WAP of course is the acronym for a super trendy song that came out over the summer, but with this project, I wanted to turn the letters into something fun and spooky for Halloween.
When designing the SVG (that you can download for free here) I wanted to include the letters WAP but also adding ‘witches and potions’ as well as some design elements that give a nod to a mystical feeling. I chose the feminine hands that hovered around the letters and some simple star shapes to wrap it all up.
This is definitely one of those fun projects to make for yourself. You can wear the Halloween witchy WAP shirt to a fun party, spooky outing, or just to get together with friends.
Use the SVG to make matching cups, travel mugs, totes, and more! Use your imagination and get creative.
What you’ll need
For this project, you will need a few items. The first thing you will need is a t-shirt. I used a white t-shirt that came in a pack of two but feel free to use orange for a more festive look, or any other color you like. My only advice would be to use the vinyl in a contrasting color, so you can make sure your design is visible on your new shirt.
HTV or heat transfer vinyl are the other items you will need. I used Cricut HTV for this project, but I have found that other HTV brands like Oracle vinyl work just as well if not better than Cricut vinyl. You don’t need very much vinyl for this project. Since there is so much space between the stars you can even use scrap vinyl and just tape them together on your Cricut cutting mat.
The last thing you will need for this project is a Cricut Easy Press or an iron. I found my Cricut Easy press a great investment because it’s easy to use, and the direct heat setting lets you choose the exact temperature of how hot your Easy Press gets.
What you’ll do
First, measure the length and width of your t-shirt and determine how large you want your design to be. I chose 10 x 8 inches because I wanted the graphic to appear very large on my top, but choose whatever you think would work best for you.
Once you have your design measured, upload the premade WAP Witches and Potions SVG into your Cricut Design Space. Use the arrow tools on the corners to drag out how large you are going to want your piece.
Make sure your Cricut machine is set to Vinyl. Click through the make it process in your Cricut Design Space. Once you get to your cutting screen, click the radio buttons on the left-hand side of your screen to mirror your design. This creates a reversed view of your SVG, so your WAP graphic will now appear backward.
Set up your Cricut cutting mat with your vinyl. If your mat is no longer sticking, use painter’s blue tape or any temporary tape around the edges of your vinyl to keep it in place. I use this method even if my mat is still sticky to prevent any sliding when the design is cutting in my Cricut machine.
After you have finished setting up your cutting mat, feed the mat into your machine and begin to cut out your design.
When your design is finished cutting, take the very edge of the vinyl and peel off any excess material and weed out in-between the letters and stars.
This will leave the cut-out image on the clear transfer paper on your mat. Peel up the clear transfer from your mat and flip it over. The reverse will now appear corrected.
If you have a Cricut Easy Press, begin to heat up your press at 340 degrees. 340 degrees is the temperature you need to have your heat press at for it to correctly adhere your vinyl to your shirt material. If your Easy Press temperature setting is too cool, the vinyl will not stick to the shirt. But any hotter and your material will melt and again not stick to your shirt. If you do not have an Easy Press, simply heat up your iron or shirt press to this temperature.
Set up your shirt on a heat mat or folded towel to protect the surface you are working on. Place the clear transfer paper with the sticky side down onto where you want the application to take place. Pick up your Cricut Easy Press or iron and using a rotating motion heat your vinyl for 15 seconds.
Let your clear transfer paper cool for a few seconds before carefully peeling up. Make sure your vinyl cools completely before using your new shirt!
Tips and tricks
There is some debate about whether you should wash your shirt before placing it on your graphic. I have done this both ways, washing and not washing and I have not seen a difference in how well the vinyl sticks.
For longer usage wash your shirt in cool water on a delicate setting, you can tumble dry on low or hang dry.
If any portion of your vinyl peels up, reattach it to your shirt using a small piece of clear transfer paper.
Use different colored vinyl and shirts to create unique contrasting looks, like black with white vinyl or orange with black vinyl for a more festive design.
If you don’t already have one, the Cricut Easy Press is the easiest way to make t-shirts using a Cricut machine. Even though you can use a clothing iron in a pinch, the Easy Press really does make the process go smoother.
If you are using a used or thrifted shirt, make sure that the material feels thick. Although you can use a thrifted tee sometimes the overwashed material is not the best for your making vinyl stick.
For more Cricut crafts, follow me on Creative Fabrica’s The Artistry blog!
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