Hi friends!
Spooky Season is upon us and it’s my absolute favorite time of year!
Follow along as I show you how to make a “larger than mat” Skeleton on Cricut’s Design Space! I’ve been wanting to attempt a project like this for awhile and I thought this would be soooo perfect!
First, let's gather some supplies.
You will need:
- Cardstock Warehouse Cardstock Papers
- 12 x 12 Ebony Colorplan 65lb
- 12 x 12 Pale Grey Colorplan 100lb
- Masking Tape
- Tape Runner
- Twine (optional for hanging)
- Design Space or other cutting program
Let’s begin!
Watch the video below to see how I created the Cricut file for this project.
You will want to find a good skeleton image. I am using image #M7C8556E.
Next, resize the image by highlighting it and changing the height. I made mine 65”.
For this kind of project, it is best to add a solid background so I used the “offset” feature. You can choose the thickness you want.
Now, click the “shape” button and add a square. Resize the square to 11.5” x 11.5” (this is the maximum size you can cut on a Cricut mat). To make it easier to see your sliced images (this will be in the next steps), I suggest changing the color of the square to a bright color. Duplicate it a few times because you won’t be able to use it once it is sliced.
Now it’s time for the most important part, slicing our image so it is cuttable! For this step, it is extremely important that we make sure we are lining the squares up perfectly otherwise the image will be uneven.
To do this, place the squares onto the skeleton. I ended up placing two squares next to each other and went down the skeleton. I found it easiest to zoom in on the image so I could line up the squares perfectly. Once the entire image is covered in the squares I used the “arrange” button to send the squares to the back of the skeleton. I did this so I could make sure the entire image fit onto each square.
*in order for us to make a bigger project that is larger than 11.5”, we have to make it cuttable and in order to do that we have to basically cut the image down into pieces*
Now, take this one part at a time. Because we can’t slice multiple pieces at one time, we have to slice each square separately. So “hide” all the squares except for one. To keep track, I started at the top and worked my way down.
Highlight the entire image including the one square. Then use the “slice” feature. This will cut the image so that one part will fit onto a 12” x 12” mat. Delete the bright colored part (there will be two pieces to delete). You will notice that you now have a piece of the skeleton that is detached from the rest. This part is now cuttable!
Continue the same process down the entire image. Then, repeat the slicing process for your offset background piece.
Once your entire skeleton is completely sliced, you can now cut it out. I used Ebony for the skeleton and Pale Grey for the back side.
Next, grab your masking tape and tape runner! First, take the back pieces to the skeleton. Flip them over, line them up and secure them with masking tape.
Continue this process for the entire skeleton.
Now, flip the back piece of the skeleton over and start adhering the skeleton (in ebony) on top.
Continue this until your entire skeleton is complete!
Suggestion: if you’re going to hang this somewhere where there isn’t a wall, I suggest you add a 2” strip of cardstock to the back of the skeleton where the seam is, otherwise it may fold in half. If you’re hanging this up against a wall, you should be fine without the strip on the back.
Then, if you would like, adhere ribbon onto the top of the skeletons head from the back. You can use masking tape for this or hot glue if you would like.
And there we have it, a “larger than mat” skeleton! Perfect for Halloween!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found it useful for this project and so many more!
Making your own? We'd love to see your creations! Show us your creations on Facebook or Instagram. You can use #cardstockwarehouse to be featured on our page!
Happy Crafting and Happy Fall!
Kayla