Three Bar Filigree (by request)

Many of my designs require the use of the Expression but I try to make variations that can be cut with a baby bug (the original Cricut)whenever I can. A reader asked me if it was possible to adapt the Five Bar Filigree design I did in September for the baby bug. I changed the proportions of the bars to come up with this revised design.

Here is a LINK to the entry for the five bar design I posted in September (a photo of this version is below).



The file is set up to cut the design once on a baby bug mat on page one and you can cut two on a 12 x 12 mat by using page two (you can just flip the mat and cut a second design). The reason for the two files is that the "uncuttable" area of the 6 x 12 and the 12 x 12 mats is slightly different. I wanted to maximize the cut for each size of mat.



The first time I cut the design on the 12 x 12 mat the very end of the section did not cut, as you can see in the photo above (I was able to do some hand trimming to save the cut).



You will need to do a very small bit of hand trimming to finish the outer bars of the design as you can see in the photos above and below



Below you can see the slight difference in the width of the outer bars on the design. You could trim these to make the design edges perfectly consistent.



I have learned that with my machine I need to put the paper slightly lower than the top line to get an even frame (you should do a test cut with"ugly" paper to see how your machine and your loading technique affect the cut and adjust the paper placement accordingly).



You will also need to trim the "bumps" which were in the uncuttable area of the mat on the 12 x 12 design. This is very simple to do.



You may remember from the original post that this design will yield some usable offcuts - you can see the shapes in the photo below.



This design still reminds me of the elaborate iron gates you might see at a park or estate. I will eventually get around to cutting it in black and placing it over a landscape photo ...

Three Bar Filigree