Fall Gnome (FREE SVG file) using Glowforge Aura Passthrough! (or Cricut!)

Instructions

If using the Glowforge Aura:

Step 1: Download the file

1. Download my Fall Gnome FREE SVG by either filling out the form and downloading it from the email, or by going to my resource library if you already have access and downloading file C29 from my resource library.
2. Extract the file your download (this is key!) so that you have the 2 SVG files and usage and rights file. One SVG file will be for making a gnome that is bigger than 12 inches and the other will be for making one that’s smaller than 12 inches.

Step 2: Prepare the material

1. Select the material you want to use for this project. I used Baltic Birch from Amazon.
2. Measure the thickness of your material to be sure using calipers.
3. Open the Glowforge app at app.glowforge.com. Click on “Create New Design” and then select “Create a blank design”.
4. Now click on “Unknown Material” on the top right and then click on “Uncertified Material”. Then enter the thickness of your material and click the button to proceed.
5. Then add the cut or engrave settings for each piece of the project. Do this by clicking on the piece on the left, then select “cut” and enter the cut settings for your material. For the leaves and pumpkin lines, you’ll want to pick engrave but the rest is cut. If you need help finding the right material settings, you can get my settings by clicking here or joining my Facebook group!
6. If you’re making a gnome that will be bigger than 12” long, open both Glowforge passthrough slots and slide your material in to that the top of the wood is all the way through and the top 12x12 portion of your wood is inside the machine. If you’re making one that’s smaller than 12” long, you can either use the passthrough slots for a large piece of wood, or just place your wood inside the machine as you normally would.

Step 3: Setup the file in the app

1. Now go back to your PC and click on the plus side in the top middle and then click on ‘upload”.

2. Now select the SVG you extracted earlier. Make sure you aren’t drilled down into the zip file – you ant the extracted version. There are two SVGs… one for making a gnome that’s bigger than 12” and one that’s for smaller. Pick the one that fits what you’re trying to do.
3. Now you need to just wait a moment because Glowforge will read the SVG and analyze it and then show it to you when ready.
4. Once the SVG is on your screen, you’ll see 2 main parts. One the left you’ll see the individual pieces of your gnome. On the right, you’ll see the base of your gnome that all those pieces will sit on.
5. Now it’s time to resize your gnome. The simplest way I have found to do this is to select everything (you can do CNTL+A if on PC) and then stretch or shrink everything to the size you want using the rulers on the screen as your guide.
6. If you’re making the larger than 12” version, you’ll notice something funny about your base piece… It’s actually 2 pieces and registration marks (those little rectnagles on each side). What’s unique about this is that the 2 pieces are incomplete – there’s no line completing the shape… That’s because we’re going to cut one piece, then slide the wood over, and then have it cut the other piece. If the shape was closed, that would result in two separate pieces. This way, it just cuts Part 1, and then finishes the cut with Part 2. If that doesn’t make sense right now, it will soon. The registration marks, should touch as we go so they are our guide so that we know that we’re lining them up right!
7. Now select all the parts on the left and slide them off the “mat” or workspace in the app. This will make the Glowforge automatically ignore them and this is much easier than individually ignoring each one.
8. Next, select both pieces of the base and right click and then choose “group”. We want to make sure we’re moving these together. If at some point you moved these pieces around, make sure to center them before you group.
9. Now rotate them 90 degrees so that they are facing the long way and line up the entire base so that the very tip of the hat is close to the top of your material and make sure that none of the gnome is out of the working space. You want it to be as close to the edge as possible.
10. Now select the bottom half of the gnome’s base and on the left hand side and choose “ignore”. If you’re doing the smaller than 12” version, you can ignore this step since you’re working with the full gnome base.

