Omg! Thank you so much! I was freaking out because I just moved and couldn't find the box with my mats! Now I can finish my sister-in-law's birthday present!
As long as you’re using vinyl with a thick enough backing paper and a standard point blade this is fine to do. If you have thinner backing paper and a sharper pointed needle it will tear through and break your blade.
Oh my goodness! I promised to make a gift for a friend months ago. I finally got around to making it, and it should have been so simple. I tried so many things, I wasted so much vinyl!! I was so angry!! And I just wanted to give up. then I came across your video!! This is amazing!!!!! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO much!!!!!!
You are welcome. We're so glad it helped and sorry to hear that you ruined so much vinyl in the process. Let us know if you have any additional questions. www.expressionsvinyl.com
Glad I found you! EV's videos are excellent...I just placed my first order with you as a 'thank you' for the excellent information; well worth it...The tips (no mat & weed box) are a time/$$$ saver, but what I took away most is when you 're-positioned your image' right before the cut and that's exactly where it cuts; EASY! There are vids out there showing to open shapes and to re-size square(s) in the upper left corner along with the image so the image will not seat in the 'defaulted' upper left corner (to save product); worked, but a time waster!!...Thank you, and look forward do doing business with EV and viewing more videos...
So glad to hear this helps. Just keep in mind, this can be used with any of the Explore family machines - Explore, Air, Air2, One. You will need the mat for the Maker.
Not sure why I hadn’t seen this before but it’s definitely one of the greatest discoveries for me. Add the weeding box tip on top of that too just made my day. Awesome! I’ve seen some of your other videos too and should have subscribed then but definitely doing it now.
I’m a newbie to the Cricut Community... Their are a lot of terms i am not familiar with yet. I know what weeding is... Why did u choose to do the “weeding box” and what does it do/ what is the main purpose for it??? It looks really, really cool and I wanna try it!! Thank u soooooo much for sharing! I love ur videos! I have learned quite a lot from u... Especially, this specific tutorial!!!!! NO MAT!!!!! Yesssss! Lol
Lauren Monroe I know this is an old comment, but I do hope you’ve tried vinyl now. It cuts like a DREAM. Way better than many papers. I’ve had so much paper rip on me. The blade just slips right through the vinyl. The material is much more consistent.
Joanne, thank you so much for this info. I'm a newbie Cricut owner and have cut three stencils so far, but I'm going to be trying this on my stencils today without a mat. Will be using my machine mainly for wooden signs and glass etching. I just subscribed to your channel. Thanks again.
Thank You so much for subscribing and we are glad that you found us! Hopefully this helps you now while cutting your vinyl. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. We'd be happy to assist.
Thank u❣️❣️ I jus got all my stuff & Cricut, except for the mat & I really wanna try it for the 1st time 2night...here I was thinking I couldn’t do anything without that lol
Well if we could just cut a continuous roll...longer than the 23.5 length...that would actually be helpful. Please Cricut add this option in design space!!!!!
Grace Faith , I wonders why Cricut Do not have this essencial feature and compells user to cut roll at every 2 feets and than attach later on , say for banner.
any chance that i can cut a car vinyl decal that is 12" x 60" in one straight cut piece.... ? i hate connecting parts together messes up the durability of the design especially is its an outdoor rugged use...
Thanks! This answers another question that I had. I was wondering if I could load the mat from the bottom side where the tackiness is better after using the mat a bit. Obviously, I can. Great post!
Hi thanks for all your videos .I had some questions to clear . Is it premium vinyl or smart vinyl? and Can we use premium vinyl permanent without mat and how long design can we cut without mat through cricut
Can you use something like doubled over painter's tape to make an edge extension along the top edge to gain that extra inch or half inch back? With all the sticky part of the tape covered of course.
I learned on Flexi-cut, and have used Rolland, so I bought the Cricut to make clothing with my logo for my clothing line, now I am trying to attempt signage for an exterior storefront, I am glad to find I can go in without using the mat, but.... I am wondering if I can bypass the size setting of 12" x 24" since a lot of the words are up to 40" wide. I guess I am about to find out! Thank you for the information, JoAnn!
