Cutting Machine Basics: Leather, Faux Suede, and Vinyl Coated Trims

Make room in your doll’s closet for a new pair of shoes… or maybe several pairs! 

Have you ever thought about making doll shoes?  Let a cutting machine do the hard part and all you’ll have to do is glue them together! Follow along this week as Donna shares about using a Cricut Maker* machine to cut thicker materials like faux suede, genuine leather, and vinyl coated trim. 

We’ll also learn about cutting chipboard, craft foam sheets, and felt.

Most of the materials mentioned above can be cut using the Standard Grip mat, but a Strong Grip mat is better for holding the leather and the vinyl coated material in place.

Choosing the right tool to use in a cutting machine is an important factor in getting clean cut results.  We will discuss three of the blades available for the Cricut Maker:

• The Fine Point Blade: designed to make intricate cuts in a variety of thin to medium-weight materials. 
• The Deep Point Blade: recommended for thicker materials like the craft foam sheets.
• The Knife Blade: good for thick dense materials like Balsa Wood or genuine leather. It is designed to cut materials up to 2.4mm thick.

Donna will walk us through some helpful pages on the Cricut website. Then she will demonstrate what to do with the SVG files in Design Space to create a project and show us the extra steps to take when preparing to cut thicker materials.

Get ready to cover a lot of information aimed at helping you do more with your cutting machine, or, if you don’t already have one, give you more information to help you decide if a cutting machine is right for you. 

Note: The SVG cutting files for this week are from the Braided Sandals Pattern by Genniewren Designs.  If you don’t already have a copy of this pattern, you can check it out HERE – you’ll probably want to have it on hand for the step by step assembly instructions for your shoes.

This pattern is designed to be compatible with the pre-cut shoe soles in the Pixie Packs, so that is a great option to use if you aren’t ready to invest in a cutting machine, but don’t want to take the time to cut the cardboard and foam for the soles.

Have fun giving these sandals a try, whether you cut them with a machine or by hand!

*This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

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