Cutting it Up

Last year I asked Rich for a Brother Scan and Cut for Christmas.  As he almost always does when I ask for something for Christmas he got it for me.  Such a good guy!  I really had no idea why I needed this but at the quilting store where I attend club meetings they talk about how great it is all the time.  I think the owner could sell ice to an Eskimo.  She certainly made me want one.  For those who don't know what this is here is a picture and description.

As I usually do with something new I read up and watch video tutorials.  I finally got up the nerve to actually take this thing out of the box and use it.  My first project involved cutting out fabric for an applique project I was making for a friend.  Prior to cutting fabric you must iron on a heat sensitive adhesive to stiffen the fabric.  I am not fond of heat adhesives and neither is my embroidery/sewing machine.  But I have learned to use a lite adhesive which is a little friendlier to my machine needles.  This project involved cutting a lot of pieces which it did very well.  I am still not sure I couldn't have done it with scissors just as fast if not faster but the pieces were cut out perfectly.  Here is that first project.  As you can see it involved a LOT of cutting.  I gave this to friends who had just retired and camp a lot.

My machine came with a rhinestone kit.  I LOVE bling so I knew this was something I really wanted to play with.  It involves cutting small holes in a thick felt-like fabric that form a pre-loaded design.  Once all the holes are cut you pour loose rhinestones or crystals on top and spread them around with a special brush.  They all fall into the holes right side up.  (Some of mine did need a little help with a pair of tweezers.)  A piece of special heat sensitive tape is put on top of all the rhinestones then placed on a shirt.  You then iron them on to the shirt.  My first project turned out great but my stones keep falling off.  I have since purchased a teflon ironing sheet which I think will help the next time I try this.

The next projects involved cutting out heat transfer vinyl for shirts.  My first attempts resulted in the total destruction of expensive glitter vinyl.  After going back to more tutorials I finally got the hang of it.  Some vinyls are cut face up and some face down.  Some patterns are cut with a normal image and some the image has to be reversed.  And vinyls differ in thickness so a lot of test cuts have to be made.  But if I just slow down and think about what I am doing this is now my favorite thing to do.  The intricate patterns take a lot of "weeding" out the pieces you don't want.  It's a little time consuming but worth it.  They are my favorite designs.  A friend from my sewing clubs turned me on to a shop in Dallas that sells the supplies really cheap and they have a great selection.  Thanks Phyllis!  Here are my latest creations.

I am always on the hunt for inexpensive but good t-shirts.  I have found my favorites come from Walmart believe it or not.  I can't wait to wear the pumpkin shirt as it is my favorite so far.  I have worn the others and they wash well.  I love the cruising themed ones too as we cruise at least once every year.  And I envision a few new shirts for Christmas.  Of course the machine is just the start of the hobby.  There are lots of tools involved it it too.  And of course sheets of glitter!

Happy cutting!