Have you ever wanted to create a shaker element, a frame, or knock-out text with your Cricut machine? These are simple projects to make if you know how to cut a shape from another shape in Design Space. During today’s Five Minute Cricut class, I am going to show two ways that you can create these types of elements for your projects.

There are many reasons you would want to cut a shape from another shape or image. In Design Space, there are two tools you can use to accomplish this task. One is the Slice tool, which you may already be familiar with, and the other is Attach.
Slice
The Slice tool is located in the lower right corner of the Canvas at the base of the Layers panel. This tool is designed to split two overlapping images or text into different parts.

To slice an image or text design, you simply overlap the images where you wish for the new cut path to take place, select the two images, and choose Slice.
After the images have been sliced, you will have three separate images in the layers panel.

With the Slice tool, you can only slice two images at a time. If you have multiple images to slice, you may want to consider using Attach.
Attach
The Cricut Attach tool has two functions;- both of which I have spoken about in my five-minute classes. For this application, we are going to take a look at how Attach holds cuts in place.

If you wish to cut multiple images out of another image or text, you can Attach the images.
Attach holds the cuts in the same position relative to each other on the cutting mat as in the Canvas. Unlike Slice, you can Attach more than two images at time.

Which One Do I Choose?
Slice is a great tool for certain applications like split monograms or knock-out text. You can remove parts of the images you don’t need and see how the sliced design is going to look.
This tool only allows you to Slice two images at a time, so you have to be patient if you need to cut multiple images and you cannot “un-slice”. Once you have saved a project, you can not make any changes to the sliced images.

Attach can be “Detached” after you have saved your project. You can also attach multiple images at once, but there are instances where Attach might not be a great option, like the split monograms or certain welded designs.
If you want to see how each of these tools works, I have a simple Five Minute Cricut class for you to view.
If you were to ask me which of these I prefer, I try to use the Attach tool whenever I can. I like being able to cut multiple pieces at once and I like the option to detach if I need to make changes. There are instances where I need to use the Slice tool, so it’s good to know how it works.
If you have any questions about today’s video or either of these tools, please feel free to leave me a comment below.

Hey friends! I wanted to let you in on the products I use in my videos. Just so you know, I’m not getting paid to promote any of them, but I do have some affiliate links available if you want to check them out. If you end up buying something through those links, it would mean a lot to me and my business. And don’t worry, you won’t be charged any extra. Thanks for your support! Learn more
When I attach a cut and print to a larger rectangle as to add a back to a card it cuts it in two. If I weld it looses the cut and print.. weld is a nightmare.
If you are attaching a cut, it is going to create a cut line. You want a score line instead of a cut line. I have a video that will help. https://youtu.be/IaeQi9k0iwU