Peacock Option 2

Click HERE or scroll down for the ‘making-of’ process video

Products Used

Second Option for the Peacock

The last post showed the first version of the peacock mandala design on a patterned vinyl. Peacock option 2 is a focus more on design than the vinyl pattern. The design, again from Creative Fabrica, is super stunning. I am in love with the way the design elements emulate feathers at various points throughout the tail portion. Making both versions gave me the chance to truly see the design in both vinyl options to get an idea of which one I prefer.

Cut Settings

As always, remember that the specified settings are specific to the Cricut Maker. For a reference guide to cut pressures for each Cricut setting, check out this handy chart:

materials-to-cut.pdf Download

Glossy holo vinyl: premium outdoor vinyl setting with more pressure

The outdoor vinyl setting is working quite well for the glossy holo vinyls from TeckWrap. This will be the setting that I use from this point on for all of their glossy holographic vinyls unless a materials change is made on the manufacturing end.

Pay Attention To Materials

Speaking of TeckWrap’s glossy holo vinyls, did you know that the vinyl has a clear protective film? Since some of their line is more susceptible to scratches, TeckWrap Craft adds the clear film to the top of some of their vinyls to protect it. It is super important to remove the clear film prior to cutting the material. Since I use a brayer to flatten my material to the cutting mat, I wait until I am ready to insert the mat before removing the protective layer.

What happens if it’s not removed? Well, guess who forgot to remove it before cutting this time? LOL There are two issues with not removing the protective film before cutting. I got to experience both. The first seems minor overall. The film, obviously, is cut along with the vinyl, which can make removing it a struggle when it’s coming off in tiny pieces instead of one piece. The other problem is cut pressure. If the machine is set to cut at a specific pressure, it cannot automatically detect that there is extra with the clear film and has no way of adjusting to accommodate. So the clear film will be perfectly cut and some of the vinyl underneath will be cut, but not all cuts will be clean and go all the way through. Many cuts into the vinyl end up as more indentations or scoring than actual cuts.

What It Looks Like

Below you can see where I was removing the small pieces of clear film that had been cut with the design. What I didn’t take pictures of was the five minute struggle to remove three pieces of the vinyl before I chucked the whole thing to recut it. I know for next time (hopefully I won’t have a next time) that it’s better to recut the design instead of try to fight it to weed the design.

First one…or Second One?

Which do you like more? I made both versions of this design since I couldn’t decide which vinyl I preferred for the design. Sometimes it’s worth making the same design with multiple options to get an idea of which would be the best fit. Now that I’ve completed both and look at them side by side, I still can’t decide! Hahaha

Both options are quite stunning for the design. The pattern of the vinyl for option 1 gives the design dimension and kind of the appearance of feathers. The second option gives the small details a better chance to be seen and appreciated. I honestly can’t decide which I prefer more.

Behind the Scenes Thoughts

This project marks them first YouTube video where I integrated text at various points throughout the video. I also had a lot of the same text copied into the shorter Instagram version. This change in video processing definitely adds quite a bit more time to my work flow, but it leads to a better quality video. Hopefully the text will add more benefit to help other crafters in their own projects.

With the added processing time, I am considering the option of reducing posts to two times a week instead of three. Right now, I am just trying to weigh the benefits versus the downsides, so I’m not really leaning one way or the other. I really enjoy creating a constant flow of content for people to see, ask questions, and overall learn. On the other hand, higher quality content could be even more beneficial for crafters. If you have any thoughts, feel free to let me know below or on any of my socials!