This is great to know. Do we have to account for the loss in thickness without a mat somehow when selecting cut settings or just select the usual vinyl setting? Thanks again!
HMMM....This video really surprised me because this one time I was using my cricut explore 1 and the matt fell off the machine to the floor in the middle of a cut leaving the vinyl still in place... and after the cut finished the blade had cut through my vinyl leaving the pattern nicely etched into the plastic of my machine so please share...how is it that you can cut without a mat and not have the same thing happen ? Thank you in advance and thanks for sharing this video=)
Hi, no it will not put any additional wear on the blade. It uses as much force as you would with a mat underneath it. You are not cutting all the way through. You are still just cutting the top layer of vinyl. Hopefully this helps. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
Latonya Moody The weeding box is so the rest of the big piece of vinyl can be used on another project. When she weeds off the weeding box, then you can see the rest of the vinyl is saved.
It lets you keep the backing paper to make it so you have the full sheet still, but it also makes it easier to line up and put on a mat, if you do use them.
If you are making a sign or a canvas you can set your weeding box in the software to the size of the canvas or sign and then fit your project within that box so you can determine proper sizing and spacing. The weeding box is also useful when you use your transfer tape to transfer to the canvas or sign because again you can properly line up your project.
@@jamesstanding3364 The issue I'm having is my Cricut machine cuts my imagine just fine but when I go to weed the image, the transfer sheet (shiny side) isn't cut good because I cant get the image out without a fight. What could my issue be? I just replaced my fine point blade.
"Mind Blown Emoji" Can I do bigger than 24 inch? Is it possible to do 48 inch? How does the Cricut determine depth to cut, is it pressure or does it change the depth of the blade? The weeding box idea is life-changing.
Hi Mark, the Cricut can only cut up to 12 x 24 but that doesn't limit you to what you can do. Here is a link to larger projects we have done with it - ruclips.net/video/1LII1qpsMjk/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/OpOz7LYakGk/видео.html.
Omg! Thank you so much! I was freaking out because I just moved and couldn't find the box with my mats! Now I can finish my sister-in-law's birthday present!
Am-ayzing Simmer right lost my mats to
This is LITERALLY me right now making Christmas gifts after moving lol
Thanks so much...I love how you taught the square for weeding box!!! Great tip!!!
You are very welcome, Shelly!
I am cutting now without a mat and this is a LIFESAVER! I hate those sticky mats! Also, weeding box. Got it.
Yeah, we're so glad to hear that!
expressionsvinyl.com
This is fabulous! I didn't know about a weeding box!!! LIFE ALTERING!
That’s what I’m screaming
As long as you’re using vinyl with a thick enough backing paper and a standard point blade this is fine to do. If you have thinner backing paper and a sharper pointed needle it will tear through and break your blade.
And to think they just came out with another machine to do what it can already do. 🤣 Wow!
Of course they did! Cricut maker does practically everything the new maker does o.O
I’m so shook right now. This video is 4 years old and I’m today years old finding this out and the WEEDING BOX. WHAT
Oh my goodness! I promised to make a gift for a friend months ago. I finally got around to making it, and it should have been so simple. I tried so many things, I wasted so much vinyl!! I was so angry!! And I just wanted to give up. then I came across your video!! This is amazing!!!!! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO much!!!!!!
You are welcome. We're so glad it helped and sorry to hear that you ruined so much vinyl in the process. Let us know if you have any additional questions.
www.expressionsvinyl.com
What a wonderful tip!!! Thank you, will save me lots of frustration....
Denise Jansma i
This video is the reason i went with the Cricut over the Cameo. Thanks VERY helpful!!
Glad I found you! EV's videos are excellent...I just placed my first order with you as a 'thank you' for the excellent information; well worth it...The tips (no mat & weed box) are a time/$$$ saver, but what I took away most is when you 're-positioned your image' right before the cut and that's exactly where it cuts; EASY! There are vids out there showing to open shapes and to re-size square(s) in the upper left corner along with the image so the image will not seat in the 'defaulted' upper left corner (to save product); worked, but a time waster!!...Thank you, and look forward do doing business with EV and viewing more videos...
