Scalloped Ribbon - a quick explanation

I thought I'd do a quick post tonight to give a little more information about designing scalloped ribbon.  I had several people asking for help when they tried to create their own file for the scalloped ribbon on the card I posted yesterday. It is always a good idea to download the file and look at it, even if you don't have the cartridges that I used.  You may see that you can substitute a similar shape from a cartridge that you do own.

(If any of the screen shots are too small for you to read, just click on the image to see a large version)

There are lots of ways to create scalloped edges and borders in Design Studio.  You can work with circles and rectangles but it is faster and easier to use a shape that already has several scallops combined.  I used this rectangle from the Storybook cartridge for my ribbon.

It is important to keep all of the shapes in one group in order to be able to copy and paste and adjust the group as a unit.  Set the slider bar to one inch (the smallest size that you can set on the default size bar).  Then add as many items as you need to come close to your desired final measurement.

Next, click on a line of the second image and use the nudge arrows to move it to the left, aligning the scallops for a perfect overlap.

Continue to select and nudge the shapes until they are all overlapped.  Then check weld while the group is still selected (has the "handles" around it).

If you click on the eye to preview the image it will look like this.  The dark lines are the lines that will cut - the pale lines show some of the original shape sides that will not cut.

It is easier to visualize your final cut if you open a blank page in the file and view the preview from that page (the non-cutting lines will not show).

If you have not checked weld the preview will show in color.  This can be helpful in visualizing your design (and it is also a warning sign that your items are not welded).  I often set up two pages - one with the design welded and one with no welding - so I can experiment with colors in the preview.

There is a scalloped square on the Storybook cartridge but I did not use this because there is a noticeable difference in the height of the scallops at the corners

This LINK will take you to a post where I explained in more detail about overlapping the scallops to form a large square with tiny scallops and a way to avoid the uneven scallops where the corners overlap.

Another way to make a scalloped edge is to start with a strip or border piece such as this one on the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge.  I recently posted a scalloped lace square using this image to create the border - here is a LINK to that post.

You can switch to the 12 x 24 mat to give yourself some more room to work on the design.  You will be resizing the design to make it fit a card so you will be able to cut it on the 6 x 12 mat.

 

If you nudge the first three images together you will create enough "breathing space" to add a fourth border piece while the group is selected. You can then proportionately resize it using the lower right handle.  The result was still a larger bump for the scallop than I wanted for my project.

By keeping the piece in one box, you can now copy and paste and rotate the strip to create an evenly aligned row of scallops on each side.  you need to add a rectangle sized to make the ribbon the width you want.

By turning off the weld and adding layers on separate pages you can create a color preview of your design.  Be sure to select your scallop strip and check weld again before cutting!

I hope that this help those of you who were having trouble - please leave a comment or send an email if you need any more help.  If you made the card with the file I shared yesterday, I'd love to see your version.

Scalloped Lace Square

This beautiful lace can be found on the Mother's Day mini cartridge.  The image on the cartridge has plain  edges.  A friend from the Cricut Message Board was have difficulty trying to add the scalloped edge. I put together a file and thought it would probably be helpful to others to show how to do this.  Remember, you can click on any of the images to see  a larger view.

The scalloped edge can be created quickly if you start with this element on the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge.  Start with the size at 1 inch (the smallest that can be set on the slider bar).

The lower image shows the shape as it is entered from the cartridge.  You need to switch your mat size to 12 x 24 in the program to allow enough space to add three of these in one selection box.

 

Here are the three sections as they will appear on the larger mat.

  

Use the nudge arrows to move the second and third sections to the left and overlap the scallops.  Be sure to check weld while the border is selected.

Then resize the border using the handle in the lower right to keep it in proportion.  After you have created the border you can copy and paste it three times, rotating each side to create a scalloped frame.

Pay attention to the corners to be sure that they are evenly aligned.

Once you have formed the frame preview the file - it will look like this.  If you want to create a blackout version of the design you can add a square to the center of the frame.  Be sure to check weld on the square.

If you add the square after the frame is complete and preview you will see something like this.  The weld is not working correctly but you can quickly fix it by copying, deleting and pasting back one of the borders.

This is how the correctly welded shape will appear in preview.  If you place three sides, then the square and then the fourth side border you will not need to "burp" the frame.

This is the lovely lace image on the Mother's Day cartridge.  

The same principle applies to adding the lace square inside the frame.  If you add it when the frame is complete you will need to "burp" the frame again.

After "burping" your framed lace will look like this.

I made a test cut of the design using this paper from SEI.  The Michael's store near me had it on sale for $4.00.  The paper is called Madeline and has lovely soft colors and lots of shimmer.  There is also some solid cardstock in the stack.

After cutting the lace, the outer edge of your 12 x 12 sheet of paper will look like this.  Notice that the sides are slightly uneven - this is due to the small discrepancy in the accuracy of placing the mat into the rollers.  Even though your cut is perfectly centered on the computer screen it will usually be a bit off center.

If you trim a little sliver (about 1/8 of an inch) from the two fatter sides you can use the frame on a plain 12 x 12 for another layout.

The full frame on a dark gray page from the stack.

Here is a closer view of the corner.

 

The paper has a beautiful sheen but it is tricky to photograph.

 

The background color makes a big difference in the overall look.

You can even layer the cut on a tiny overall print - this one is also from the same stack.

