Tips for Butterfly Thinlits Dies

You have probably noticed that I've been cutting a lot of butterflies lately.  I love them!  They add so much to a project.  Here are some tips to help you in working with the Butterfly Thinlits Dies.

When cutting with any thinlit die, it's all about the 'sandwich' you make to prepare for your cutting.
My sandwich, from the bottom up:
- magnetic platform
- cutting plate
- 1 dryer sheet
- card stock
- double layer of waxed paper
- thinlit die
- cutting plate
Please note:
The tension on each Big Shot varies from others.  You must get to know your own Big Shot and whether or not you need more than 1 dryer sheet or shim to help cut cleanly.  Never force anything through your Big Shot.  You could seriously damage it.

Because of your unique 'sandwich' for this project, you need to roll it through more than once.  Roll the 'sandwich' back and forth through your Big Shot 3 or 4 times.  I do 4 to get best results with my Big Shot.

I actually have 2 sets of the thinlits dies for the butterflies, to make class prep easier.  I can cut 3 butterflies with 1/2 sheet of CS.
Next:
- Remove your top cutting plate and pull up the waxed paper.
- The dies will come up, too.
- Gently pull your butterflies from the CS.
- Almost all the pieces will stick to the dryer sheet!
- Flick your fingers over any remaining pieces and they'll pop right out.

You have one remaining job to do before you can continue your project.  You need to clean up your die.  You will have a layer of waxed paper still on the back of the die.  I use a very handy tool that I found online.  I poke a bit to start to loosen the waxed paper.  Then, I use the piercing end of my tool to slide under the top edges of the wings.  I can then pull off the waxed paper butterfly.  Rather than using a piercing tool to poke out all the remaining tiny pieces, I roll the roller brush end of my tool back and forth over the top of the thinlit die and they fall right out.  It's amazing!

One bit of sad news:
Stampin' Up! is really suffering with backorders because of a dock strike.  It has created a royal mess out of shipping.  So many people have wanted these dies that they've had to take them offline temporarily so they wouldn't create a mess of backorders.  Be patient and they will be back.  In the meantime, if you have any other dies with intricate cutting, such as the butterflies, try this technique to help you have an easier time of it.  I have used it with our gorgeous Darling Doily Thinlit and it works great!

Click here to enjoy a video about these gorgeous Butterfly Thinlits Dies.

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