How To Type on a Path in Silhouette Studio to Make Holographic Mardi Gras Beads

Beads, bling, and beer- Mardi Gras is almost here! A celebration calls for a custom t-shirt, so I thought why not combine a few Mardi Gras traditions to make a monogram. Monograms are trendy, but they’re especially popular in Southern areas like Louisiana, where the biggest Mardi Gras celebrations are held.

The first thing we need for a Mardi Gras Monogram is some beads. To make a circle of beads in Silhouette Studio you’ll have to place text on a path. First select the ellipse tool. Click and drag your mouse while holding the shift key to create a perfect circle. Next use your text tool to type several O’s. Double click your text and a green box will appear with a + symbol in the bottom left corner. Grab the + and drag the text onto the path.

How to type on a path in Silhouette Studio

How to place text on a path in Silhouette Studio

Now you can continue to type O’s until the circle is complete. That’s all there is to typing on a path in Silhouette Studio! This trick is great to know if you want to create your own designs in Silhouette Studio. You can use any basic shape to make a path and type any font on that path. Think of all the fun you could have with wing ding fonts!

So the text is on a path, but the problem with the O’s is that they have 2 cut lines. One on the inside and one on the outside. We only want to keep the outside cut line so it will look like a circle of beads. To delete the inside cut line and make a solid circle select the O’s and go to Modify> Compound Paths> Release. It helps if the text has already been colored. That way you know the path has been released because the once empty O centers are now filled with color. Even though the design looks good we’re not ready to send the design to the cutter! Now that the path has been released you can select the center cut line of each O and delete it. Regroup your circle of beads after deleting the unneeded cut lines.

How to release path in Silhouette Studio

To add your monogram type out your initials in the pre-loaded monogram font, Monogram kk sc. Top it off with a crown of fleurs de lis and you have the perfect Mardi Gras monogram!

A Mardi Gras monogram designed in Silhouette Studio

Size your monogram between 3″- 5″ and don’t forget to mirror your image! I only had to send my artwork to the cutter once for this design since I used Glitter for the crown and the monogram. I love the Cameo 3 because I can use the dual carriage to cut 2 types of heat transfer vinyl! To find your ideal cut setting on your Cameo check out this post.

Cutting 3 different colors of HTV with the Cameo 3 dual carriage

However, you’ll need to add one special thing to your cut settings when cutting Holographic in a faux rhinestone shape. Turn the Overcut on! Add a .25mm Start and End Ext. to ensure the circles are cut all the way around. This ensures easy weeding!

Weeding purple Holographic heat transfer vinylPerfectly weeded faux stones from Holographic HTV

 

 

 

 

 

After you’ve trimmed closely to the cut artwork and weeded away all the pieces of HTV you don’t need it’s time to heat apply. I opted for a left chest (oops!) right chest design. Holographic and Glitter are applied at 320° F with firm pressure. I pressed the purple Holographic first for 5 seconds, waited until the carrier was cold, and peeled away the carrier. Next I pressed both colors of Glitter for 10 seconds. Don’t forget to cover all the HTV with a heat transfer cover sheet. You can press multiple transfers at one time as long as none of the HTV overlaps with another carrier. Glitter’s carrier can be removed when it’s warm.

Press Holographic at 320°F with firm pressure and peel cold

Press #1 Purple Holographic. Peel carrier cold.

Press multiple transfers when the carriers don't overlap

Press #2 Old Gold Glitter and Green Glitter. Peel carrier warm.

 

 

 

 

 

Press old gold Glitter for 10 seconds and peel carrier warmPress green Glitter for 10 seconds and peel warm

 

 

 

 

 

 

In just two presses the Mardi Gras monogram is done and ready for fun!

DIY Mardi Gras monogram t-shirt

Holographic beads and Glitter crown and monogram shine for Mardi Gras

The color changing chips in Holographic give the illusion of a 3D string of beads!

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