Silhouette Savvy – Creating compound designs

Hello everyone!,

Nathalie here, I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful weather, and using the extra daylight to create beautiful projects.

For this tutorial – and continuing with the Silhouette Savvy series -, we will be exploring how to create a compound design by welding shapes together using the Silhouette Studio program.   For this project we will be using the new cut file, “Camp Glamp”, designed by the Cut Shoppe, and available for free at the Scrapbook Nerd store.

Many times when we look at a cut file, most of us only think on how the single image would fit into a project.  However, by following a few steps, the single image can be transformed to fit your project’s needs, and create a new unique cut file.

The heart image of  the cut file was multiplied two times  to create a new cut-file of three linked hearts.  Here is a small video on how the cut-out was created on Silhouette Studio by welding images together (this process can be applied to any cut file shape):

I hope you enjoyed the video; just in case you missed a step, I am adding a small point form list of the procedure steps:

1. Trace the shape / shapes that will be used on the project  (for more information on how to trace an image, please refer to the previous Silhouette Savvy tutorial).  Make sure that each shape is traced individually.
2. Select each individual image, highlight the individual image, select modify (or right button click on the mouse), then select Make Compound Path
3. Repeat step 2 for each  shape that will be joined/ welded on the design.
4. Arrange the images, to your liking, making sure that the edges that will be welded together either overlap, or are touching together.  Images will be welded, only if they are touching.
5. Select all the shapes that will be welded (they will all be highlighted), select modify (or right button click on the mouse), then select Weld.
6. Now the image is ready to be cut.

By following these steps, you will be able to create new cut files from your existing images and cut files, like the one i have created for this project.

I chose to back the cut out with some vellum (just behind the word Create), and color the letter space with gold paint.  To create the mat behind the cut-out, i used watercolor on a gessoed yellow cardstock.   Once i glued the background, I used different embroidery thread to hand stitch the edge of the cut-out.

a close up to the details in the heart cut-out..

Finally I added my picture, ephemera, and a few butterfly cut-outs all around the page.  Here is the final layout created with this welded image.

the completed layout

I hope this serves as inspiration to use cut-files in a new way.   Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the “Camp Glamp” cut file,  it is available for free at the store.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions about the layout, or if you are having issues with the welding process on your Silhouette program.   Also let me know if there is something you will like to learn about your Silhouette and its software.

See you soon!!

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Maggie Holmes – Bloom – Ephemera pack 50/pcs

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