How to cut FELT with Your Silhouette
Yes, you read that right, you CAN cut felt with your Silhouette!Ā Before you get too excited, there are a few things I must tell you.Ā First, this method will mess up your mat a bit faster than “normal” cutting would; second, you have to iron fusible webbing onto the back that will not come off; and last, sometimes it doesn’t work, sometimes it does.Ā All of that being said, using my Cameo to cut felt saves me a TON of time so it’s all worth it!Ā Be sure to read my updated post on cutting felt with the Silhouette Cameo 3 and deep cut blade!
I just joined a Silhouette-user Facebook group that Lauren from The Thinking Closet runs.Ā Email her if you want to join!Ā I was telling the girls about how to cut felt, and they convinced me to make a tutorial.Ā One of them commented that she couldn’t wait to see the video.Ā What?Ā I’ve never made a video… good idea!Ā I decided to make my first EVER YouTube video to show you everything you need to know (and probably more) about cutting felt with your Silhouette!Ā Check it out if you own or want to own a Silhouette or if you just want to find out what my voice sounds like. šĀ Just please resist the urge to count how many times I say “um.”
-I have cut both acrylic (craft store) and wool blend felt on my Cameo.Ā Both worked, but the wool blend definitely had better results.Ā The acrylic looses detail around the edges where the wool blend doesn’t.Ā You can check out my post about different kinds of felt here.
-First thing you need to do is iron fusible interfacing onto the back of your felt.Ā I use Wonder Under (Pellon 805).Ā Peel the paper backing off and place with Wonder Under down on the mat.
-Set your fabric blade to 10, depth to 33, speed to 3, and check the double cut box.Ā Using such a high blade depth is what can jack up your mat, also I’ve noticed that sometimes the webbing leaves residue on the mat.
Hopefully that helps someone.Ā I actually bought the machine to cut things out of felt not knowing if it really would, and I am so glad that I did!Ā I can tell you that I have successfully cut a ton of felt with it without any problems.Ā Saves me so much time!Ā Check out my etsy shop to see what I did with the felt in the video.
Cutesy CraftsĀ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.Ā This post contains affiliate links.
I’m thinking of using this tutorial to create the different objects(animals, veggies, ppl and clothes etc) for a children’s quiet book. Anyone have any experience or ideas for this?
Thanks for the video! I’ve never used wonder under before. I was wondering if instead of stitching your pink cut outs together, can you iron them together?Would the wonder under fuse the together? Looking to make felt pennants and don’t want to sew letters on, would rather iron to save time
Thanks!
Yes, you can definitely iron the pieces instead of stitching. I actually prefer to use Heat n’ bond with my Silhouette now. It leaves less of a mess on my mat. If you aren’t going to sew, I recommend the “ultrahold.” If you wanted to sew, you would use “lite.”
How long does one cutting mat last for you? I tried the wonder under but I think my mat isnāt sticky enough because it still bunches when it goes back in the direction it just cut. I also cut out leather and it is pretty covered in stuff. I recently bought a new mat but I donāt want to ruin it just yet but if that is the only way I will be able to cut the felt then I guess I should try.
Honestly, I don’t know. I’m really bad at keeping track of that kind of stuff. I did find out that using Heat N Bond makes less of a mess on my mat, so I try to use that now instead.
Do you know if there’s a “trick” to determining what thickness to start with when experimenting with a new material? I know there’s going to be some trial and error, but it would be nice to know how to get it kinda close to start with.
The software has a list of pre-set materials that are a usually a good place to start. I also like to do an internet search to see if someone else has already done it. Then I can just use their cut settings. For felt, I just knew it needed to be the highest possible settings because it’s so thick.
Thank you!
I’m considering to buy the cameo and found your youtube video. Thanks for sharing. Can you tell me which facebook group you’re in? I wanna join to get some inspiration for cameo projects. TIA š
The group I’m in is called The Silhouette Challenge. The group kinda died down, and I don’t think anyone is accepting new members right now though. The site, Silhouette School is a great resource though. You should check it out!
Thank you Jessica. š
question about Heat N Bond Ultra. Have you ever tried Heat N Bond Ultra instead of using wonder under? Do you think it will work? And will these fusible webbings create a sticking or shiny appearance of the felt?
