Chicken Suncatcher

Chicken Suncatcher/Ornament File. Instructions, recommended materials, and tips below.

*When choosing your colors for this project, use the same thickness for the outline and inside colored pieces (Chicken/Background). If you use an opaque color, no sun will shine through. If you use a translucent or see through color, light will shine through.

**If you decide to just do the layered outline on a solid backer, you can ignore the other elements.

1. If you wish to adjust for kerf, input your adjustment measurement.
   
   NOTE: this is applying an offset to all cut pieces to make them fit more snugly, so you want to use 1/2 of your laser's kerf value, because it is applying the adjustment to both the length AND width of your shapes. Here's how to find kerf: A Quick Look at Kerf – Big Blue Laser Designs
   
   If you work with Lightburn, you can adjust your kerf directly in the program. If you plan to do so, set kerf value to 0 on the SVG file here before downloading. My default starting point I recommend is using 0.002 inches for the offset, but each machine will vary.
   
   

2. Download SVG File. Adjust nesting if desired. They are currently placed so you know where each piece goes, but you may prefer to optimize your space differently.
   
   

3. Cut Backer from desired material. I recommend using some kind of clear, frosted, or translucent glitter backer, so the light shines through. For ease of assembly, I like to apply 3M or comparable adhesive on the TOP of this backer piece, when using all inside pieces. For just the outline version, apply adhesive to back of outline.
   
   

4. Cut outline piece from an opaque color, I typically use black.
   
   

5. Cut your interior pieces from your desired colors. If you want to see the light through the piece, use translucent elements to let it shine through. Think frosted colors, scattered glitters or flakes, or see-through colors. If you don't want something to have light shine through, use an opaque color like a matte or a solid glitter.
   
   

6. Place your outline piece first. Line up the edges and then press down once you are confident with placement.
   
   

7. Place your interior pieces. Think of it like following a puzzle.
   
   

8. Add ribbon or wire for hanging.

   
   

FILE KEY:
Red = Cut
Blue = Score

Difficulty Level: Beginner/Intermediate. It is all cut elements, with one small piece for the beak. The hardest part is placing the outline, and once you have that down, it's like doing a puzzle to assemble the rest. Each colored piece goes in one of the negative space gaps of the outline.

Offset of 0.002 inches was applied for sample. Colors were chosen so background is translucent and letting in light, but chicken and outline are opaque, not letting light through.