Sewing patterns for artisan bag makers.
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Sewing patterns for artisan bag makers.
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About SVGs & SimpleArtfulStuff.com Patterns

 

While a full tutorial on using your cutting machine with SVGs for bag-making is outside the scope of this page, there are a few important things to share. Many of Simple Artful Stuff patterns have detail and small holes, cures and small/tight corners. This is worth the read to aid in successful cutting if you have a Cricut cutting machine. I don't have a Scan'nCUt, but will also share an issue known to Scan'nCut  that I've heard from others that do.

 

GENERAL: WHAT'S AN SVG AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW
An SVG is a "Vector" type-file used for cutting. The advantages of a vector format is that it can be resized without distorting the image. That's because an SVG does not have a set number of pixels that make up the "dots per inch" (aka dpi) embedded in the file instruction set. As a result your cutting software uses the SVG's outer lines and the "anchor" points, to tell the blade in your machine when to pivot and turn to cut out the shape.

GENERAL:  WHY CAN'T THE FILES JUST DOWNLOAD INDIVIDUALLY INSTEAD OF BEING IN A ZIP FILE?
The reason for this is typically two-old.  One is that platforms such as Shopify may automatically zip up the files, even when the designer uploads them individually. Or the designer may zip them up before uploading because the files sizes are large for some machines to accept as downloads.

CRICUT: SELECTING THE BEST BLADE FOR PRECISION HAS TRADE OFFS
[Should I use a blade that lifts and pivots for precision or one that drags and slides to penetrate thickness?)
Unfortunately, what Cricut does not always explain (unless you dig in to read) is that ONLY some of their blades are designed to cut with the necessary precision that allows you to properly cut small holes and tight curves that are less than 3/4." 

Patterns that have small and intricate inner cut outs (such as the rivet holes), or tight curves around a corner (such as in smaller pieces), may not cut well if a blade is designed to mostly "drag and slide" (such as the rotary or knife blade) versus the precision of "lifting and pivoting" to make a cut.  For this reason, the fine point blades (Premium Fine Point and Deep Point) are often a better choice for cutting patterns with detail. 

So what's the catch?  The trade off, however, is that the precision blades don't always cut thicker materials as well the Rotary, Knife or craft blades or any blade for the matter that mostly drags and slides to cut!  (Cricut states that their Rotary and Knife can cut up to 2.4mm thick but are not designed to cut shapes less than 3/4.") Thus the "Rotary" blade  is not always the best blade to use for smaller pattern pieces with smaller cutouts.
 

IN GENERAL: WHY DON'T THESE MACHINES CUT MANY OF MY BAG FABRICS?
The main market of the cutting machines are not sewers (who tend to use thicker materials) but rather paper crafters and the HTV and sublimation crowd.  

USING THE CUTTING MACHINE - MOSTLY RELATED TO CRICUT UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE

  1. Q1: GENERAL - Why is my SVG not working after download, and seems defective

    Possible Answers:      This is often caused by a few things.  One possible cause is that it is not uncommon to double-click on the file before it has fully downloaded, and/or sometimes glitches, irregulars or spikes in either the power current or internet thru-put is inconsistent and causes the file to become corrupt. 
  2. Q#2: SCAN'N CUT - Why are pieces moving around, over-lapping, or changing dimensions on my "Scan'nCut" machine workspace upon import?

    Possible Answer:       When the SVG artboard is larger than 12x12 and/or the items are not generously spaced apart,  Scan'n Cut is known to do two things:  re-size the dimensions upon import, and/or move things around.  With Scan'nCut it's a good idea to always use the scaling tile and also check the piece dimensions before cutting. You may need to to use the stated dimensions in the pattern to re-size the piece.
  3. Q#3: Why are inner cuts not staying put in my Cutting Software?
    Inner cuts (such as rivet holes, or inner cut lines or openings within a piece such zipper cut outs) are not staying within/attached to the piece, and instead moving around the canvas?   

    Possible Answer:  It means the designer may have chosen not to "unify" these cut out components to the piece to give you maximum editing flexibility instead. (A unified piece is know as a "compound path" if you want to get geeky!)  Moreover to keep a non-unified shape (aka individual "paths") together in place, in Cricut Design Space you must use the "attach" function in the layers panel.  (This function may have a different name in Scan'n Cut)

  4. Q#4: Why Aren't the Rivet Holes Cutting Out
    ...or only a small tear is being cut?

    Possible Answer: A non-precision blade (such as the rotary) is being used or the pressure setting needs to be upped, or the mat is not sticky enough. (This commonly happens with cork due to some backings. Use Transfer Paper.)

  5. Q#5: Why are my corners cutting wonky?
    ...or perhaps they are "bulbous" on this small piece?  

    Possible Answer:      It's a small piece/tight curves, and may be using a non-precision blade (such as the Rotary) or an auto blade that drags and slides more than it lifts and pivots to cut.  Or you mat is not sticky enough and your fabric is lifting and being dragged along with the blade instead of the blade cutting thru the fabric.

  6. Q5: Why is my fabric lifting or not staying put?

    Possible Answers:      Your mat may not be sticky enough, or your sides need to be taped down with masking tape.  A good solution for materials such as cork (which tends to shift) or leather (with fuzzy backgrounds), is to use Transfer Tape on the back of the material. Having Transfer Tape on hand and it is worth every cent you pay for it. It helps to keep the materials down in addition to increasing the longevity of your mat by keeping it cleaner.

 

FOR INNER CUTS THE PATTERN DESIGNER HAS A CHOICE - UNIFY OR NOT UNIFY

Designers have a choice whether or not to "unify" the individual components of a piece (such as rivet holes, inner cut lines, etc) into a piece (as "compound path) or not.  There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Advantages To Unification (Make it a Compound Path)
Benefit to User:  It's easier for the novice. It ensures the components will cut properly without chance of movement and thus errors.
Benefit to Designer:   The designer can limit editing functions either for proprietary reasons or to minimize getting questions from novice cutters who don't yet fully know how to use their software to modify items.

Disadvantages To Unification (Keep as Individual Paths)
Editing i the cutting software may be harder for some sewers. For example if you wanted to scale the piece but not the rivet holes or size of zipper opening, single paths enable this more easily. Or if you wanted to remove the rivet holes and not cut them, it requires more work from the sewer.

CRICUT:  WHAT SHOULD YOU USE FOR PATTERN PIECES THAT INCLUDE SMALL INNER CUTS
There is no simple answer because of all the variables --  the thickness of fabric, the freshness of your blade, the stickiness of your mat, and the needs of the specific piece to name a few.  However in general if I want to cut small holes or curves, I will always use  a precision blade such as fine point or deep cut blade first. In fact I rarely use the rotary or knife, and find the deep point works pretty well 

Testing Tip:
Select a small heart shape (free in Cricut Design Space) and scale it to no wider than 1.5" inch, and add a small rivet hole to the center. Start out by using a fine point (or auto blade) and see how well it cuts before you proceed to the rotary or knife blade.  


I mostly use the Premium Fine Point blade for non-woens, and also the Deep Point Blade for thicker materials such as (2oz) leather.  

If using a non-precision blade to cut thicker fabrics, consider cutting out only the outer shape and then using a cardstock template to manually mark and cut the smaller inner holes/rivet holes, etc.

If you can't cut your fabric due to thickness, instead cut out a cardstock template on your machine to trace and cut. Below are cardstrock settings I use on my Cricut to cut templates.

 

 

DID THIS HELP?
I know this was a long read. But hopefully this information has been helpful and worth reading.