You could use the frame and the lace to make a two page layout.

This photo shows the shine of the paper a bit more clearly.

If you have welds that don't work out the way you pictured them you should always stop and think whether you may need to rebuild the design or "burp" a frame.  The order in which the elements are added to a design can make a difference in the final results. 

Scalloped Lace Full Page

Mysteriously and miraculously my computer decided to recognize my Cricut again today so that was a big relief!  I restarted the computer several times yesterday with no luck, but today when I turned on the computer and plugged in the mouse all was well - go figure!  Thanks for all of the help suggestions.

A quick Design Studio lesson for the frustrated....

I am leaving Saturday morning to take our son back to college.  I wish I could have made the trip to California for CHA but I am trying to be patient and wait for all of the new product information to start appearing on message boards and blogs.  I think there are a lot of great new things in store for us.

Provo Craft has posted a picture of the new Cricut Cake machine - here is a LINK to the page where you can sign up to receive more information when the machine is ready.  This machine is designed to cut designs in frosting for cake decorating.  You will be able to use it with any Cricut cartridge.  There is also a new Cake Basics cartridge that looks great but the link to the PDF of the handbook is not working right now.

Today's post is a little different.  I use the Design Studio software virtually every day and I have become very familiar with the "things that don't work the way you expect them to" and the "ways to get around the problem."  Lately, there have been a lot of people asking questions about how to do some of the slightly trickier things.

I made a file for a wagon wheel (actually a wheel for a pram) for a reader. I realized from a few other emails that even though I have done a video about "welding in a frame" and the need to "burp" the design, some people have trouble watching videos due to internet connection problems or they prefer something that can be printed out and referred to in hard copy.  With that in mind, I did a "words and pictures" explanation of all the steps it took to make the wheel.

Start with a silhouetted circle.  The George cartridge has many silhouetted shapes and I like it because the line is thinner than some of the others.  In this case, the request was for a 2 1/2 inch wheel so I set the slider bar at 2 1/2.  It is important to determine the finished size needed because you won't be able to "group" the components by keeping them in the same selection box since some of the pieces need to be resized and rotated.

Next, add a solid rectangle.  I chose the thinnest one available on the keypad.  You can see that it is much too thick to make a spoke in the wheel.

Move the rectangle over to the circle using the horizontal move handle at the center left.  Line up the left side with the inside of the circle.

Use the handle on the center right to narrow the rectangle to the same width as the line of the silhouetted circle.  You could make it even thinner if that is the look you want - I thought it looked best when the lines were even.

To be sure that the rectangle will stay within the outer edge of the circle, change the height to 2.3 inches in the Shape Properties box.  Click on the mat or press enter to make the change effective.

Next, move the rectangle to the center of the circle.  You can use the pale gray plus signs in the middle of the shapes as a guide to be sure that the circle and rectangle are perfectly centered.  If you have trouble seeing the plus signs, try using the 200 view.

Check the weld box for both the circle and the rectangle (click on the shape to make it active - the handles will show - and then check weld).

Add a new page to the file and then click the preview eyeball.  By previewing on a "clean page" you can see clearly the dark lines where the finished design will cut.

Here is the preview with the thin rectangle and the circle - the weld works perfectly.  Now you need to add the other spokes of the wheel.

Select the rectangle and click copy and then paste.

 

 Whenever you copy and past, the pasted image is placed in the exact position of the original image.  You can tell that there are two images by the slightly darker line.

 

While the pasted rectangle is still active (with the handles showing), click the 90 degree box in the Shape Properties box - this will quickly rotate the item selected exactly 90 degrees and is a very handy shortcut.

Click paste again to add another rectangle and then type 45 in the rotate box in the Shape Properties box.  This box allows you to set precise values for the rotation.

Finally, click paste one last time and then enter "-45" in the rotate box - this will turn the rectangle 45 degrees in the opposite direction so you will have the full wheel.

 

When you click preview and check the weld, you will discover that there is a problem - but there is an easy way to fix this.

The problem is created by the order in which the items were added to the design.  The program seems to read the shapes in the order they were added to the mat.  If you have only two items (a closed frame shape and one item inside)  there is no problem with the weld. When you add a third item inside the frame you need to work from the inside out to be sure that the welds will work properly.  It is generally easier to put your outer item on the mat to work with it and be sure that things line up properly.  Then you can do the simple "burping" fix to make the welds read correctly.

Select the outer circle and click copy, then delete and then paste.  The pasted object goes back to the mat in exactly the same position but it now has been added to the design after all of the other items.  Think of it as letting out the air that was trapped within the design.

Now your preview will look like this and you can cut your wheel.

Here is the final cut.  These are fairly quick to make, so if you need a set you can just create them over and over until you have enough.  It will be a great day for Design Studio users when the program is updated and allows you to "group" a set of shapes that contain individual shapes that have been rotated or otherwise changed.  This would allow you to then copy and paste the entire group as a unit!

I hope this was helpful to the new Design Studio users - for those of you who have already learned how to do this, maybe it was a good review.  If you are a person who actually prefers videos here is a LINK to the post with the "welding in a frame" video.  The example is different but the same principle applies to any items place inside a closed, outlined shape.

I'll be driving most of the day tomorrow so I won't be able to check comments or messages until late in the day.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment or email me and I will reply as soon as I can.