This Lady just saved me money. I am just going to buy the pink/purple one to use for Fabric and have one mat. We love you!
So glad to hear this helps. Just keep in mind, this can be used with any of the Explore family machines - Explore, Air, Air2, One. You will need the mat for the Maker.
@@Expressionsvinyls Newbie here. Just got the maker and I'm wondering WHY you HAVE to use a mat with the maker? Isn't it a lot like the explore's?
@@bluerosedesigns The reason you need to use a mat is because the vinyl is not wide enough for the rubber rollers to hold it in place.
I had no idea that you didn't need a mat. This is great. Thank you.
Not sure why I hadn’t seen this before but it’s definitely one of the greatest discoveries for me. Add the weeding box tip on top of that too just made my day. Awesome!
I’ve seen some of your other videos too and should have subscribed then but definitely doing it now.
We're glad you found us!
Thank you! Great tips, had no idea I could do a weeding box. Worth losing an inch of vinyl.
We can keep that as scraps for names.
I’m a newbie to the Cricut Community... Their are a lot of terms i am not familiar with yet. I know what weeding is... Why did u choose to do the “weeding box” and what does it do/ what is the main purpose for it??? It looks really, really cool and I wanna try it!! Thank u soooooo much for sharing! I love ur videos! I have learned quite a lot from u... Especially, this specific tutorial!!!!! NO MAT!!!!! Yesssss! Lol
Here's a video that explains the weeding box ruclips.net/video/OhSjQDsHuqs/видео.html
Weeding box. I had no idea why I never thought of it.
Just seeing this today, September 21, 2023, thank you. I follow you but must’ve missed it last year.
Weeding Box..... halleluiah, what a great idea! Geeez something so simple. What a light bulb moment!!! Thanks!
You are so welcome!
omg!!! Game changer!!!!
This is a great video! even 5 years later it's still very useful! Thank you for sharing! (ps, what a great quality video!)
Glad it was helpful!
I haven't gotten brave enough to try anything with vinyl but this gives me hope! Thanks for the excellent video!
Lauren Monroe I know this is an old comment, but I do hope you’ve tried vinyl now. It cuts like a DREAM. Way better than many papers. I’ve had so much paper rip on me. The blade just slips right through the vinyl. The material is much more consistent.
Joanne, thank you so much for this info. I'm a newbie Cricut owner and have cut three stencils so far, but I'm going to be trying this on my stencils today without a mat. Will be using my machine mainly for wooden signs and glass etching. I just subscribed to your channel. Thanks again.
Thank You so much for subscribing and we are glad that you found us! Hopefully this helps you now while cutting your vinyl. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. We'd be happy to assist.
You can bet- I'm gonna try this. Thanks
Thank you...I wanted to try this but wasn’t brace enough. I’m subscribed and looking forward to learning g more.
Thank u❣️❣️ I jus got all my stuff & Cricut, except for the mat & I really wanna try it for the 1st time 2night...here I was thinking I couldn’t do anything without that lol
Of course I finish watching this AFTER my vinyl project!
LOL
Much time wasted trying to peel backing off of mat.
Will know better next time!! TY!!
Oh no, that's how it always goes. Good luck on your next one.
Expressions Vinyl The Cricut green mat is WAY too sticky! And I'm fuzzing it up constantly! 😞
Love all the info!
that weeding box is dope. Thanks for sharing
Thanks!
I'm going to try this next time I cut vinyl. Thanks!
Thank you for linking this video for me. Thats good to know 👍🏻
Thanks this is such good information and saves our mats xxx
Great information, and I will be trying this too. Thanks
Thanks, I love learning new methods.
Wow! Thx! Just tried both techniques with iron-on...worked like a charm!
Yeah, we're so glad to hear that!
Thank you So much for this. I was actually Looking for this answer :)
Glad it was helpful!
I think this is going to be great for the annoying vinyl that wants to curl off of the mat all the time. Less chance of it moving
Four years later... New to cricut, researching the hell out of everything, first time I've heard about a weeding box.. GAME CHANGER!
It is a great way to help weed images.
