How Cute Are These Shirts? Grab Your Cricut Machine & YOU Can Make Them Too!
If you’re interested in making fun personalized shirts with your Cricut machine, no need to be intimidated by using Heat Transfer Vinyl in your projects. I’m still a Cricut Newbie and recently embellished a few creative t-shirts for my kids to wear on our trip to Disneyland!
Here are a few helpful tips on how to make shirts with Heat Transfer Vinyl using Cricut Design Space, which is the FREE online software used for designing and cutting your Cricut projects.
How to Use Heat Transfer Vinyl on T-Shirts
Supplies Needed:
-
- Heat Transfer Vinyl (I used Cricut brand Glitter HTV)
- Cricut machine
- Cricut Cutting Mat
- Weeding Tool
- Iron
- Pillow Case or Thin Cotton Cloth
Instructions:
1. Insert Image to your project in Cricut Design Space and create the desired size by dragging the blue arrow circle towards the bottom right of the image.
2. Change image from “Print” image to “Cut” image using the “Layer Attributes” box. Click the green “Go” circle on the top right of the screen.
3. Load Heat Transfer Vinyl onto your Standard Grip Cricut Cutting Mat making sure the shiny side is down.
Tip: It’s harder to tell with glitter, so I like to visually check by peeling a very small corner with my nail to see exactly which part is the shiny clear liner vs. the actual dull looking color vinyl layer.
You want the machine to be cutting the vinyl layer so make sure it’s facing up and shiny clear layer faces down. This is very important to avoid wasting a bunch of vinyl as I did! Yikes!
4. Set dial on the machine to “Iron-On” setting. This will make sure your Cricut completes a “Kiss Cut” by only cutting through the top vinyl layer.
5. Back in Cricut Design Space, click the box to mirror image—this is a must with iron-on projects with text and most images. Press “GO” and follow prompts on machine to LOAD mat and make final cut.
6) Unload mat and carefully cut around your image so you can save the uncut portion of vinyl for future projects. Use a weeding tool to peel off excess vinyl and reveal your iron-on design.
Tip: Hold next to a window or light so you can easily see the cut lines if needed.
7. Heat iron to the hottest setting and pre-heat shirt with it before placing vinyl down on shirt, shiny side up and vinyl side touching shirt (make sure steam setting is OFF).
Place a pillowcase or thin cloth on top of the design as a press cloth. Press iron down over cloth using medium pressure for about 30 seconds. Turn the shirt over and press the iron down for another 30 seconds.
8. Let cool for a minute and remove the clear film. If there is lifting, place film back on and iron again for another 10 seconds. For best results, wash shirts inside out.
Where can I get fonts & images to use for personal use?
Fonts-
Cricut Design Space has access to some free fonts and also some available to purchase. The fonts on your computer load automatically in Design Space so if you’re like me and collect fonts all the time, it’s helpful to work with the ones I already like. Dafont.com is one resource I’ve used for free fonts.
Images-
Cricut Design Space also has access to some free images and some available for purchase. You can also upload .JPG images in Design Space and edit it into an .SVG “cut” file. Click HERE for specific instructions on how to do that.
Once you upload an image to Design Space it will be saved in your account for future use. You can search online for free clip art to upload to Design Space and also join image sharing groups.
Try joining the Facebook group “Cricut Newbies & Pros for Explore” to see what others are making and have access to a large list of files to use on projects.
Great craft! Love my Cricut!!!
Thanks Elizabeth! I do too ❤️
Well people sure make a lot of money from buying shirts. I know I spend a lot.
Love making tshirts!! These are so much fun….super cute designs!
Thanks!
Where is the cheapest place to get HTV?
My favorite place and the cheapest I’ve found is https://vinylworld651.com/. And if you follow her on Facebook, she runs sales often. Plus her shipping is ridiculously fast.
I’ve bought Siser and Cricut brand when on sale, not sure on cheapest though.
