Balzer Designs

ScanNCut DX: Technique Videos

I will be on Home Shopping Network (HSN) tomorrow (Wednesday). Tune in on your TV or stream it live online.  I have the entire 4am hour (sewing and ScanNCut) and most of the 5pm hour (sewing and ScanNCut).  I hope you'll tune in and maybe even call in to talk to me on air!

Today I'm sharing a few ScanNCut DX technique videos with you!  If you have any technique videos you'd like to see, let me know!  All three of these videos are in response to questions I received.

First up: setting up the wireless! 

The good news is that your machine is already wirelessly activated when you take it out of the box.  All you need to do is set up the wireless and connect it to your CanvasWorkspace account.  Set up is quick and easy and I'm going to walk you through it, step-by-step.  I encourage you to do these steps along with the video -- pausing and rewinding where necessary.  Ready?  Let's go!

Easy, right?!

Once the wireless is all set up, then you're ready to update your software (if necessary).  Watch the video on how to do it:

There are three methods for updating: wireless, USB thumb drive, and USB cord via CanvasWorkspace for PC. Choose the method that works for you.   If you want to be notified when there are software updates, be sure to register your machine on the Brother website.

How does the Auto Blade do cutting fabric?  The short answer is, it works like a dream!  Check out this video for the skinny on how it all works:

There are just three things to remember when cutting fabric with the ScanNCut DX:

1. Use a High Tack Fabric Support Sheet
2. The Thin Fabric Auto Blade is for cutting thin fabric and thin fabric ONLY.
3. The Auto Blade can cut fabric with fusible, upholstery fabric, leather, etc.

Fabric with fusible or starch won't ravel when you pull it off the mat:

You can easily cut fabric without anything in it, but it will ravel when you pull it off the adhesive mat:

The raveling doesn't matter when you're using a seam allowance (as for quilt piecing), but for applique, you may prefer to use fabric with either starch or fusible.

Some of my personal preferences:

• When I cut fabric with fusible, I do it with the paper off and the fabric side down -- aka fusible up.
• I have a second Auto Blade & Auto Blade holder, which I've dedicated to cutting fabric because paper dulls blades more quickly than fabric.

If you want to see more fabric cutting, check out this replay of a Facebook Live I did in September.  In the livestream I answer questions, cut fabric, cut out stamped images (Direct Cut), cut a silicone stamp, show Background Scanning, explain how the new and old blades are different, and so much more!

Finally, leather -- both real and faux.  In the video, you can hear my excitement when the Auto Blade does a totally perfect job cutting leather.

Here are the cuts from the video (this is one of the built-in applique designs from the DX225):

As with cutting fabric, you want to make sure to use a High Tack Fabric Support Sheet when you cut leather.  (Although, I probably could have gotten away with a regular Standard Mat when cutting the faux leather -- it was pretty paper-like.)

Thanks for stopping by!  Let me know if you have ScanNCut DX questions!

---

P.S. I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut.  It is a machine that I love and use.  All projects and opinions are my own.

Product Registration: https://www.brother-usa.com/registermybrother/
Brother Customer Support: https://www.brother-usa.com/support/

Kraftex Bowl

I recently participated in Cloth Paper Scissors "Road Test" section, where they ask artists to make something with a particular product.  They sent me a roll of red Kraft-Tex. 

I had experimented with Kraft-Tex a few times before.  It's a fascinating product.  It's paper, but you can wash it and sew it like fabric.  It has some similarities to leather in appearance.  It doesn't tear and it takes paint easily.  A lot of people use it for bags and journal covers. 

If you know me, you know that I always want to do something different.  I wanted to make something that took advantage of all of Kraft-Tex's unusual qualities.  After sitting and thinking for a while, I decided to make a decorative bowl -- creating the bowl shape by stitching.

I used my Dramatic Floral stencil to create a pattern inside the bowl, but I left the outside plain.