Yes, I found that I actually do prefer Heat N Bond. It leaves less residue on your cutting mat. Use Heat N Bond Lite if you plan on sewing it and Ultra if you don’t. The side you iron it onto will be shiny.
Hey Jessica! I’m trying to cut felt to sew onto towels. In the past I used a material like the wonder under (can’t remember exactly what it was) on felt and tried to sew it to the towel after I had ironed the two materials together but it bound up my sewing machine. I’m wondering if the wonder under would bind my sewing machine like previous iron on mediums. I really want to cut my felt on the cameo but so far the freezer paper isn’t working out and I’m frustrated. Also I have the new cameo 3 with the auto blade. I’ve tried it with that and with my deep cut blade and it either bunches the felt or pulls away from the freezer paper. Any thoughts or suggestions?
There are different kinds of Wonder Under and Heat N Bond. Some are not for sewing and will mess up your sewing machine. Since I created this post, I discovered that I prefer Heat N Bond Lite when sewing and Heat N Bond Ultra when not sewing. If the Heat N Bond Lite doesn’t work for you, I would still try the Wonder Under. It’s really really thin, so you shouldn’t have a problem with that. I found that when using the freezer paper method, you have to get the iron pretty hot to really get it to stick to the felt. Make sure you are using wool or wool blend (not acrylic) felt. Maybe do some experimenting by cutting right after ironing or waiting a bit until the felt has cooled. I’m not sure, but that might make a difference. I had varying results when using freezer paper. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.
I tried this with the settings you suggested, and the blade barely scratched the surface of the felt. I am so frustrated – I have so many great ideas and I just end up wrestling with the Silhouette every single time. What am I doing wrong? :((
I’ve found that the most important factor is the type of felt you are using. A wool/rayon blend is going to give you much better results than acrylic. I made a second post/video that explains. Also, make sure you are adjusting the blade itself by taking it out and turning it. They just came out with a deep cut blade that I am really excited to try, so that might be an option as well. Sorry you are frustrated. I am part of a Silhouette Facebook group that is full of knowledgeable and helpful Silhouette users. Let me know if you want to join it, and I’ll send you the information.
Hi great tutorial i am venturing into the realms of felt cutting so this is great for me
Thank you
Jan
Thanks Jan! Glad you like it!
WAS ABOUT TO PULL HAIR OUT AND I SAW YOUR WEBSITE….THANKS MUCHO! š
Great tutorial! Thank you so much! Have you tried cutting the rectangular felt you get from the craft store? If so, what were your results.
Where do you get your wool blend felt?
I list some different retailers on the bottom of this post: http://www.cutesycrafts.com/2012/12/felt.html. You can contact the manufacturer for a full list.
Just so you know. There is no difference in the fabric and regular blade. Silhouette uses the blue casing is only used so that the user knows which one s/he has used on fabric. The blades themselves are no different.
Yep, you’re right. No difference.
Hi There, I love this Helpful Blog. Question I usually shop at my favorite Craft Store Hobby Lobby. I see that they have Wonder Under but several different kinds such as INT. Heavy Duty White Wonder Under, Medium etc. Which one is the one you use? You can check it out at the Hobby Lobby website also to steer me in the right direction. where would I find the wool blend felt? I have Joanne’s and Micheals in my are as well!
Thanks!
Oh yeah. They have it labeled weird. I think it’s this one http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/int-805-reg-wonder-under-502278/. It’s called Pellon 805. You can read about the felt that I use here: http://www.cutesycrafts.com/2012/12/felt.html. The bottom lists buying options. My Joanns has a very limited color selection of it. You can also buy it online from several places. You can go to woolfelt.com to find a full list of retailers and see the colors. You will probably have the best luck with their 80/20 blend.
Great job with your video! I thought you were fabulous and I’m so thankful that you shared how to cut felt with a Cameo! I love felt and would love to give this a try! Thank you very much for sharing!!!
Thanks so much Ruth! Felt is the best!
Thank you for showing us that it is possible to cut felt with the silhouette! I’m going to try this tomorrow. 5 haters? Unbelievable! You get five thumbs up from me!
Hahaha! Thanks Michelle! Hope it works for you!
I have a question! Is the Wonder Under used just so you can easily applique the felt after you have cut it, or do you use it as a barrier to prevent the little fibers from the felt from sticking to the mat?