Craftvinyl.com if you can follow his rules. He has THE cheapest prices but lots of people don’t like him because he doesn’t skate around stuff, he’s very blunt and straight forward. I follow the rules and don’t have any problems with him 🙂
I follow the rules too. However, I will say that I wish his pages weren’t 20 paragraphs long. It seems like the rules should take fewer words. LOL! Also- don’t expect stuff to be fast if you order from a sale! I placed an order on 11/25 and it just got shipped on 12/11, so I will hopefully get it in the next few days. Which is fine- not complaining- just a warning to not expect stuff quickly!
Help where do u buy ur shirts from ? I want something soft not Hanes brand anyone have a favorite place to buy
from?? Thanks !
Honestly I buy on clearance from Walmart! Ha
I have been buying the baseball style shirts at Big 5 when they go on sale $10 or so.
Thanks I never walmart … I will have to go check it out and I never heard of big5
I find the best price / fastest shipping from heattransfervinyl4u.com I also buy shirts from jiffyshirts.com
Thanks the shirt advice!!
Thanks for sharing!
OMG! these are amazing! I am going to DW for the first time in October. I have a silhouette machine but no idea how to use it lol
Thank you so much for the step by step guide. I want a cricut so bad but am too intimidated by it.
Sure! I understand. I watched a ton of YouTube videos before I even opened mine! 😀
I watched YouTube videos while I was waiting for my Cricut to be delivered. By the time it came, I knew what I was doing already! 😀
I, too, was intimidated, but after playing with it, i am in love and surprised by the work i am able/can do with it!
I have a Question for all the gals making the t-shirts with circuit machine. Does everybody buy a Heatpress or can you get by with a really Good Hot Iron?
You can get by with a good hot iron, but a heat press makes life easier and making shirts faster. I’ve been doing this for months now and just got a heatpress last week, so it can be done 🙂
I was told to get a heat press if I got a Cricut, I got a nice one on sale, I am so glad I went that route.
Just bought some navy Cricut htv. I hope the quality of Cricut brand htv is good! Any reviews of the quality?
Most people who sell shirts prefer Siser or Thermoflex brand. And most of the time those are cheaper with online sales. But for your own use I think Cricut brand is okay.
I agree with CBeths. I don’t like cricut brand much, it didn’t stay down as well as say siser or thermoflex. And cricut brand is much more expensive than siser and thermoflex.
Lina- do you sell these? I don’t have a cricut or the know-how but love these!
You are so sweet! No I don’t. thanks for the compliment Joy!
My Cricut is almost ten years old, I wonder if it will work?? I have dozens of ideas for my kiddos!
Are there any bundle deals (especially with iron on vinyl) going on? I think I finally decided to get this!!!
I have lots of trouble with vinyl. It never comes off the transfer paper. I’ve tried removing some of the stickiness by placing it on a piece of cloth a few times but it still does not peel off. I have to pull it off and then some pieces get stretched out and it looks ugly. Any suggestions?
Oh really? It helps me to use a credit card or some type of tool to really go over with it first. What transfer tape are you using?
I’m having the opposite problem- I can’t get my transfer tape to pick up my vinyl pieces! It isn’t sticky enough! I’m going to try another brand. What brand do you use? 🙂
These came out great! I was wondering how do they fair after washing? Especially the glitter transfers, would you say they are good for about 4 washes?
Where did you get the polka dot Minnie ears ?
Either on google or Etsy 🤔
You don’t know how much I needed this I was leaving you a comment but I guess I got to long and got cut off but I needed this so much thank you
Ty I am a newbie and had no idea! I thought I had to use the print then cut to make T-shirts🤦🏻♀️
Speaking of little ones, this name tag onesie is perfect for bringing baby home from the hospital. When someone asks you what the baby’s name is, just point to it! Genius. Find it in Design Space . To make things even easier, you can now get your hands on Cricut’s Easy Press™ ! With the speed of a heat press and the convenience of an iron the Easy Press™ delivers professional results in 60 seconds. How cool is that?!
I’m a newbie to cricut and I don’t understand how you got the white polka bow by using the red glitter vinyl. Is there a step missing.
the shirt is whit