My adventure with cutting dies began in 2012, shortly after discovering my passion for cardmaking and scrapbooking. In 2014, I launched a new scrap brand - Craft Passion - and cutting dies created according to my and our Design Team ideas appeared on the market. I look at each new pattern carefully, test it, and cut many times on different papers. You know, that, I cut one of the first doilies in the Craft Passion offer, an doily lace, over 200 times before it went to sale? And then about 300 times to check its durability. It was in 2015, I used the doily many times and I still cut to this day. Based on several years of experience, I prepared a post with instructions and tips on working with dies!

Are you just discovering the world of scrapbooking and cardmaking and starting to use cutting dies? I'm sure you have a lot of questions about them. Or maybe you have been using them for several years and want to systematize your knowledge? Be sure to read my post and cutting with dies will become easier. 

What are cutting dies used for?

Creative cutting dies by Craft Passion are intended for cutting out patterns primarily from paper. The resulting cut out elements, the so-called cutouts are used to create greeting cards, invitations, exploding boxes, albums, flowers, they are used in scrapbooking and other forms of paper handicrafts. Dies with patterns of flowers and leaves can also be used to cut out foam, e.g. foamiran, thin felt, stiffened cotton fabric.

Craft Passion cutting dies are made of thin metal, each is in the shape of a given pattern and has holes to facilitate removal of the cutout. If a given die consists of more than one element, these elements are connected to each other with thin metal connectors.

Craft Passion cutting die patterns are created according to my ideas and design team,
they are well-thought-out, refined and certainly unique.


What is needed to use dies?
Briefly about machines and paper.

Craft Passion cutting dies are compatible with popular cutting and embossing machines. How does the machine work? The cutting die with paper placed between dedicated cutting pads is moved using a hand crank or electric engine between rollers, which results in cutting out the element. There are machines from various companies and in various sizes on the market. In Poland, the most popular are manual machines with a crank, with an A5 working surface, but there are also machines with a smaller working surface of approx. 7x15 cm and larger ones, approx. A4 and approx. 30x30 cm.

The cutting dies can cut out paper up to 300 g/m2 thick, but the best results and the most beautiful cutouts will be when cutting out paper with a thickness of 180-250 g/m2. For cutting, I recommend scrapbooking papers and cardstock, including smooth, textured, metalized, as well as mirror and ecological so-called kraft papers. You can also use the dies to cut out foam (e.g. foamiran), thin felt and stiffened cotton fabric.

Instructions and tips for cutting with dies.
(based on the example of the Sizzix Big Shot razor with A5 plates).

 1.
Elements of the dies in the sets, e.g. banners with the alphabet, are connected to each other with thin connectors. Before using the die, separate the elements by cutting the connectors with pliers. For safety and convenience of use, I recommend cutting off the remains of the connectors and filing down any sharp places.

 2.
Place the die between the cutting pads with the knives side up, so that the die's knives are closer to the machine roller. That is, place the first cutting pad on the machine platform, then place the die with the knives side up, place the paper on it and cover the whole with the second cutting pad.

3.
Place dies with oblong patterns, e.g. inscriptions, banners, twigs, with their longer sides along the cutting pad. The fewer cutting knives pass between the rollers at a time, the more effective the cutting is.

4.
Place rectangular, square, etc. cutting dies on the cutting pad at an angle to the rollers. The cutting die should not be placed with its blades parallel to the rollers. By arranging such cutting dies parallel to the rollers, the machines create too much resistance when the parallel part is to pass between the rollers, and additionally, there are too many knives between the rollers at the same time, which makes effective cutting difficult. Check for yourself by placing the same die parallel and then at an angle.

5.
Cutting dies with a large number of details, which means large number of knives, e.g. doilies, frames, borders, twigs with a lot of leaves and swirls, may require passing the "sandwich" through the machine several times. Sometimes, between passes through the machine, it is necessary to open the "sandwich" and rotate the die with the paper by 90o.

 6.
Dies with many details may require placing a "sandwich" of a thin sheet of paper folded in half on top to increase pressure. Some machines have the ability to adjust the pressure.

7.
Do not cut more than one layer of paper at one time.

8.
When cutting out e.g. flowers, leaves and other simple patterns in foamiran (Iranian foam), you can cut in several layers at one time. For dies with a solid inside (with a plate), I recommend 4 layers ang for dies that are empty inside (without a plate), I recommend up to 6 layers. Pass the die with the foam through the machine only once (it is enough), this will prevent the foam from moving and cutting it again.

9.
To prevent the die from moving while cutting, I recommend sticking the die to the paper using protective paper tape or washi tape. These tapes have an adhesive strong enough to keep the die in place, but also weak enough that the cutout should not be damaged when gently peeling them off. This method is helpful when you need to rotate the die with the cutout between the first and second pass of the "sandwich" through the machine. It is also useful when cutting out pictures and printed inscriptions, as well as single letters arranged in an inscription when we want to cut out several of the same inscriptions.

10.
Simple patterns, i.e. those that do not contain details or have few of them, can be arranged for convenience with a knife downwards, in the following order: platform, cutting pad, paper, die cut with a knife downwards, cutting pad.

11.
After using the die for many, many times, it may be difficult to remove the cutout from the die, which  is normal. Then place stretch foil (thin, transparent foil) between the die and the paper. Thanks to this, you can easily remove the cutout from the die, and it does not make cutting difficult.

12.
After each use of the die, remove the cutout and other paper elements. Do not cut again if there is paper left in the die. Elements left behind make it difficult to cut again. If you're done creating and don't plan on using the die that day, don't leave it with any leftover paper.

13.
Store the cutting dies in their original packaging, in a binder or on magnetic mats (glued with e.g. thick cardboard). Avoid storing loose items, e.g. in a box, as this causes various damage to the knives.

EXTRA - Tips on using scrapbooking machines
(based on the Sizzix Big Shot machine with A5 plates).

1.
Each machine has its own manual, which you should read in order to use its capabilities and cut and emboss effectively.

2.
The cutting pads between which you place the die with paper are used to receive the knife blades, and as a result, the pattern of the die is visible on the cutting pad.

3.
Place the dies in various places on the cutting pad, not just in the middle. The cutting pad will wear evenly, which will extend its use.

4.
The cutting pads, especially the upper one, become deformed, i.e. bulge, this is completely normal. To prevent excessive bulging and possible cracking, remember to turn upside down the cutting pads, especially the upper one, after each time the sandwich is passed through the machine. You can turn the bottom cutting pad less often than the top, but every time you see it starting to distort.

5.
After you finish working with the machine, assemble the "sandwich" without the cutting die and paper and insert it into the machine.

6.
You can buy accesories for some machines, e.g. emboss and transfer set for embossing or magnetic pads, that prevent the die from moving during cutting.

7.
Some machines have adjustable pressure. If, like me, you have a machine without options and you need to increase the pressure, place thin sheet of paper folded in half on top of the sandwich (start with one, but if you feel too much resistance when trying to cut, do not force the "sandwich" through).

I hope that this article will be helpful, dispel any doubts and facilitate the use of dies. However, if you need help with any issue, please write to me at info@craftpassion.pl .

The above article concerns Craft Passion cutting dies,
but it will work with many other thin metal dies.