How to Wrap Text Around Complex or Multi-Piece Design

Today I'm going to share a little trick on converting text to path when the design involves multiple pieces.   I'm often asked how I know so much about how Silhouette and Silhouette Studio. The simple fact is I use it daily and I play around with it. This is one of those things I figured out just while trying to create a design. I'm sure it's not the only solution for this problem, heck, I don't even know if it's the 'right' way to do it - but it worked for me and so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

 

I was creating a set of Pear mason jar mugs for a friend and her husband who live in 'Pear Country'.  I wanted to put the saying 'a great pear' under the two pears.  I wanted the text curved under the two pears.   Curving text around an object is called 'Text to Path'.  I've gone over it extensively here and here and here.
But as you can see, in this instance since I'm trying to curve around two designs the text to path is getting all jumbled up.

Grouping the pears together and creating a large offset around them and then putting the text on that path was my first thought.  It started off well...

 ...but then things went sour when I pulled the text down away from the pears for better spacing.





On to Plan C which was to create an oval around the pears for the sole purpose of the text.   I used the Draw an Ellipse tool to draw the circle.

I found it easier to work when I moved the circle away form the pears.  Once I did that I double clicked on the text to get the green box and the circle with the directional arrow. Then I could draw the text onto the bottom portion of the circle.

Yay! Finally!

If I move the text at this point, it will go back into a straight line. So before I move it back under the pears, I need to Convert to Path. With the text selected  > right click > convert to path.

Now the the text has been converted to a path, you can freely move the text away from the oval (delete the oval) and into position under the pears.

Because you used the pears to help draw the correct size oval, the curved text fits nicely around the bottom of the pears.  If you're cutting on separate color vinyls and are nervous about getting the placement correct after cutting, you can add registration marks and layer that way. For this design, I honestly just 'eyeballed it'.

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