Crafting | Die-cutting Felt: The Great Experiment

I love my Silhouette Digital Cutter very much, but it does not cut felt or thicker materials like chipboard.  So recently I got myself a Sizzix Big Shot on sale, so that I can die-cut some extra thick cardstock, felt, cork, chipboard, etc. 

Since my Silhouette can cut any shape I design, any font on my computer, and I have thousands of shapes, I only want to purchase dies for the Big Shot if the shapes are very versatile or classic, and if I want to cut other thicker materials with them.  So the first set of dies that I bought are the 1.75 inch “Limitless Layers Collection” from Papertrey Ink. 

Now comes the big die-cutting experiment where I try to cut economical felt from Michaels versus the 100% wool felt from Papertrey Ink.  :) I purchased the economical felt from Michaels months ago.  They are the “Creatology” brand and are 9” x 12” each.  They are made from 100% Eco-fi, a high quality polyester fiber made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. 


I had heard that 100% wool felt is much easier to die-cut cleanly than acrylic or polyester felt, so I purchased some 100% wool felt from Papertrey Ink.

The 100% wool felt is much thicker and more dense than the acrylic felt from Michaels.


First I set out to die-cut the Michaels acrylic felt to see how that would go.  The “sandwich” for the Sizzix Big Shot was as follows (from bottom to top):

1) Multi-purpose platform, all tabs down
2) Glass mat #1
3) Papertrey Ink dies, cut side up
4) Felt
5) Glass mat #2

I rolled that through the machine twice (back and then forth). 

The red felt from Michaels cut ok, I was able to fully remove the shape.  The green felt from Michaels didn’t cut all the way through in some areas and I had to use scissors to cut them loose.  It made my green felt shape less precise and the shape did not have a good sharp-cut edge.

Next I cut a piece of brown Michaels acrylic felt with the same “sandwich” configuration as above, and that one had a ton of places where the felt was still connected and I could not remove the shape from the rest of the felt.


Next I used the 100% wool felt from Papertrey Ink and I used the exact same “sandwich” configuration as above.  I rolled it through the machine twice (back and forth). 
As soon as I removed the felt from the machine, they were already cut cleanly and I could remove the shapes without using my scissors!


See the difference?  The left felt is Michaels acrylic felt and the right felt is 100% wool Papertrey Ink felt.


After this result, I got to thinking… why didn’t the acrylic felt cut all the way through every time?  From touch and sight, I could tell the acrylic felt is thinner and less dense than the 100% wool felt.  What if I engineered a die-cut sandwich configuration that was just slightly thicker/tighter so that when I roll it through the Big Shot, the felt would be squeezed against the die even more, so that the cut is cleaner?  So I experimented with a NEW sandwich configuration.

1) Multi-purpose platform, all tabs down
2) Glass mat #1
3) Felt
4) Papertrey Ink dies, cut side down
5) Piece of scrap cardstock
6) Glass mat #2

So the difference between this sandwich configuration and the first one is that I put the felt down first, then the dies with the cut side down, onto the felt.  Also, I added a piece of cardstock on top of that to make the sandwich tighter.

So what happened when I rolled the Michaels acrylic felt through the machine?  It cut the acrylic felt cleanly too!

I was able to remove the shapes fully without having to scissor cut anything!

I am super-happy with the results of The Great Felt Die-Cutting Experiment!  I love the 100% wool felt for its thickness and density, how it feels in my hand, and how it cuts so cleanly in the Sizzix Big Shot.  But the 100% wool felt is a lot more expensive than the polyester acrylic felt that you can buy by the sheet at Michaels.  I’m so happy that with some experiment and ingenuity, I was able to get my Big Shot to cut the acrylic felt cleanly too!  Yaaaaaay!  :D

Supplies used:

InLinkz.com