@@Expressionsvinyls absolutely! Thank you so much 🖤
Wow! So happy to learn that there's a weeding box! Thank you!
You're welcome! We're glad you found us!
www.expressionsvinyl.com
Wow great video did not know about that box weeding or no mat thanks
Great thought about trying it now I know 4 sure Thank u!!
Thanks so much. Takes a lot of frustration out of the process
We're glad to hear it helped.
www.expressionsvinyl.com
Why didn't I know about the weeding box? Geeze that would make things a lot easier
I'm having THAT epiphany watching this too!
TruShea me too!!
mee too!!
I’m a beginner. Can you explain the purpose of the box?
@@tecorafranklin2478 i think it just makes it easier to weed because you dont have to cut down the vinyl? Honestly idk my cricut isn't here yet😁
Wow! Thanks for this...newbie here trying to learn as many tips and tricks as possible!
You are welcome. Let us know any additional questions you may have.
Thank you so much for showing how to use the cricut with expressions.
We are working on more Cricut tutorials! Stay tuned and thanks so much for watching!
Omg this is a life saver Thank you for this
You are welcome.
amazing; I always thought it would not cut without mat ty for this information
Yes it will with vinyl. You just need to watch your settings. It saves me a lot of time.
Thank you so very much! I subscribed because your information ROCKS!!!
Thank You so much. We're glad it helped!
Great Tip! Thanks so much for sharing!
Nice video, thank you.
How cool! Love that we can do this with the Explore! Thanks!
You're a life saver!!! God bless you
i love this a lot thank you for sharing
Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks so much! This helped a lot!!
You are very welcome!
THIS IS A COOL TRICK,THANKS
Thank you for this coz my Cricut was all over the place😅
So glad it helped!
Well if we could just cut a continuous roll...longer than the 23.5 length...that would actually be helpful. Please Cricut add this option in design space!!!!!
Grace Faith , I wonders why Cricut Do not have this essencial feature and compells user to cut roll at every 2 feets and than attach later on , say for banner.
Grace Faith I'm actually going to be exploring other machines. I want at least a 14 inch with continuous cut
any chance that i can cut a car vinyl decal that is 12" x 60" in one straight cut piece.... ? i hate connecting parts together messes up the durability of the design especially is its an outdoor rugged use...
Grace Faith I
jei jubac did you get an answer for this as i also want to know
Thank you so much 😊
Thanks! This answers another question that I had. I was wondering if I could load the mat from the bottom side where the tackiness is better after using the mat a bit. Obviously, I can. Great post!
Yes.
Love this, Why didn't I know this sooner. Thanks so much
It's a lifesaver!
I wish you would have shown us what you did with this piece. I would have understood better. Truly liked your video though❤️
Thanks
Game changer!!! Thanks!!
It's so handy to do it this way!
Thanks so much for sharing! This was super helpful!
Thank You for sharing!
Wow, amazing tip!!!
Thanks! I will watch it.
Wow very cool! 😃
Great. I had no idea
Wow! Thank you!
wow !! thanks !!
Fantastic thank you
That is just awesome what a time saver! Thank you!
Thanks so much for that info...
can't wait to try this
Hi thanks for all your videos .I had some questions to clear . Is it premium vinyl or smart vinyl? and Can we use premium vinyl permanent without mat and how long design can we cut without mat through cricut
Can you use something like doubled over painter's tape to make an edge extension along the top edge to gain that extra inch or half inch back? With all the sticky part of the tape covered of course.
We have not tested this method. Let us know how it works out!
Thanks a ton for this info
Thanks for the tip.....
Thank you!!
I learned on Flexi-cut, and have used Rolland, so I bought the Cricut to make clothing with my logo for my clothing line, now I am trying to attempt signage for an exterior storefront, I am glad to find I can go in without using the mat, but.... I am wondering if I can bypass the size setting of 12" x 24" since a lot of the words are up to 40" wide. I guess I am about to find out! Thank you for the information, JoAnn!
There is still a way to create larger designs, even when the machine has size limits! ruclips.net/video/1LII1qpsMjk/видео.html check out this video.
wow!! mindblown
Wonderful!!
