Using a Cricut to Cut Out Stencils

Hello everyone! Today I thought I would share with you how to cut out your own stencil using a Cricut machine. I love using stencils to create a background for my cards. A few months ago, I had bought some stamps from The Ton and noticed they have a digital section to their store. The store carries 6×6 stencils as SVG files which you can purchase, download, and load into your electronic cutting machine. I own a Cricut explore air 2 but these stencils will work with any machine that cuts SVG files.

While it may seem daunting to do this, it’s actually very easy! You will need a good quality stencil material. I was able to buy the material from Amazon for a decent price, and I have listed it in the supply section below. This material was also recommended by the owner of The Ton Stamps in one of her YouTube videos. I have had good luck with this material in my Cricut.

One thing to note is the overall stencil material is 12×12. While technically you should be able to cut out four 6×6 standard size stencils, you cannot. This is because when you go to cut the file, the Cricut creates a small border around it by default. So, the only way to get most of your material is to resize the stencil to a slightly smaller size. When you do this, however, just be aware that you will slightly shrink the size of what you are cutting out. You will have to decide what works best for you. For this stencil, I wanted to maintain the size of the stars so I sacrificed some of my material. I know for some of them, this will not matter so I will be able to use up the rest of the material without any issues.

The manufacture of these stencils actually recommends the settings for all the machines on the product page. Here are the instructions for the Cricut Explore Air 2:

1. Once you have downloaded the purchased SVG, upload it into Cricut design space
2. Size the stencil to your liking and click on make it
3. When you are ready to cut, turn the dial on your machine to custom materials
4. The first thing you will see is to set your material, on the right you will see browse all materials, click on this
5. Scroll down and find Transparency, click on this but don’t hit done
6. On the left, you will see Material Settings, click on this
7. Scroll down and find Transparency, click the Edit button
8. Change your pressure to 330, the number of passes to 2x, and blade type to fine point blade.
9. Click Save and hit Done
10. Your material will now appear.
11. Load your mat and begin your cut.
12. When the machine is done cutting, remove your mat and carefully pull up the stencil

I highly recommend you make sure your stencil material is secured down properly on the mat so it will not move during the cutting process. I applied a bit of washi tape to secure it down because my cutting mat has become less sticky over time!

Making stencils with your electronic cutting machine is a good way to customize what you are looking for and save some money! There are many shops on Etsy that also sell SVG cut files for stencils so do a little search to see if they may have what you are looking for.

How I made this card

To make this card, I cut out a piece of white cardstock with a stitched rectangle die. I placed my stencil over the rectangle and blended distress oxide over the stars in various colors. Then I set it aside to dry. Next, I cut a circle out of white cardstock using a stitched circle die. I also cut out a scalloped circle slightly bigger than the stitched circle using silver glitter cardstock. I decided I wanted the sentiments to be curved along the top and bottom of the circle, so I gently curved them as I placed them on a stamp block. Once everything was stamped out, I colored the images in with Copic markers. I glued the stitched rectangle onto A2 sized pink colored cardstock and popped up the stitched circle with some foam tape. To finish the card, I attached everything to an A2 size side folding notecard.

Materials used for this card

• The Ton Stars All Over digital SVG cut file
• KOMIWOO 10 Pack 6il Blank Stencil Masking Sheets 12×12 in
• Cricut Explore Air 2
• Lawn Fawn A Little Sparkle Stamp set
• Lawn Fawn Outside In Stitched Circle Dies
• Lawn Fawn Outside In Stitched Rectangle Dies
• Pretty Pink Posh Hugs Shaker
• Waffle Flower A2 Layers Die
• Distress Oxide Ink (Peacock Feathers, Cracked Pistachio, Scattered Straw, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick)
• Copic Markers (RV21, RV23, BG11, BG12)
• Ohuhu Brush Tip markers (G8, Y1)
• Prismacolor Pencils (PC914, PC928)
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
• Versafine Black Onyx Ink
• Pretty Pink Posh Party Mix
• Scotch Foam Tape
• Art Glitter Glue
• 80lb and 100lb Neenah Solar White cardstock
• Pink card stock – Recollections brand from Michaels