Floating Die-cut Panel Tutorial
Boost your die-cutting skills and stretch your stash with Christine Smith’s guide to floating die-cut panels
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The floating panel die-cutting technique gives a unique look to your card designs and it can be achieved using intricate dies and also thicker-lined designs. It also works fabulously with dies that have a separate outside cutting edge and an intricate centre die, as shown in the step-by-step guide. When using very intricate and detailed dies, simply back the die-cut section with acetate to add extra stability – this is especially useful when you're cutting a large portion of the front of the card away, or if you want your intricate design to be at the bottom of your card front (as shown on the Congratulations card).
This look can be achieved using partial die-cutting, where you line up the cutting plates to where you want the die to be cut. You can do this with one or both plates depending where on the piece of cardstock you want your die-cut area to be. However if partial die-cutting sounds too complicated, you can simply place the die where you want it to be floating, cut it out, then when assembling your card you can add a border strip where the die-cut meets the card and hide the join. This idea of adding border strips also works well for covering any messy edges, especially when using really intricate dies. Whether you use the traditional partial die-cutting method to achieve this look or opt for the easier method, you’ll be sure to create a stunning card that will look wonderful on display in the recipient’s home!
Tape the die down where you want it to be on the card, then place this onto the bottom cutting plate, lining up the edge of the plate with where you want the cutting to start
Making sure the card stays in place, add the second cutting plate over the top, this time lining the edge of this plate up with where you want the cutting to stop. Make sure you hold the plates firmly together as you run this through your machine
Remove the card from the machine and turn it over to reveal the partly cut shape. If this were a regular intricate die, you would move to Step 5 now
When using a die that has a separate cutting edge, you can now simply run the intricate part of the design through your machine as you usually would. This will cut all the detail into the centre section of the shape
Take a metal-edged ruler and line it up against where the cutting plate was, then use a craft knife to carefully cut away the excess card surrounding the partially die-cut shape. Repeat this for the other side
Remove the excess card to reveal the partially die-cut panel. Using a two-part die like this means there are fewer areas that require cutting away, and is a good place to begin with this technique
You will need
- White, black & gold cardstock
- White 14cm-square card blank
- Woodgrain paper
- Acetate
- Creative Expressions Sue Wilson Frames & Tags Olivia die set
- Lawn Fawn Simple Stitched Hillside dies
- Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral & Candied Apple Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink
- Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
- Jet Black, Sunflower, Carrot & Lobster Lawn Fawn Fawndamentals Premium Dye Ink
- Neat & Tangled Say Yes To Donuts stamp set
- Alcohol markers
- Dandelion Yellow, Ripened Pumpkin & Carnation Pink Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops
- White gel pen
- Craft knife
- Ruler
- Low-tack tape
- Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue
- 3D foam pads
You will need
- White, black & gold cardstock
- White 10.5x14cm card blank
- Woodgrain paper
- Acetate
- Spellbinders Marisa Job Happy Birthday Pop Up die
- Lawn Fawn Simple Stitched Hillside dies
- Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral & Candied Apple Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink
- Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
- Jet Black, Sunflower, Carrot & Lobster Lawn Fawn Fawndamentals Premium Dye Ink
- Neat & Tangled Yo Ho Ho stamp set
- Alcohol markers
- Ebony Black Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops
- White gel pen
- Low-tack tape
- Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue
- 3D foam pads
You will need
- White, black & gold cardstock
- White 12.5x17.5cm card blank
- Acetate
- Spellbinders Symmetry In Space die
- Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral & Candied Apple Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink
- Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
- Jet Black, Sunflower, Carrot & Lobster Lawn Fawn Fawndamentals Premium Dye Ink
- Neat & Tangled Everyday Labels & Maple Thanks stamp sets
- Alcohol markers
- Ebony Black Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops
- White gel pen
- Low-tack tape
- Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue
- 3D foam pads
You will need
- White, black & gold cardstock
- White 12.5x17.5cm card blank
- Acetate
- Spellbinders Donna Salazar Cascading Circles die
- Sizzix Craft Asylum Intricate Native Florals die set
- Lawn Fawn Stitched Scalloped border dies
- Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral & Candied Apple Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink
- Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
- Jet Black Lawn Fawn Fawndamentals Premium Dye Ink
- Neat & Tangled Everyday Labels & Magical Day stamp sets
- Alcohol markers
- Ebony Black Tonic Studios Nuvo Crystal Drops
- White gel pen
- Low-tack tape
- Craft knife
- Ruler
- Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue
- 3D foam pads
You will need
- White, black & gold cardstock
- White 12.5cm-square card blank
- Acetate
- Lawn Fawn Stitched Scalloped border dies
- Spellbinders Fabulous Fretwork Rouge Royale die
- Lawn Fawn Simple Stitched Hillside dies
- Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral & Candied Apple Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink
- Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool
- Jet Black, Sunflower, Carrot & Lobster Lawn Fawn Fawndamentals Premium Dye Ink
- Neat & Tangled Floral Heart & Yo Ho Ho stamp sets
- Alcohol markers
- White gel pen
- Low-tack tape
- Cosmic Shimmer PVA glue
- 3D foam pads
