigger fabric shapes in the Silhouette. My first attempt was the "Art" board. I covered a canvas in cute fabric and then cut out the letters for "Art" in vinyl. (You'll want to mirror the image first) Then, I peeled up the vinyl letters and stuck them to the back of the fabric so I could use it as a stencil and cut around the letters. The vinyl peels right off the fabric afterward and you can use a fabric glue to hold it in place while you stitch it to your canvas.
When I made the "Create" board, though, I actually cut out all the fabric pieces in the Silhouette. I first applied a ribbon stiffener to the fabric. When it was dry, I sprayed an adhesive on the back and stuck it to my Silhouette cutting mat. The fabric was then stiff enough and secure enough to have the blade cut through it. When I peeled up the flowers, the spray adhesive had dried causing the petals of the flowers to naturally curled up at the edges. I layered three flowers together and stitched the center to the canvas. "Create" was cut out in the same way, but I adhered it with a fabric glue. I love having that splash of color in my croproom.
Amy Walton (QK Design Team Coordinator)
Cool and really cute too!
Posted by: Taina M | August 05, 2009 at 03:05 PM
I LOVE the flowers! Can't wait to try! Thanks for experimenting...you're inspiring all of us to try new things! :)
Posted by: Elizabeth | August 05, 2009 at 05:41 PM
Smart....glad it worked so well to cut with the Silhouette. My mom (quilter) has a stash of fabric that I think I can get my hands on :)
Posted by: tamara w | August 05, 2009 at 06:30 PM
I have sooooo much fabric. I can't wait to try this. Thanks for the tip!
Posted by: Tracy | August 05, 2009 at 08:21 PM
wow! I love the fabric idea!! those canvases are beautiful!
Posted by: Sarah | August 05, 2009 at 11:57 PM
love the canvases. I'll have to give it a try.
Posted by: Lisa | August 06, 2009 at 03:43 PM
Great to hear that you actually CAN cut fabric with the Silhouette, even though previously it's been advised not to! Makes me wonder... is there a certain type of fabric that's "safe" to use versus one that might really cause damage to the machine? I'd love to know so I can try this at home!! Thanks for the great tip!
Posted by: SMS | August 07, 2009 at 06:41 AM
Great news! I have been wondering about this for some time. Could you please tell us what settings and blade you used to cut the fabric? Details, please! Thanks!
Posted by: K in PA | August 07, 2009 at 07:12 AM
Amy, you are a rockstar!! I would have been afraid to try this on my own!!
Posted by: Leslie | August 07, 2009 at 07:31 AM
Amy these are gorgeous!
Posted by: Houston | August 07, 2009 at 08:12 AM
I am so glad to hear the you can cut fabric with this tool. The possibilities are now endless.
Thanks for posting this.
Posted by: Patti Church | August 08, 2009 at 08:23 AM
Some details.
Select a higher quality fabric. (thin, but with a fairly dense weave... I'm not a quilter, there are probably great terms for all this). I used some cheaper stuff first and it just frayed. Also when you apply the fabric stiffener, whether it's a spray or a brush-on, make sure you coat the whole thing. I used the pink cap on my silhouette and the same settings I use to cut my thickest cardstock. Although there was no noticeable damage to my tool, I imagine the blade would wear down a little quicker if you're cutting stiff fabric all the time. So far, mine still cuts like a dream, though. Good luck experimenting! Let us know if you figure out any more tricks.
Posted by: Amy Walton | August 10, 2009 at 02:39 PM
Too cool. I love it. Got me a-thinkin' now!
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=858800018 | August 17, 2009 at 12:29 PM
have you tried wonder under? I don't have a silhouette..wanting to purchase one if this works...... cut your fabric in a block form iron on "wonder under" to the fabric. It leaves the fabric stuck to the wonder under. Once that is ironed on the fabric has a paper backing to allow it to be still enough to cut? I don't know. May want to try. The wonder under is a glue type sheet that you can peel off the back of your fabric after you cut and apply .
Posted by: ginger owens | September 18, 2009 at 05:05 PM