I love the way it turned out!  You can find step-by-step instructions as well as other artist's experiments with Kraft-Tex in the current (and final) issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Art Journal Every Day: 5 Reasons I Art Journal

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here.  All of the previous posts can be found archived here.  Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day!  No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek.  Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. 

I think it's highly probable that I will keep an art journal my whole life.  There are many other artistic endeavors that I've abandoned over the years, but my art journal remains a constant.  Why is that?  Well, I thought we could discuss that topic today.

Here are five reasons that I keep an art journal:

ONE: It's a place to put everything.

This might be a silly reason to some people, but I *hate* throwing things away.  A palette covered in leftover paint must be used up!  A scrap of paper or an abandoned collage.  Some tags stamped and doodled on.  All of these things must find a home and my art journal is that home.  Since I started creating Junque Journals, I never feel that anything is wasted.  It's a wonderful feeling to glue all of those random art leftovers into my art journal.  I know that I've found a safe space for them!

TWO: It's a space for practice.

I use my art journal as a place to practice.

2012

2014

2018

Most days it doesn't feel like I'm making any progress, but when I flip through the years, I can see it.  It's one of the many reasons I believe in the "Art Journal Every Day" philosophy.  Progress comes from practice.  And even though ten minutes of art a day doesn't seem like it can change your life, it has unequivocally changed mine.  I am better at drawing faces because of my daily art journal practice.  Period.

THREE: It's therapeutic.

People often ask me about all of the writing in my art journal. The truth is, I write a lot of absolutely nothing. It's a brain dump of all of my worries, random thoughts, and the things that I'm currently obsessing about.  Sometimes it's just a stream of consciousness about what I need to get done later in the day.  Committing all of that crap to paper is super helpful to me.  I find that getting it into my journal means that it's not pinging around in my brain.  I write it down, close the book, and move on.

FOUR: It's pleasurable.

Why do people do things they don't enjoy?  It's so difficult to keep going when you don't enjoy the process.  I'm not sure if I believe in exercise endorphins, but I have experienced art making endorphins!  I enjoy the process of art journaling.  I like working on my pages.  I love walking into my studio and opening up my journal.  I look forward to it.  I find the process relaxing and pleasurable.

FIVE: It's an incredibly flexible art form.

You want to draw?  You want to stamp? You want to paint?  You want to use watercolor?  You want to use spray ink?  You want to cut?  You want to tear?  Whatever you want to do, you can do it in an art journal.  The fact is, I get bored really easily.  I don't like to do the same thing over and over and over again.  I'm always looking for what's new and what's exciting to me right now.  My art journal is so flexible.  I can work with a wide variety of mediums and subjects and never get bored.  I love it!

Why do you art journal?  I'd love to know!

Thanks for stopping by!

Two ScanNCut Classes at Sewing Machines Plus in California

As promised, here is some more info on those ScanNCut classes in California December 14-16.

• Thursday, December 13 is a one-day class for ScanNCut users who want to bring their machines to class.
• Friday & Saturday -- December 14 & 15 -- is a two-day class and the class fee INCLUDES the purchase of a brand new ScanNCut DX 225.

In the two-day class we are making six projects.

In the one-day class we will be making the first three projects:

A paper lamp:

A card with drawing and an envelope:

A notebook with layered vinyl:

A tote bag featuring scanned handwriting:

A no-sew fabric pillow cover with a design created by you:

And a stamped gift box:

Not only will you walk away with an amazing collection of finished projects, but each project is designed to teach you ScanNCut skills -- from blade depth to scanning to on screen editing, I will cover it all.

I hope you'll join me in California!

It's a Baren

Every time I post a printing video in which I'm using a baren, at least one person always asks what it is that I'm using to print.

This is a baren:

In essentials, it's a flat surface with a handle.  It's helpful in pressing down on printing blocks -- both from the front and from the back.  You can see me using it here:

If you can't see the video, click here.

It's one of the those tools that you don't need but it's nice to have.  You can find a very nice article HERE that covers some of the different types of barens -- including a wooden spoon!

I hope that was useful to you!  Thanks for stopping by!