Way back in April I made some coasters with a vinyl design on them, as a gift, that you all went wild about on Instagram...I got tons of questions about how I designed the home 'state' design. The Silhouette tutorial has been on my to do list for months now...but fortunately for you Silhouette School contributors Becky and Glenna from My Paper Craze had the same idea and are here today to explain exactly how to design your own home state design in Silhouette Studio!
We love finding crafts that represent our home state when we travel. We have a trip coming up in November (All Things Silhouette Conference...of course!) and wanted to get a head start on some crafty apparel! One craft that I've been seeing around lately is combining state outlines and letters, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Here's the tutorial on how to make one for yourself!
First, select your shape. In this case, we're using the beautiful state of Florida. This little trick for finding state outlines in a hurry by Melissa is a great Silhouette hack!
Next, type the text you want to appear in the shape border (in this case, "home") and size it appropriately (the font we used is KG Eyes Wide Open).
WELD your text, if needed for a cursive font. Also GROUP, if needed, after welding.
If your text ("home") is on the thinner side, go ahead and create another offset to thicken up the lines a little.
If you have a solid shape border around the state, create an offset similar in width to your text width. You want the flow to look natural, if that makes any sense. Select the shape (Florida) and offset and MAKE A COMPOUND PATH. (Do not include the text in the compound path.)
Now select both your shape and text, create a copy and set off to the side. We recommend this for any modifications in the event you need to start over (the struggle is real!).
Now, with your shape and text in place, select both and open the Modify menu. Click SUBTRACT. This should separate the word shape from the outline of the shape. Delete any stragglers.
Now here's the tricky part. Make another copy of your text from the original you moved off to the side (you can never have enough copies). Insert the text into the opening in your shape outline.
Open the Edit Points menu (you can double-click on the shape). Move the end points so that the shape outline overlaps with the text. Repeat for the other side.
Select the shape (Florida) and the text ("home") and WELD the design together to create one endless line.
So this is the finished product.
Once you play around with it for a little, you'll be ready to make all kinds of variations.
Hop on over to our blog, My Paper Craze, to see the awesome Florida Home Shirt we put together with this cut file and to download a free copy for yourself! See you soon!
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!
Thanks for coming to class today at Silhouette School. If you like what you see, I'd love for you to pin it!
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I love this design! I followed your directions and was able to do this. My question is how did you do the Florida shirt with the heart? That looks a little different. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi there! So glad it worked for you! I did the heart the same way that I did the text. I used a heart I already had (or you can trace one), created an offset of similar width, made a copy of course, then subtracted the heart from the shape and welded it together. If you need the heart for the inside, you just do another internal offset once the design is completed.
DeleteThank you for the tutorial! How do I fill the state in with color leaving a gap between the color and state line like you did above with Florida? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteOnce you have the outline shape done, make sure it's all grouped together, then do an internal offset. You can adjust the space in between in the offset window!
DeleteHow did you get the state to fill with color? I have tried many things and can't figure it out. Thank you!
DeleteTHANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH, I can't wait to get started
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH, I can't wait to get started
ReplyDeleteWhy is it when I get to the part to delete the stragglers they won't delete. I'm so frustrated right now. It seems so simple but it just won't delete for me
ReplyDeleteI tried following this with a different shape that didn't need offsetting - or I didn't think it did - do you have to offset any shape and make compound path? I tried subtracting and it subtracted both text and shape only leaving this little tiny piece! Help please... :)
ReplyDeleteDo you mind sharing what font was used for the Oregon Home coasters. It is a really neat font.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. I need help with one minor detail. I have the heart on my map for our hometown in Georgia. I have offset it and welded it, but when I go to weld the whole thing together, I lose the small heart. Why is that? How can I get it to stay or should I not worry about it? Maybe just make it another color......? And learn how to do that? I tried Select All and still I lose the small heart. It amazing to me that the Silhouette community has learned so many tricks with this great program. Happy New Year!
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