I am obsessed with my Cricut machine and create projects on it every day. You can call it my hobby or my big passion for crafting. Recently, I have made dozens of custom shirts with my Cricut Maker machine, and you can create some on your own, too. Following this guide, your guesswork will be reduced to zero, as I will share some of the easiest steps on how to make custom shirts with Cricut.
If you are interested in my tutorial, I would recommend you continue it till the end so as not to miss anything important. I have been creating unique stuff with my Cricut for more than 6 years now; it has been a beautiful journey for me.
Whether you are a beginner or a well-trained Cricut user, this post will help you get some ideas for starting something new. I hope you found this blog helpful and that you will come back for more Cricut-related blogs like this one. Let’s start learning how to design shirts with Cricut for beginners.
Which Is the Best Cricut for Making Shirts?
When you are making a custom shirt, you will have this doubt about which machine to choose. My answer would be to choose anyone you have. Whether you have Cricut Maker, Joy, or Explore, you can choose anyone with your iron-on vinyl to make a perfect custom shirt.
However, you will need to insert the fine point blades to cut this type of vinyl. I hope you got an answer to it. Let’s move forward with this guide on making your custom shirt.
How to Make Custom Shirts With Cricut Machine?
When you are clear about which machine to use and what design you wanna make, let’s get started with my steps. Well, you will need a few things before you move your hands on the desktop. So, gather up all the listed things here.
- Cricut Explore Air 2
- EasyPress 2
- EasyPress mat
- Shirt apparel
- Weeding tool
- Brayer tool
- Scissors
- Standard mat
- Premium vinyl
Are you ready with all these? So you’re good to go. When you are ready, head to your Cricut Design Space and show some of your creativity. And follow all the steps carefully.
Step 1: Go to the Cricut Design Space App
In the first step, you should go to your Design Space and pick a design to print on your shirt. As the Cricut app is full of ready-to-make designs, fonts, images, and templates, you won’t have to hustle to make a design. I am using my Explore Air 2 machine; you can use a machine you’re familiar with.
Step 2: Adjust Your Design
Once you are ready with your final design, you can take some time to make that fit for you. For example, you can change the design’s color. On the Cricut Design Space canvas, you will get a few options on the right-hand side, from where you can choose your favorite color for the shirt.
Step 3: Change Vinyl Color
Here, you need to change your vinyl color as your shirt’s color may not be a good match with the vinyl’s color. In order to keep the color vibrant and not blend them, you have an option to change the color of your iron-on vinyl. To do this, you should click on the Layers option on the canvas. After that, you can click on the white box with the Layer option and pick a color for your vinyl.
Step 4: Final Your Design
If you find the color combo not as expected, you can change it. Once you have done all the updates, you are ready to save your design. You need to hit the Save button along with the name of your project to remember what this design is about. I am making a design that says “Cutest Bachelor.” Let’s check more steps on how to make custom shirts with Cricut.
Step 5: Load Your Material (Iron-on Vinyl)
In this step, you are ready to cut your project with your special Cricut machine. Don’t forget to load your vinyl on a Cricut cutting mat and then into the Cricut machine. Once you are done, you can start the cutting. Also, select the correct size of your mat on your machine so that your design fits the cutting mat. And the most important thing is to align the iron-on vinyl correctly to get an expected cut.
Step 6: Cut Your Design
When your design is ready, and you have checked all the settings, you can allow your Cricut machine to perform a cut for you. Once you hit the Go button on your machine, it will show you a preview of your final design. If you are satisfied with it, click the Continue button to get a cut. Once the design is fully cut, unload your cutting mat.
Step 7: Weed Out the Excess Vinyl
When you have a cut in your hand, take a weeding tool and take out excess vinyl to make the design clear and ready to be ironed. You can use your hands too, but a weeding tool is more convenient. Now, you have finally come to the main part of how to make custom shirts with Cricut.
Step 8: Ready Your EasyPress
When your design is ready, you can set your Cricut EasyPress to cotton or linen to get the desired results. So, now you need to put your weeded design on the shirt apparel and use a Cricut EasyPress 2 to heat it. However, before that, you must use a brayer tool to remove lint and fibers from the shirt’s fabric. Once you do that, for the next steps.
Step 9: Preheat Your Shirt
When your apparel is ready, use your EasyPress to preheat it for 15 seconds with moderate pressure to remove the moisture and wrinkling. For the final heating, you should consider a Cricut Heat Guide that will help you find the best setting for your design. After that, use the temperature and pressure accordingly.
Step 10: Apply Heat to Your Shirt
And the last step is to just apply the heat as the Cricut guide suggests. Use a towel to place on your vinyl design, and apply heat for 30 seconds. Using a towel will prevent your iron-on from getting damaged. Viola, you have just designed a perfect custom shirt with your Cricut.
Conclusion
You were all wondering how to make custom shirts with Cricut. And with my blog, you might have found this process a bit easier than before, I guess. Don’t worry; if you follow the instructions carefully, I can bet you can make a fabulous shirt.
However, be mindful of the heating setting as it can ruin your project and waste everything. It’s always better to use a household iron while making your first project. When you get familiar with the process, you can take one step ahead with an EasyPress.