How to make shirts using a Cricut and The Cricut Easy Press

I love making shirts with my Cricut. They are really easy to craft and always make great gifts. There are so many styles and ways to create shirts and the best part is you can easily personalize them for anyone or any occasion. 

When I first got my Cricut it took me a while, and several messy shirts later, to find the best method of making them for myself, family and friends. My best advice is to not give up. Although it can seem a little frustrating at first, making shirts is actually one of my favorite projects to craft with my Cricut. Below are my tips for getting started crafting shirts with your Cricut and Cricut Easy Press. 

Stick to simple one color designs

You’ll want to get the hang of things before you start to layer colors to get into really complicated designs. One of my favorite go-to projects are shirts with quotes or funny sayings. The letters are always easy to transfer on and you don’t have to word about layering vinyl or making intricate vinyl cuts…yet. 

Reuse mistake shirts for practice

If you’re just starting out, don’t toss out a messed up shirt. Peel off the old design and start again. Even if it’s not perfect you can still use the shirt for practice. The environment (and me) will thank you. 

Don’t overheat the vinyl

One of my many rookie mistakes when making shirts was to overheat the vinyl. Despite wanting to make a really good bond, overheating the vinyl can cause it to melt and become sticky, ultimately not bonding to your shirt. 

Gather all your supplies and set everything out

I’m a messy crafter so I’m usually running back and forth to my laptop and where I’m pressing my vinyl. But I learned that you really need to organize your spot. Transferring your vinyl with the heat press only takes 15 seconds so it’s pretty rushed and you don’t want to run back to your previous spot because you forgot something. 

Invest in a good weeding tool

The Cricut normally comes with a basic weeder, but if you want to make vinyl a frequent hobby you’ll want a good tool. Weeding is the process of pulling up the unused vinyl after a cut. (Think the triangle in the center of the letter A. It would have to be weeded out to press your shirt.) The better tools you have the less stressful this process can be and you will be able to quickly prep your vinyl for shirts in no time.

To get started on our project you’ll need a few things

• A Cricut or any vinyl cutter
• T shirt
• The Cricut Easy Press
• Heat Transfer Vinyl in a single color (Preferably in contrast to your shirt color)
• Cricut Heat Mat or towel
• ‘This is my handstand shirt’ SVG – available for free download here

To get started you’ll first need to pick out the shirt you will want to use. Newer shirts work best. Their fiber is still intact and will adhere to the vinyl better. You can definitely still use thrifted shirts, (especially for practicing). However, I would stick to ones that feel thick and still have a lot of good wear left in them. Choose a shirt color in contrast to your Heat Transfer Vinyl color. I like to use a lot of white vinyl on darker colored shirts so you can really see the design or the font pop when you’re wearing the shirt. You can also use black or darker vinyl on light colored shirts as well. 

Choose your vinyl & design

Next you’re going to want to choose your vinyl. With shirts, lately I have been using Cricut SportFlex Iron-On. Cricut recommends this for use on sporty nylon type projects, but I have found it really works best for any cotton t-shirt or project. This type of vinyl has a lot of flex or movement in it so it’s made for stretching out and getting worn. I also find this product holds up better in the wash. 

Now that you’ve chosen your T-Shirt and vinyl you’ll want to pick out the design. If you’ve got a kid that LOVES handstands (or you do yourself), you can download the free design I used in this project on Creative Fabrica for free. Otherwise, choose any solid color design and create a shirt that fits your style. One of my kids is always doing handstands around the house so this one’s for her!   

Prepare the design in Cricut Design Space

Once you have your SVG picked out and downloaded to your computer, set your Cricut and upload your design to Cricut Design Space. Make sure when you start a new project that you are sizing your SVG correctly so it will fit on your shirt. Measure the space you want the design to fill on your shirt. Now match the measurements on your cutting mat and then match to the measurements on your Design Space project. Make sure you are not going to cut off your design or run into any edge when you are cutting with your measurements. 

Grab your mat and begin to prep your vinyl for cutting. Cut out a square large enough to cover the area of your design from your Heat Transfer Vinyl. Test which side of the vinyl needs to go face down on the mat. Heat Transfer Vinyl has two sides, one for the vinyl side, and one for the clear transfer side. The clear transfer side of your vinyl always goes down. To test the vinyl to see which side needs to go down on your cutting mat, peel up a tiny piece of the corner. You will be able to see which side is clear and which side is the vinyl side. Place the clear side down on the sticky side of your cutting mat. 

I have found that if my mat isn’t very sticky anymore, blue painters tape around the corners and edges of the vinyl works great for keeping it in place while you cut. If you are using text for your shirts, like I am, don’t forget to mirror your design in Design Space or it will be backwards in the final result. Now you are ready to cut out your project. Press the ‘C’ on your Cricut to begin. Once your design is cut you’ll want to peel up the edges of the design carefully. And then weed out all the remaining vinyl that you don’t want in your design. 

Apply the vinyl with Cricut Easy Press

After your vinyl is cut and weeded, it’s time to heat up your Cricut Easy Press. Heat your Cricut Easy Press to 305 degrees Fahrenheit (no hotter!). Use the timer on the Easy Press and set it for 15 seconds. The timer is a really convenient tool that helps you easily time your heated projects. Set your shirt up on a heatproof surface. The Easy Press gets extremely hot. I have a Cricut Mat that I place inside the t-shirt so the heat will not ruin whatever surface I am pressing on. But if you don’t have a Cricut Heat Mat use a folded towel and place it under your project to protect your surface area. Or work on an ironing board. Carefully peel your vinyl off your mat, flip it over and lay it on your shirt. Use the clear transfer paper to temporarily stick the design to your shirt. The clear transfer paper will be sticky. Your design will now be facing the correct way with the vinyl in-between the shirt and the clear transfer paper. 

Once you have your temperature and timer set press the ‘C’ on your Heat Press and, gently at first, place your Heat Press over the design of your T-Shirt. Then press firmly down and move your Heat Press in a circular motion to make sure you cover the entire design. Once the 15-second timer is done and remove the Heat Press from your shirt. Wait a few seconds for the clear coating to be cool enough to touch, but not cold and start to peel up your transfer. Peel off the clear coating slowly, being careful not to move too quickly because you don’t want to peel the vinyl off your shirt. 

Wait for your item to cool completely before wearing and enjoy!!

Washing Tips

Use a pre-washed shirt even if it’s new. The dye from a new shirt can wash off in the first cycle and prevent some areas of your shirt from sticking properly. 

Wash gently on warm or cool. 

If your design starts to lift or wrinkle, simply re-press the area using a pillowcase. Place the pillowcase in between the shirt and the vinyl transfer and press for a few seconds. Use the folded up towel method or a Cricut Heat Mat to keep your working area safe from the heat. 

For more fun projects, Cricut ideas and tutorials follow Creative Fabrica’s The Artistry blog. Happy crafting!