I guess I’m just wondering how necessary it is to use it if I’m not going to be appliqueing the felt to anything.
It helps the felt stick to the mat so it doesn’t just bunch up when the blade hits it. I have never tried it without the Wonder Under on the back, so it might be worth trying. You can always wash your mat in soapy water to get the felt fibers off. I also had someone message me saying that ironing freezer paper onto the back of the felt worked. Then you can just peel it off after. It’s on my list of things to try. š
Thanks for this post!! I had heard that the Silhouette can’t cut felt so it was nice to actually see how well it does cut it.
You’re welcome!
Thanks for posting this. I have seen it mentioned several times to not cut felt as Silhouette people said it voids your warranty. No clue where. I really want to try this though as I want to use it to cut out felt clippie embroidery designs.
Great video! Thank you!
I think I remember reading that in some forum somewhere. I’ve never heard it from Silhouette itself. It was worth it for me though, especially since I was using it to make money.
Jessica, thank you so much for this tutorial! I am a more visual person as I was a little nervous about cutting felt. Do you recommend the 20% wool/80% rayon or the 35/65?
You’re welcome! I use either blend depending on what color I want. I don’t really notice a big difference between the two. They are both great!
I appreciate your quick response š
hi Jessica, just got a quick question.. what is the thickness of your felt? i’m looking at a 1mm or 3mm, what do you suggest??
The felt that I normally use says it’s about 2 mm thick, so I would go with the thinner one.
ok thanks for the advice ^___^
You’re welcome! š
Thanks for the great video. You did a great job for your first time! I was bummed that my new Silhouette couldn’t cut felt, but now that I see that it can, I’m totally going to do it. Appliqueing felt is one of my favorite things and doing it by hand is so tedious. I need to get a fabric blade though, I don’t have one of those yet.
Thanks Tina! The fabric blade is the same as the regular blade. It’s just a different color so you don’t mix them up. You just want one that hasn’t been used for paper. Just like you don’t want your sewing scissors used for paper.
Oh, thanks Jessica! I didn’t realize. I might already have a second blade that I could use. I will need to check. I just got it a few months ago and am still trying to figure out how to use it. Excited to try it out though.
You’re welcome! I love my Cameo! So many uses. š
hello jessica, i saw your video tutorial and thats very interesting because i have a plan to buy silhouette machine to cut my felt. i just wanna ask do the pellon change felt to smooth texture, not stringy? and the parts that attach to the mat will be smooth? because we know that felt texture is stringy
It doesn’t make it completely smooth, but it definitely isn’t stringy like the felt is. No sure exactly how to describe it.
Where can you find the wool blend felt?
Great tutorial! I love making things with felt but cutting circles and alphabets drives me nuts. Even if I go though a lot more mats it will still be cheaper than investing in a bunch of dies for a manual machine.
Best crafty wishes!
Amber
Staying Crafty
I know! I hate cutting numbers and letters by hand! Glad you found it useful.
You’re awesome, Jessica!! I’m also a member of Lauren’s Silhouette Challenge but I actually found this tutorial through google. Thank you so much for this great tutorial!
I searched for how to do this and couldn’t find it anywhere! Pinned for later! Thanks so much!! Found you at the On Display Monday Link Party. I am now following you! http://www.leahinspired.com
Glad I could help! š
Oh the things that I could do if I had a silhouette. I should be saying this to my husband! Thanks for stopping by and linking up to Fluster Buster’s Creative Muster Party! Looking forward to seeing what you’re going to link up next week.
Robin @ Fluster Buster
This looks awesome!!! We would love it if you would link up at our linky party:
http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/two-girls-and-a-party-link-up-22/
Live every Wednesday to Sunday.
Hosted by:
http://www.lifewiththecrustcutoff.com/ Parrish @ Life with the Crust Cut Off
http://thissillygirlslife.com/ Dana @ This Silly Girl’s Life
We hope to see you there!
Holy awesomeness, Batman! This is even cooler than I imagined. Thank you so much for venturing into uncharted waters and making a video. As a visual person who loves seeing a project in action, this helped a TON. Off to tell my friend about it who asked if the Cameo could cut felt. Also, pinning this to share with my Silhouette board followers!
Warmly,
Lauren
The Thinking Closet
Thanks Lauren!