Cutting felt with a hobby plotter is not difficult at all, but I want to share my tips for success with you, in case you struggle.
- Use a proper sticky mat: don’t use the low-stick mat. A higher-rate sticky mat works better with felt. If the stickiness reduces, you can apply spray glue to make it stickier again. Too sticky? Use wet wipes and gently tap the surface to get the desired adhesion. Don’t forget to clean the mat after using it for felt, because some fibers will stick to the mat and reduce it’s usefulness.
- Clean the mat properly after each change of material. I got some glue stains on my felt, which I could have prevented by properly cleaning. Don’t be like me!
- Tape it down with painter’s tape: here, low quality will do. Taping down four sides (keep the entry-side of the mat free of tape, else the machine can’t read the mat!) is needed to ensure adhesion. Skipping this step can mess up your felt pretty badly and get it stuck in the machine.
- Set the lever on the side to 2: raise the knife a bit, so the mat with the material will fit underneath.
- Set the machine to full cut: or else you have to do the rest yourself. Which is kinda missing the point.
- Use these settings for your test: Cut Speed = 1 and Cut Pressure = 5
- Do a test cut! All felts are different and the test is to make sure you get the desired results.
Keep on crafting!
Amirine