Cricut Knife Blade can be used to cut both garment leather and tooling leather. To view information and recommendations for cutting each type of leather, use the tabs below.
Note: These instructions do not apply to Cricut brand leathers. Select these links to find instructions for Cricut Faux Leather, Cricut Metallic Leather, and Cricut Genuine Leather.
What thicknesses of garment leather can I cut with Knife Blade?
- 2-3 oz.
- 4-5 oz.
Characteristics of garment leather
- Treated with softeners
- Often softer and more flexible than other types of leather
- Anything dyed
- Often less expensive than other types of leather
What do I look for when purchasing materials?
- Uniform, even surface
- Cricut offers a variety of garment leathers in 12” x 12” sizes
- Most leathers sold in craft stores are garment leathers
- Leather specialty stores may also be a good option for purchase
- Soft, flexible garment leathers with some texture work best, garment leathers with a smooth or shiny finish may not adhere well to the mat
How large can my cuts be?
- Maximum size of cut: 10.5” x 11.5” or 10.5” x 23.5”
- Minimum size of cut: 0.75” x 0.75” (includes interior and exterior cuts)
- Width of cuts should not be smaller than the diameter of a pencil
Tip: Cutting images or patterns smaller than our recommended settings could result in inconsistent cuts or blade damage. Smaller, or more intricate, cuts may work with some images and not with others. If you decide to assume the risk, we recommend mirroring your image and keeping supervising your material throughout the cut. If small pieces are dislodged during the cut, pause the machine and remove them without ejecting your mat before continuing to cut.
What mat should I use?
- StrongGrip Mat
How do I prep the materials?
- Cut material to the size needed for the project using a rotary cutter and a ruler.
- Place the finished, smooth side face down on the mat. Mirror images in Design Space.
- Leathers that have a coating or specialty finish (such as pull-up leather) should have Cricut Transfer Tape applied to the rough side of the leather, then place the Transfer Tape side down on the mat. In this case, images should not be mirrored in Design Space.
- Use a brayer to create a firm bond between material and your cutting mat's adhesive surface. Place project materials on the mat, then lightly roll the brayer over the entire surface.
- Tape all four edges of chipboard to the mat within 1” of the corner (masking tape or blue painter’s tape recommended).
- On Cricut Maker machine, move all white star wheels to the right (Learn More).
- If left in place, star wheels may leave an imprint on project material.
- Make sure no part of your material will go under the rubber rollers (this could cause the machine to jam or error).
- Whenever possible, test a cut prior to cutting your main project.
- If edges come out rugged, replace blade prior to the final cut.
How long will my cuts take?
Thicker materials require multiple cut-passes with gradually increasing pressure. This means that Knife Blade cuts will take significantly more time than cutting thinner materials with other blades. Design Space will tell you approximately how long a Knife Blade cut will take.
- Once you select a cut setting and load your mat for a Knife Blade project, an alert will inform you to expect a longer-than-usual cut time.
- When the first cut pass has been completed, Design Space calculates the expected cut-time remaining based on how long the first pass took and how many passes are pre-programmed for that material. It also displays which pass the machine is currently executing and the expected number of total passes.
Tip: The duration of the cut will vary depending on the material, size, and intricacy of the image(s) being cut.
What should I do while my machine is cutting?
- Check on the machine cutting frequently to review cuts.
- You may notice small pieces finish cutting and are no longer held down by the mat prior to all passes being completed. Pause the machine and remove pieces as needed.
- Some images may appear to be complete prior to the completion of all passes. For best results, allow the machine to complete all passes.
Once my cut is complete, what do I do next?
- Check your cut prior to removing the mat from the machine, if the cut is still connected to the material, press the Cricut “C” to add an additional cutting pass.
- Remove cuts from the mat.
- If cut leather is still connected to remaining leather, use a craft knife to cut connecting fibers.
- Expect to see Knife Blade impressions or cuts on the mat.
- For best results, if you're cutting several of the same images, place the image on different parts of your cutting mat.
- Remove tape and remaining leather from the mat.
Troubleshooting
- If your material moves as it is being cut, your mat may not be sticky enough.
- If your material is not completely cut, your blade may need to be replaced.
- Occasionally, the machine may stop during the cut, but additional passes are still required. If this happens, follow the on-screen prompts in Design Space®.