Step 4: Print the first half of the base

1. Now click “Print” and then press the flashing teal button on the machine when the time comes.

2. Once that print finishes, slide the wood through the machine until the very end of the gnome’s base (where the registration marks are) are still in the printing area but as much of the remaining piece of the board is in the printing area too. (Only do this step if doing a large than 12” version)

Step 5: Setup the second half of the base in the app (the key to using the Glowforge Aura Passthrough Function)

1. Now let’s go back to the app. Delete the top portion of the base or move it all the way off the printing area.

2. Now click on the 3 dots at the top and select “set focus”. Then click on one of the registration marks that we just cut into the wood. You want to focus on the actual printed registration mark, not the one in the SVG.
3. Now slide the second half of the Gnome base until it perfectly lines up with the printed registration mark. You want the registration marks to touch, not overlap.
4. Now zoom in A LOT and look at the second printed registration mark – is the SVG registration mark perfectly lined up with it too? If not, do set focus again but this time set focus on that second  printed registration mark. They *should* be able to line up. If they don’t, it’s possible that you accidentally resized the image and you may need to undo until you get the sizing to match between your first print and now.

Step 6: Print the second half of the base

1. When it’s all lined up, click “Print”. During the usual print cycle, it will recalibrate and align etc… Watch the screen as it does this. Does the printing area change at all? If it does, check that the registration marks are still lined up. If they aren’t, click cancel and readjust and then try again. If everything is still aligned, you can go to the next step!
2. Press the teal button when it starts flashing. Then watch the magic happen!
3. Now take your material out of the machine. If you’re using the passthrough slots, you’ll need to carefully slide it out. Since we’re cutting this in two parts, there’s a good chance it cut well but it’s possible that there are one or two fibers still connected in between the two cuts. Just push slightly on it or use a crafting knife to cut them – but it really shouldn’t be much!

Step 7: Print the remaining pieces of the gnome

1. Place a new piece of wood in the machine, or slide the scrap from what you just cut back in.
2. Now let’s go back to the PC and cut the remaining pieces! Just delete the piece of the base you just cut or move it off the print area. Then slide the rest of the pieces we haven’t cut yet back on to the mat and spread them out on your material. If you’re using scraps, you may need to cut these in two parts and that’s okay.  Just do as many as you can, click print and then the teal button until you’ve cut all the remaining pieces out.

Step 8: Paint and assemble your gnome!

1. Once everything is cut out, just paint your pieces however you want!
2. One everything is dried, glue down any pieces you want to be permanent. For me, I glued down the ball on the top of his hat, his shoes, his beard and his nose.
3. Then cut pieces of the magnetic sheets with a scissor and place them in between the remaining pieces. These will be your interchangeable pieces. I did the hands, pumpkin and hat!

If using a Cricut Machine:

Step 1: Download the file

Click here or use any of the forms in this post to get access to my SVG! Once you've downloaded it, you'll need to extract the file. You'll see two versions of the file. You want the version that says “smaller than …” The other file is setup for the Glowforge Aura passthrough function which you won’t need with the Cricut. You’ll still be able to make this larger than 12” if you want though.

Step 2: Select your cardstock

You'll need to pick a color/pattern for the different layers. Pick what color you want the hat, pompom, beard, nose, hands, shoes, and pumpkin will be.

Step 3: Load your file into Design Space

If you haven't done this before, here are the steps:

1. Open design space

2. Click “New Project”

3. Click “Upload”

4. Click “Upload Image”

5. Select the SVG file for this project.

6. Click “Upload”

7. Select the file you just uploaded from the library

8. Click “Insert Images”

Step 4: Prep and Resize the SVG Template and Cut

Stretch or shrink the design until it’s the size you want. Make sure to select it all and resize it all at the same time or they will not be proportional.

Then select the layers for the leaves and the lines of the pumpkin and change those to “Draw/Pen” or even “foil” if you know how!  The rest should be set to cut.

Now click “Make It” and follow the prompts

Be sure to select Card Stock from the material list or turn your dial to Cardstock.

Step 5: Load your tools and cardstock

Make sure that your fine point blade is loaded into your Cricut machine as well as your pen if you’re using pen!

Then add your paper to your standard grip mat and feed it into the machine by clicking the double arrow. Once the C starts flashing, press that button.

Do this for all the sheets.

TIP: It can help to adjust the color of the layers in Design Space to match what you want yours to look like so that you get a visual of it before you cut and to make identifying what layer the Cricut Machine is cutting as you go. Watch my video to see how to do this.

Step 6: Assemble Your Gnome

Now you are going to use your foam dots or glue to put the shadow box together. If you want yours to be interchangeable, you can use the magnetic sheets mentioned in the materials list for the Glowforge Aura too but they may be a bit thick and heavy for cardstock.