There is a really neat function in Design Space called the slice tool. It allows you to cut shapes into other shapes or text out of shapes. It’s easy to use and can make some really pro-looking designs out of a bunch of different materials.
Let’s look at a simple example. Imagine that you want to create a square with a heart cut out of it, maybe for a stencil for your furniture.
First of all, open up Design Space. Now it’s time to make your shapes. On your canvas, create a square, then create a heart. Drag the heart on top of the square to where you want it cut out from. If you want to see what it will look like when you slice, change the color of the heart to white.
Select both layers. You can either click shift or control/command and click both shapes or click and drag to select both shapes.
Be aware that the slice tool only works with two layers at once, so if you have more than two layers, you will need to ungroup the layers or you will need to hide them. If you don’t ungroup, the layers which are hidden will be removed when you use the slice tool and your design won’t come out how you want it.
Once you have your layers selected, click slice. You can then remove the heart shape from the top of the square and you will see that there is an imprint of the heart on the square, ready to drag out, leaving a heart-shaped hole in your square.
That’s just a simple example with shapes. You can also create more complex-looking designs, including slicing out text from a shape. You could cut the words “Happy Valentine’s Day” out of a heart shape to make a greeting’s card, or cut out someone’s name to create a vinyl sticker for personalising a coffee cup.
You can also use the slice tool on materials where you want to create a layered effect but where you can’t put another layer on top, for example, glitter iron-on. Instead you cut out a shape from another shape to create a layered effect.
So, enjoy using the simple but effective slice tool with your Cricut to make some gorgeous designs! Happy slicing!