In recent years the term “maker” has been mostly taken up by the likes of Raspberry Pi and Arduino as a hobby or business model involved around home computing, robotics, electronics and similar endeavours.
What the public may not know is that the traditional hobby and crafting people the world over – the original makers – have their own high tech tool that is now available in South Africa, and its name is Cricut.
Cricut devices wear many hats and go under several monikers, but they are commonly called die-cutting machines or craft plotters.
Think of these machines as 2D paper printers turned up to 11 that can help elevate your crafts by offering a frankly massive gamut of creative opportunities with a variety of different tools.
Sticking with the paper printer comparison, instead of a printer head that dispenses ink a Cricut tool head can be swapped out to suit your needs.
The most common job is cutting for which Cricut offers many options. The Fine-Point Blade, for example, is best used for intricate cuts and detailed work in all manner of materials. Vinyl, paper, cardboard, poster board, cardstock it’s up to you.
But the Cricut machines don’t shy away from heavier work with tools like the Deep-Point blade able to work with thicker materials up to 1.5 millimetres. Certain woods, leathers, fabrics and cork can all be used.
But cutting is just one part of the Cricut ecosystem. Want to make scores in materials for folding? Use the Scoring Stylus. Prefer working on fabrics instead of paper products? Use the Rotary Blade. And if you only thought that foil touches were done at big companies think again and use the Foil-Transfer tool.
Of course there’s also compatible pens and markers to do all manner of designs and drawings.
The trailer above shows off the newest members to the family in the form of the Cricut Maker 3 and the Explore 3 which offer working speeds up to double compared to the previous generation and the ability to work on material up to 3.65 metres.
This exceptional speed and unparalleled capacity means that small batch projects happen in the blink of an eye and larger endeavours won’t bog you down.
Cricut machines not only draw, score, cut and emboss but they will also quickly become a resource makers can’t live without. As such a versatile tool makers will apply their imaginations to more projects no one has thought of before too.
For those who feel a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities here, or just need some inspiration to get going, there is the Cricut Learn website. Here this carefully fostered community has guides and projects to guide makers from the first day they unbox their machine to the pro-level endgame.
For each individual maker this means a different thing, from mastering their craft to possibly selling their goods as a business, Cricut is there for you every step of the way.
Several Cricut machines are now in South Africa and available to buy from Incredible Connection.
Once you have your machine and want to share your creations – or you need that final push to pick one up – check out the Cricut Family South Africa Facebook page.
