Hi all! I just got the Silhouette cutter this past weekend and although I haven't opened it yet, I am super excited to play with it! For any of you who have the silhouette, have you ever used it to cut out flowers? I wanted to make peonies this weekend and don't have the right cutters then I realized that the silhouette should be able to cut the petals for me. Has anyone tried cutting petals and can you point me in the right direction as far as a templates for different flowers / sizes? Right now I only have the Silhouette Studio. I know Linda McClure suggests MTC but I can't afford it right now, having just spent a chuck of change on the machine. TIA!

You can use the Silhouette Studio to create the shapes for your flowers. You can draw the shape of the flower, scann it into your computer and open it in the Studio program. Trace the outline and cut the flowers. I use the Silhouette to make most of my sugar flowers. I like the idea of making the flowers any size I need.

Haven't tried it for cutting flowers yet, but am going to. Love my silhouette and also studio, which IMHO is really a great upgrade from robo master

@bonnykaye - DUH me! Great idea, i'll try that tonight

@linedancer - it's my first machine and i can't wait to use it!

thanks for your input

Did you get the machine from Linda? If not you will need to get her accessory kit as the blade that comes with the silhouette (purchased elsewhere) will not work with gumpaste or fondant.

Thanks tiggy2, you have a valid point, you do need the modified housing and longer blade that Linda sells. riagirl, don't frustrate yourself trying to use it with regular blades, it just does not work!

yes you can you can also trace all your cookie cutters and save them into your computer.
good luck

hi all, yes i did buy it from linda so i'm all set

one other thing....i dont have a pasta roller...will it still work if i roll the gumpaste (linda's recipe) by hand?

Thin is best! You will get the feel for how thin it should be with some practice.

It is definitely lots easier with the pasta roller. If you are liking the sil and gum paste, make that your next purchase..

It needs to be paper thin (like copy paper) to work well. You can get a manual clay roller at MIchaels with a 40% off coupon.

hi linedancer & tiggy! i broke down and bought a KA pasta roller but now i need some tips if you don't mind. I made Linda's gumpaste recipe a few days ago and let it rest as instructed. I rolled it out to a 6 setting (as Linda mentioned in one of her videos) and let it rest again. I tried to cut this evening but had a lot of problems I couldn't get a decent cut. The gumpaste kept getting "caught" in the blade. I adjusted my thickness to an 8 setting on the KA and I had some success. When I cut large (3inch) objects, I have no problem but when I try to cut out letters (about an inch or so wide), the gumpaste gets all tangled up in the blades. I tried adding more shortening to the mat thinking maybe it wasn't secure enough, no luck. I also tried freezing the gumpaste for an hour hoping it would firm up more, no luck either. Am I missing something? Any tips would be most appreciated!!

riagirl, did you get the Silhouette Cake? It comes with a blade just for cake decorting. If you did, the knife in the blade holder needs to stick out just far enought to cut through the gum paste. I usually set my thickness for cardstock paper in the controller window.
I am able to get the most intricate cuts with the Silhouette by following Lindas instructions. Here are a few hints:
1) run your gum paste through the pasta machine, wad it up and then run it through again. This helps condition the gum paste and it will roill out very smooth. Roll it out to #8. It will feel very thin, but when you let it firm up it will become strong enough to work with. I find that thinner is better and I can get great cuts with thinner gum paste.
2) push your knife out and make sure there is no gum paste caught on the knife or in the blade holder. Tap the blade holder on the table to release any bits of dried gum paste that may have gotten caught up in it.
3) be sure to let your gum paste frim up, at least over night. I make mine up and will let it sit out for several days. I know this requires planning on your part. You can also make your gum paste sheets up and store them in the freezer until you need them.
4) you may want to try icing sheets. Icing Images makes a great product, and I also like to use the icing sheets from Photo Frost.

I agree, especially the part about getting the blade adjusted to the correct length. And the least little difference in the thickness of the gum paste makes a difference in the blade setting.

I have successfully cut gum paste rolled to a 5 on the KA roller. It was a large piece, but I wanted it a bit heavier, it is the decoration on the front of the cowgirl hat in my pics.

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1957147

i did it! thank you so so much for the tips i changed my settings to cardstock and speed to 1, that did the trick. thanks again everyone!

I think my question was already answered but you definitely need to buy the special blade from Linda?  What is the difference between the "cake set" and the one that comes with it?  Thanks! I am thinking of taking the plunge and buying one.  My first real cake biz $$ purchase.  Thinking it will pay for itself when I can make more elaborate cakes in such a shorter amount of time!  For letters alone!  I love my tappits but.... ; )

AI purchase the cutter sheets from Icing Inages. There is no guesswork. I use the same cut settings everytime. It also makes it easy for when I need I print & cut.