Thursday 6 March 2014

Silhouette Mat Replacing Tutorial, Home Made Stencils and Cards......

Hello Friends

Before I start I would like to thank my latest followers Denise and Princess Judy.  Thank you both for following me and I hope you enjoy the ride!  You might want to get yourselves a cuppa before reading today's post.

This is a project I was doing just before I fell ill but haven't got round to sharing it with you.  I joined an online class for stencilling - something which I have dabbled in but I don't use them a lot.  The online class is available after the class finishes so I can dip in and out of the course when I feel like (just as well as I fell ill at the start) and it is kept there ad infinitum.  

My choice of stencils is limited, hence why I don't use them an awful lot and I had a brainwave! (Yes it hurt!) I have template plastic (VOS) for creating quilting stencils.  Would it cut on my Silhouette?  Sounds simple doesn't it?  However my cutting mat for my stencil was naff not very good and I wanted to do this there and then.  Also, the mats have become very hard to source and very expensive since I first had my Silhouette.

                                    

















So I took a sheet of laminating plastic and laminated it.  Took another sheet of laminating plastic and laminated it with the first laminated sheet inside it.  Are you with me?  Then I placed some masking tape down the long edges of the "mat" about 1/4" in.   
Then I took my Crafters Companion Stick and Spray Temporary glue. (We don't want it sticking there forever do we?)  Something else I bought ages ago and have not used much!  

I then sprayed the mat lightly, covering the surrounding area first, with about 5 thin coats.  I then removed the masking tape and replaced it.  These are where the wheels move the mat along the cutter, so you don't want them tacky.

To protect the mat between uses I took some freezer paper and cut a piece to fit and use it shiny side down.
Then I downloaded a design from Silhouette, placed some template plastic on the mat and watched with baited breath to see if the plastic would cut.
I need not have worried.  It cut like a hot knife through butter and the mat did it's job perfectly.  This design is called "Kite".

Here are some samples I made using just three colours of DI.
And some finished cards....


I used some Snippets of vellum, cut some tags (the snippets dictated that some of the tags are shorter than others), tied some twine and adhered them to the card using a teeny bit of glue behind the twine and another behind the butterfly.

Overall I was extremely pleased with the mat and the stencil.  So much so I went online to a very well known auction site and ordered some A4 template plastic so I could make some larger stencils.  All this came with a bonus - all the materials were already in my craft room.  I love it when two crafts collide (template plastic and freezer paper both being quilting tools).

Whilst I don't suppose Silhouette would advocate making your own mats, when they are getting like hen's teeth to get hold of then what are we supposed to do?  If you decide to try this, do so with caution.  I am no expert and will not be held responsible for any mishaps.

Thanks for calling by.  Sorry it is a little long today but I wanted to show you how I created these stencils. Please let me know what you think!

Hettie    

13 comments:

Amanda said...

Fab post, I have a robo and the mats for that are even rarer so this tutorial helps a lot. Love the stencil look and think I might have to give it a whirl. Hugs, Amanda x

scrappymo! said...

You re so ingenious! Smart girl for thinking of how to make a mat!

Would the cricut mats work for you?
My neighbour has the original blue Wishblade and she cuts the long cricut mat in half and uses that!

If you ever want me to look over here, just let me know. I bet I could mail it for much less than you would be charged for international shipping!
Your cards look fab. So on trend and fun and cheery. Much needed in this rainy, dreary Vancouver day!

Annie said...

How clever are you :-) what a great idea too.
Hugs,
Annie x

Karen Petitt said...

I want your stencils! Fabulous cards, the colours are fab,love it xx

Words and Pictures said...

Well, you must be feeling very pleased with yourself, and rightly so! Brainwave one - make your own stencils; brainwave two - make your own cutting mat - wowzer!

And the finished cards are absolutely stunning. Love the colours you've chosen, and how they blend across, and fade out - fabulous!
Alison xx

Kathleen said...

I think they are fabulous and also how very clever and patient you are in trying it.

I would have just gone to Maddy Lisa crafts and bought some of the new Memory Box stencils for £2.99 (well they were when I bought mine) and they were £3.99 on other sites but Sam Taylors are selling them at something like £4.69 and they reckon that this is a reduced price.... I don't think so.
Just saying this as I haven't got your know-how.

Kath x

Bonnie said...

How nice you can make your own stencils, Sam! I tried with my Big Shot and it wouldn't cut through the window sheet. I'll have to try thickening it like you did. I love these bright colors! Such pretty cards!

Sunshine Girl said...

What a good idea - might try that myself on my craft robo!

Irene said...

Sam, you are brilliant, a fabulous idea. And your cards are just wonderful with gorgeous vibrant colours and sooooooooo different.
Love them all.
luv
irene
xxxx

Inkyfingers said...

Hettie you are a genius! I love this idea and I hadn't heard of template plastic before. I took that course and haven't finished it yet and I have an underused Cameo too so this idea is soooo helpful. Thanks for sharing. Your cards are gorgeous and I love the little vellum tags.
Hugs
Carol x

Diane said...

Oh Hettie, very clever and what fabulous colors.

Hugs diane

MaryH said...

This was exactly something I need to know! I had tried using quilting mylar to die cut some stencils. My Bigshot made rather a mess of it. Have downloaded some of the stencil patterns at Silhouette store, but not tried them yet. My recent IO class, Mitra suggested trying acetate with the dies. I will go back & read your directions again, but I have quilt mylar and SVG stencil patterns. Can you find the Cricut mats in the UK? I'm told they work fine in the Cameo. Thanks again for a most timely posting! Hugs, Happy weekend.

Darnell said...

I don't have a Silhouette, but I do have some observations, Sam. First, thank you for doing this on behalf of all Silhouetteers. Secondly, lovely nails and rings. Thirdly, cripes, I fell hard in love with your cards!!! SAHwooning!!! Hugs, Darnell