- If the machine continues to stop in the same area, repeat the process. This may take several tries.
- If the machine cannot move past this point, there may be imperfections in the material. Remove material from your machine, discard, and begin the cut again with a new piece of material.
What thicknesses of Tooling Leather can I cut with the Knife Blade?
- 2-3 oz.
- 4-5 oz.
- 6-7 oz.
Characteristics of Tooling Leather
- Stiffer than other leathers
- Typically tanned to make it easier to work with
- Once tooling leather is cut, the leather typically has patterns or designs worked into it using leather tools
What do I look for when purchasing materials?
- Uniform, even surface
- Leather specialty stores may be a good option for purchase.
How large can my cuts be?
- Maximum size of cut: 10.5” x 11.5” or 10.5” x 23.5”
- Minimum size of cut: 0.75” x 0.75” (includes interior and exterior cuts)
- Width of cuts should not be smaller than the diameter of a pencil
Tip: Cutting images or patterns smaller than our recommended settings could result in inconsistent cuts or blade damage. Smaller, or more intricate, cuts may work with some images and not with others. If you decide to assume the risk, we recommend mirroring your image and keeping supervising your material throughout the cut. If small pieces are dislodged during the cut, pause the machine and remove them without ejecting your mat before continuing to cut.
What mat should I use?
- StrongGrip mat
How do I prepare the materials?
- Make sure leather is flat prior to placing on the mat
- To flatten, place under a heavy object. Occasionally, you may need to mist with water on the rough side of leather prior to placing under a heavy object. Let leather dry completely before cutting.
- Cut material to the size needed for the project using a rotary cutter and a ruler.
- Place the finished, smooth side face down on the mat.
- Mirror images in Design Space®.
- Use a brayer to create a firm bond between material and your cutting mat's adhesive surface. Place project materials on the mat, then lightly roll the brayer over the entire surface.
- Tape all four edges of chipboard to the mat within 1” of the corner (masking tape or blue painter’s tape recommended).
- On Cricut Maker machine, move all white star wheels to the right (Learn More).
- If left in place, star wheels may leave an imprint on project material.
- Make sure no part of your material will go under the rubber rollers (this could cause the machine to jam or error)
- Whenever possible, test a cut prior to cutting your main project.
- If edges come out rugged, replace blade prior to the final cut.
How long will my cuts take?
Thicker materials require multiple cut-passes with gradually increasing pressure. This means that Knife Blade cuts will take significantly more time than cutting thinner materials with other blades. Design Space will tell you approximately how long a Knife Blade cut will take.
- Once you select a cut setting and load your mat for a Knife Blade project, an alert will inform you to expect a longer-than-usual cut time.
- When the first cut pass has been completed, Design Space calculates the expected cut-time remaining based on how long the first pass took and how many passes are pre-programmed for that material. It also displays which pass the machine is currently executing and the expected number of total passes.
Tip: The duration of the cut will vary depending on the material, size, and intricacy of the image(s) being cut.
What should I do while my machine is cutting?
- Check on the machine cutting frequently to review cuts.
- You may notice small pieces finish cutting and are no longer held down by the mat prior to all passes being completed. Pause the machine and remove pieces as needed.
- Some images may appear to be complete prior to the completion of all passes. For best results, allow the machine to complete all passes.
Once my cut is complete, what do I do next?
- Check your cut prior to removing the mat from the machine, if the cut is still connected to the material, press the Cricut “C” to add an additional cutting pass.
- Remove cuts from the mat.
- If cut leather is still connected to remaining leather, use a craft knife to cut connecting fibers.
- Expect to see Knife Blade impressions or cuts on the mat.
- For best results, if you're cutting several of the same images, place the image on different parts of your cutting mat.
- Remove tape and remaining leather from the mat.
Troubleshooting
- If your material moves as it is being cut, your mat may not be sticky enough.
- If your material is not completely cut, your blade may need to be replaced.
- Occasionally, the machine may stop during the cut, but additional passes are still required. If this happens, follow the on-screen prompts in Design Space®.
- If the machine continues to stop in the same area, repeat the process. This may take several tries.
- If the machine cannot move past this point, there may be imperfections in the material. Remove material from your machine, discard, and begin the cut again with a new piece of material.