Awesome!!!!!
This is great to know. Do we have to account for the loss in thickness without a mat somehow when selecting cut settings or just select the usual vinyl setting? Thanks again!
You will want to do a test cut to make sure that your cut is still correct. When not using a mat.
Trouble is you have to use a full with sheet not just a small piece but still very useful to know
Hi. Can you use a cricut roller holder on a cricut maker or only on a maker 3?
HMMM....This video really surprised me because this one time I was using my cricut explore 1 and the matt fell off the machine to the floor in the middle of a cut leaving the vinyl still in place... and after the cut finished the blade had cut through my vinyl leaving the pattern nicely etched into the plastic of my machine so please share...how is it that you can cut without a mat and not have the same thing happen ? Thank you in advance and thanks for sharing this video=)
What do I do if my vinyl isn’t wide enough and doesn’t reach the edges to fit within the grooves? None of my vinyl is wide enough
This works when the vinyl is wide enough to fit under both rollers. Otherwise, a mat is needed.
I lost my mat so this is great
Amazing!! Thank you! Just 1 question, will this put wear on the blade?
Hi, no it will not put any additional wear on the blade. It uses as much force as you would with a mat underneath it. You are not cutting all the way through. You are still just cutting the top layer of vinyl. Hopefully this helps. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
Awe, thank you! I just asked this question & got my answer!
Omg. I love it but don't really understand the weeding box. But will try.
Latonya Moody The weeding box is so the rest of the big piece of vinyl can be used on another project. When she weeds off the weeding box, then you can see the rest of the vinyl is saved.
It lets you keep the backing paper to make it so you have the full sheet still, but it also makes it easier to line up and put on a mat, if you do use them.
If you are making a sign or a canvas you can set your weeding box in the software to the size of the canvas or sign and then fit your project within that box so you can determine proper sizing and spacing. The weeding box is also useful when you use your transfer tape to transfer to the canvas or sign because again you can properly line up your project.
Hey,
I tried using no mat but it would not pull the vinyl because it didn't reach both sides of the black rubber spinner. Any suggestions?
Are you using a Cricut Maker?
Yes. I have the maker.
@@christiannaakers138 Unfortunately, the Cricut Maker requires a cutting mat.
This is good news, thank you!
You're welcome!
OMG. THANK YOUUUUU
Can I do this on my cricut explorer air 2?
This is awesome. Plus the weeding box tip is fantastic.
Does the cutting blade scratch the machine? Does this dull the blade faster?
The blade should only be kiss cutting the vinyl, so it will not scratch the machine. Cutting without a mat does not dull the blade any faster.
Wow very interesting can you cut any other materials this way ?
Barbara Troxell probably only material with adhesive backing. to hold the cut pieces in place
I have a piece of pre-cut vinyl that is shorter than the rollers. How do I adjust the rollers to account for this??
Hi, unfortunately on the Cricut there isn't a way to adjust the rollers. This will only work if the vinyl is 12 inches wide.
You Can slide the roll across the rod as needed
@@jamesstanding3364 So you've tried this and succeeded with a cut?
@@jamesstanding3364 The issue I'm having is my Cricut machine cuts my imagine just fine but when I go to weed the image, the transfer sheet (shiny side) isn't cut good because I cant get the image out without a fight. What could my issue be? I just replaced my fine point blade.
Maybe try taping some backing from a previously used piece of vynil to the edge?
Painter's tape on the back might work to keep it together.
"Mind Blown Emoji" Can I do bigger than 24 inch? Is it possible to do 48 inch? How does the Cricut determine depth to cut, is it pressure or does it change the depth of the blade? The weeding box idea is life-changing.
I found the answer to my first question below. :-(
Hi Mark, the Cricut can only cut up to 12 x 24 but that doesn't limit you to what you can do. Here is a link to larger projects we have done with it - ruclips.net/video/1LII1qpsMjk/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/OpOz7LYakGk/видео.html.
What settings do you need to be on for ink jet printable vinyl for Cricut air 2?
Check out our recommended cut settings for the vinyl we carry. Remember test cuts!!! expressionsvinyl.com/machine-settings/