Silhouette Cameo Cutter

Last Saturday, Elizabeth took a class on using the Silhouette Cameo cutting machine sponsored by Kelly Ann’s Quilting in Warrenton, VA, and taught by Susan Emory of Swirly Girls Design.  Elizabeth’s school owns this machine and she wanted to get to know how to use it better.  This class was project based and the focus was on using vinyl.  Kelly Ann is planning a class in spring 2016 for learning the design software of the machine.

The first project was a wooden sign made from recycled pallet board. 

In this project we learned about chalk paint (different from chalkboard paint) and how to use a design cut from vinyl to create a block or resist, paint over the top of it and then peel off the vinyl to see the original paint color on the sign. We finished it off with a wrap of twine.  Simple, inexpensive, recycled and fun. This will be appropriate to hang at school when we are anticipating a snow day. You certainly could customize a sign like this with a family or place name.  The ability to customize your work is a big draw to owning a Silhouette Cameo.

Next was using chalkboard vinyl, learning to create a circle in the design software in order to cut the vinyl and then placing it on a charger plate.  Then deciding what phrase you wanted to print to place on top of the chalkboard vinyl followed by choosing a font.  New to Elizabeth was the website wordmark.it.  This website allows you to type in any phrases and it will show you how that phrase looks using the fonts in your computer.  All you need to remember is the name of the font you like best, switch back to your Silhouette software and pick that font to get the look you want.  This same process would work for any text application you are using.

After lunch and a 2 block walk to visit the quilt store (class was held at the Warrenton Visitor Center), we started on the next project, glass cutting boards.  First up, a round board with a purchased text design from the Silhouette library of designs where we learned to size the text to the item.  Then another where the challenge was to size the purchased design and also to add a personalization to it.  Since both of these used text they required learning how to mirror the design and image in the software. 

A lovely fall day with successful projects + meeting new creative people = fun.