S/O Question for the electronic cutter queens

Hmmm, interesting, thanks for sharing that tutorial! I'm not sure that technique will replace faux stitching dies for me, because I love the details that the pressure of manual die cutting provides. I have a Silhouette Cameo and a manual die cutter and I've found that I use each for different things.

I love using my Silhouette for:
1) 3D cards, boxes, crafts
2) Print and cut
3) One-off designs (something I'm only going to use once and don't want to pay $$$ for a physical die)
4) Cutting out stamped images
5) Mass producing (it does the work for me!)

I use my manual die cutter for:
1) Dies with stitching, piercing and embossing
2) Super intricate designs
3) Basic shapes I'll use again and again (like A2 layering dies)

Of course, I haven't always followed this rule of thumb, but over the past year, I've been more observant of my crafting habits and decided on this system to help guide me for future purchases.

Before acquiring either machine, I remember spending a lot of time agonizing over manual vs electronic. My mom actually bought the Silhouette as a Christmas present for me, which solved my initial dilemma! I later picked up a manual die cut machine mostly to do letterpress with the L Letterpress platform, but then began doing die cutting as well. Obviously having either one is a luxury, but for me, I think they're two very different tools, so I prefer a hybrid approach.

Anyway, that's my late night musings on die cutting! Fascinating stuff, I know!

Sorry to hear about the family challenges, I hope things get better for you and your loved ones. I agree with you that having either die cutting system is a luxury, not a need, and that I've wasted a lot of money on metal dies that were not worth the investment. I feel like as a crafter, my understanding/enjoyment of my process deepens/changes the longer I do it, so I think it's all about finding what works for you personally, not just creatively but financially as well. I shared on another thread that lately, I've decided that before buying anything, I'll ask myself, "Will I really use this?" Instead of just looking at the end result (like a beautiful card), I think logically about if this is the kind of product I've used in the past and if I'll be inspired to pick it up when I want to create. (Like layering stamps...love the look, hate the work!) Of course, we all occasionally fall victim to a good sale or irresistible product, but this definitely helps cut down on unneeded purchases for me! Kudos to you for finding solutions that work for you!

I did see that one.  Kind of sad, but yes, funny.

I fuss with the dashes to get the look that I want. I also have a small stylus with a ball at the end. I use this to run along the edges of my Cameo cuts. It gives a slight beveled edge to the die cuts, similar to what you get with a physical die. It’s not quite as much, but I prefer the softer edge over the straight 90 degree cut of my Cameo. 

I agree that the dies still look the best. And yes, using the stylus can be quite time consuming!  

I use a different method when I add stitched lines to a design.  I make a line of dashes (just from the keyboard) and then drag it to my shape, adding it just like I do curved text that follows the shape. It works better if you make a second shape that is inset to the first, like the link does for the first step. Try that and see if you like the look better. Different fonts will give you different widths and lengths of the dashes, as does increasing and decreasing the font size. 

I don’t buy a lot of stitched dies. I like the look, but not the cost of so many sets. I have so many does now that I’m just trying to use my Cameo to bridge the gap. But, check eBay for fonts. I’ve added so many sets over the years, many for only about $10. I did this earlier on when people were ditching their manual does because they had bought the brand new Cricut or Portrait (I told you this was a while ago!) But then, do you need the manual dies when you have a digital die cutter and dafont?!