Foil Quill Transfer Sheets: Avoid Foil Quill Skips

If your Foil Quill skips while it's foiling with your Silhouette CAMEO - I'm sharing a trick today that will help you avoid skipping! 

One of the reasons you may be having skipping issues with Foil Quill is because the foil transfer sheet isn't smooth which can results in areas of missed foil.  In this Silhouette Foil Quill tutorial I'll show you one easy way to get your foil to lay flat! 

To achieve excellent results, the foil sheet needs to lay very smoothly over the cardstock (or other surface you're foiling), without lumps, bumps, or wrinkles in the foil. Easier said than done right?! 

There are several ways to secure the Foil Quill transfer sheets over the paper or vinyl when you are using the Foil Quill.  You can use washi tape, the WRMK magnetic mat, even stick the foil directly to the cutting mat. 

You can also use temporary spray adhesive to adhere the foil to your project while you foil with the Silhouette CAMEO.

How to Use Spray Adhesive with Foil Quill Transfer Sheets

The thinking behind this hack is to apply spray adhesive around the edges of the area to be foiled - not in the project area itself. 

The spray adhesive holds the foil to the cardstock while foiling instead of being held in place by washi tape, magnets, and without the foil sticking to your cutting mat - each which have their own pros and cons.

The biggest risk when using spray adhesive is you can accidentally apply spray adhesive to areas where you don't want adhesive -like on the project area, your work surface, or your Silhouette CAMEO machine (yikes!). 

Protect Areas From Overspray

To control the application of the spray adhesive cover up the areas you don't want covered in glue!     

Arrange cardstock scraps (or anything you don't mind getting glue on) over and around the project area. Be sure to cover up the entire area that will hold the design.

You can also use a cardboard box to place behind your project to provide further protection to your machine (and even yourself!) from getting adhesive on it.

I would HIGHLY recommend you do this away from your Silhouette machine to avoid any overspray. 

Apply Spray Adhesive

Since you're eventually going to remove the foil, repositionable adhesive works well. 

Aim the nozzle around the edge of the area to be foiled - the scraps of cardstock and cardboard will protect your project area and other surfaces from getting glue on them. And you really don't need to spray very much glue.

Apply a Foil Quill Transfer Sheet

Remove the protective scraps and position the corner of a piece of foil to the edge of the glued area. (Admittedly it is easier to apply the foil before you place the cutting mat into your Silhouette machine.)

Use your finger or a brayer to smooth it down over the cardstock, pulling the foil taut.  You want the heat activated foil as smooth as possible - this is how you stop your foil quill skipping areas.   

Secure any loose edges with washi tape, though you may not have any if you applied the spray adhesive around all sides of the project area to be foiled.

Now you're ready to start foiling. 

I am using this beautiful single line floral design from the Single Line Fonts and Design Bundle at So Fontsy.  The single line designs and fonts are perfect using with Foil Quill and sketch pens because they create a single line image rather than an outline like a traditional cut file. 

If you're new to using Foil Quill with Silhouette, you can find the Silhouette foil quill settings for the Cameo 4 in this blog post. 

When the foiling is done, unload the Silhouette cutting mat and peel up the foil. 

The heat activated foil has been applied to the paper..and it's stunning! 

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!

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