Design & Cut Quilts easily with Creativate Quilting Software and Momento

Are you excited? I’m very excited to see more of the Creativate digital toolbox. Our world is rapidly evolving into a technologically driven one, and automating tasks is becoming increasingly common. Many aspects of our lives are automated or utilize automation tools in some form, so it’s time to learn what we can do with them in the sewing and quilting world.

Today, I’ll explore the Quilting Software, which is part of the Creativate App and is available to download to your computer, tablet, or smartphone from multiple locations on the Creativate Website. The Creativate App is compatible with Windows, iOS, and Android platforms, so please select the corresponding download button. The Quilting and Crafting Software icons are visible on the larger screens of the tablet and your computer, but not on a smartphone.

Let’s take a look at how easy the Quilting Software is to use, and I’ll design a quilt to cut on the  Singer Momento (24″ digital cutter).

Now that you’ve seen how the software works, let’s cut out those shapes on the Momento.

I don’t have time to dive deep into all the Momento tools, but you have the option of numerous blades, tools, and markers. After you select the type of material you are cutting, the Momento identifies the appropriate tool. There’s a rotary cutter for cutting quilting cotton.

I’ll cover more of the process of sending the cut files to the Momento tomorrow. Once you have designed your quilt, the Crafting Software will open when you select the output tools. The Crafting Software controls the Momento digital cutter.

The Crafting Software organizes the pieces by color onto the cutting mat size you choose. You can audition the mat size to reduce the number of groupings required for cutting. There are four types of cutting mats (Standard Grip, Light Grip, Heavy Grip, and Fabric Grip), and we’ll use the red one (Fabric Grip) for cutting the quilting cotton.

I did not starch or stiffen these fabrics in any way. I pressed the wrinkles out of them, and that was it. Then, according to the layout in the Crafting Software, I cut a piece of fabric for the first cut.

I have the option of three mat sizes (12″ x 12″, 12″ x 24″ (use in either landscape or portrait orientation)), and 24″ x 24″. I had a total of 11 mats (12″ x 24″) to cut, but if I had started with the 24″ x 24″, then I would only have had five mats – one for each color.

The first thing you want to do is firmly press the fabric on the sticky side of the mat. You do not want to cover the outer edges of the mat as they are not sticky. I use my Singer Momento Brayer to ensure that the fabric is well adhered to the mat.

Now  I need to load the mat.

Note: One of my Pinch Wheels is not in the correct position. It should be sitting on the edge of the cutting mat.

The mat is now loaded and ready for cutting. Notice the position of the Pinch Wheels, which are now in the correct position when cutting with the 12″ x 24″ mat in landscape orientation.

After sending the cutting file to the Momento, select START, and it cuts the fabric pieces automatically. I love this feature, as I was doing something else while the Momento was cutting. How nice to have someone or something do the work, so you can prep the next piece or change threads on the embroidery machine! It’s like having a third hand!

And just like that, I have a bunch of yellow squares. I’m removing the excess fabric from the mat. I had cut a much larger piece of fabric than necessary, but that’s OK. You can cut it almost to the exact size, or leave your fabric extra large.

I know you are all asking the question – did I starch the fabric, or add a fusible web? And the answer to both questions is no. I’m using quilting cotton, and I let the digital cutter cut it in the same form as if I were cutting the fabric with a rotary cutter; no starch, and no fusible. As mentioned earlier, I only pressed it.

You’ll see some fraying on some of the pieces. The fraying is dependent on the thread count of the fabric. The lower the thread count, the greater the fraying. I cut an older fabric and “yanked” it off the mat, and not a single thread frayed! Newer fabrics require a bit more care when removing them from the adhesive on the mat.

To minimize fraying, remove the pieces carefully. If you notice the threads loosening along the edge, pull in the opposite direction, and the fraying will be significantly less. Once you learn that little trick, the fraying will be similar to cutting with a regular rotary cutter.

Another question I bet you’re asking is whether it’s wasteful to cut your fabric with a digital cutter. Initially, I was skeptical, but the waste is comparable to cutting fabric with a rotary cutter.

I cut the sashings for my quilt from this purple fabric. The piece was only marginally larger than required, and there was only a thin strip of “waste” fabric on all sides, which is similar to what you would have if using a rotary cutter. Hmmm – I’m liking this process – a LOT.

I had to cut three mats’ worth of sashing, and if I had been smart, I would have started with the 24″ by 24″ mat, in which case, I would have had only one mat to cut. That would save more fabric and time. I have to design and cut another quilt!

As you cut, you must keep your mats clean; however, it’s not necessary to clean them after every cut. I finished cutting all the pieces for this quilt and then cleaned the mat. You can see that there was a lot of fraying with the green fabric and lots of threads left on the mat. There was hardly any fraying from the yellow fabric and zero from the purple. One of the advantages of some Singer Momento mats is that they can be loaded in multiple orientations, allowing you to rotate the mat to prolong its use between cleanings.

There are various methods for cleaning the mats, but I like to use unscented, alcohol-free baby wipes. It’s fast and easy.

And here’s the clean mat ready to go. I don’t know how it works, but even after scrubbing off those loose threads, the stickiness remains. You want to let the mat dry for a bit before you put the clear protective cover back on it. That cover prevents your mat from collecting dust and lint, which are pretty prominent in a sewing environment.

I cut the borders and binding with a rotary cutter as there isn’t a mat long enough to cut those pieces. I also cut the larger square of green with the rotary cutter, as I needed it to be larger for when I do machine embroidery appliqué on it.

Can you believe I cut the half-square triangles on the digital cutter? I’m an old dog and we don’t like new tricks! I was leery as to whether they would turn out to be the correct size, but I went for it.

Now it’s time to sew the pieces together. I’ll spare you the sewing details, but suffice it to say, I was a tad leery of the pieces, especially those that were on the diagonal. Well, imagine my delight when everything came out just right! I was genuinely impressed, and I can see myself using the Singer Momento to cut fabric shapes in the future!

The quilt looks just like the one I designed in the Quilting Software. I love it! The center is left open for the moment because tomorrow, I’ll be focusing on the appliqué shape, which I’ll create using more of the Creativate digital toolbox.

WOW – this was so much fun, and while the pieces in this quilt are basic, if you think about it, most quilts are made with basic shapes! If I can’t find the quilt block in the Quilting Software, I can use built-in shapes on the Singer Momento, or I can create any-sized shape I want in the Crafting Software.

I’m excited to design my appliqué and explore the Crafting Software tomorrow, so please join me.

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: Discover Creativate: Your Digital Hub for Quilting, Sewing & Crafting