Cricut Grid Education

September 22, 2022 by Paula W

As part of our membership, we offer some grids and we’ve heard that some members are confused about how to use them. So, we put together this adorable garden flag tutorial to show you how to make use of the grids. With grids, it’s like having half the work of designing your project already done for you!

Cricut Grid Education

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links provided for your convenience. This means, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Cut Files/Fonts Used:

Accent Embellishment
Fallon
Click Clack
Grid 1
Grid 4
Grid 12
Grid 18

Supply Links:

Step-by-step Instructions:

Download the fonts and cut files from Makers Gonna Learn. You need to unzip the files and install the fonts on your computer. Upload the cut files into Design Space.
Grab a square and size it to 11.5″x17″ or whatever size you want. This should be sized to the space you have available for your design on the canvas flag. Get another square and size it to 11.5″x3″ or whatever size you want to symbolize the rod pocket. Place that at the top of your background rectangle.
Move Grid 4 to the canvas and size it to arrange however you want.
Open a text box. Choose the font you want and then type in the text you want. Bring it up to the grid where you want to put it and size it to arrange it however you want. You can decrease the spacing between the letters through the letter-spacing button or manually adjust it by pressing ungroup. Make sure to group the text again after ungrouping and moving. Repeat the same process for all the text in the grid. If you need to curve the text, you can select your text and go up to the top and use the curving tool.
Once all the text is placed and arranged in the grip, you can add the accents. Ungroup the accents and hide the layers you don’t need, Then, move the ones you need over to the grid. You can size and arrange the embellishments however you wish.
Once you are satisfied with your design, you can delete the grid. Be sure to weld your text.
For Grid 18, in order to arrange and fit the text into it, you need to ungroup the text and move the letters individually. After all, the texts are arranged in the grid and you are satisfied, you can delete the grid and weld all the text together.
For the hot air balloons, these will be a Print then Cut. So, click Make It and connect to your printer to print them. Then, put the printed printable vinyl onto your cutting mat and load it into your Cricut to cut out. Once done cutting, you can weed it.
Place the canvas on your 12 x 24 mat. Load it into the machine. You will need to put your rotary blade into your Maker and select Canvas for your material.
Load the mat into the machine with the canvas to cut. After that, load the mat with the vinyl and let it cut out the text. Make sure to mirror your text since we are using heat transfer vinyl.
Serge the edges of the flag all the way around with the serger machine. If no serger machine is available, you can roll the edges of the flag and sew it with your sewing machine. Or if you prefer a no-sew approach, you can use hot glue. After serging, fold the edges over a little bit and sew them.
Next, make the rod pocket. Fold the edge where you put the rod then sew it.
Place the HTV onto the flag, Use your EasyPress to heat it. We used a heat setting of 340 degrees for 40 seconds.
Next, you need to heat the printed images of the hot air balloons. Be sure to put a Teflon sheet over the printable vinyl before heating with your EasyPress.
Drill holes on either end of the dowel (not directly into the round ends but near the ends up on the dowel itself). The holes are where you will insert the rope and tie it off.

Rainbow & Striped Vinyl Decals

September 22, 2022 by Paula W

Want some fun Rainbow & Striped Vinyl Decals but only have solid colored vinyl? No big deal! In this video, we teach you our favorite hack for creating vibrant and virtually seamless decals using 6 different permanent vinyl colors!

This method works beautifully with our Starbucks wrap cut file collection that you will love to use in order to create adorable custom tumblers for friends, family, and customers.

RainboRainbow & Striped Vinyl Decals

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links provided for your convenience. This means, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Cut File Used:

Butterfly Flower

Supply Links:

Step-by-step Instructions:

Import cut file and size to just a little over 6″ (measure cup to ensure Starbucks emblem fits nicely in the center of cut file design).
Using a paper trimmer, Cut 1 – 6″x1.125″ strips of each color of vinyl. (will have 6 strips total)
Place vinyl strips touching side by side in the top left-hand corner of the standard grip mat. Once all pieces of vinyl are placed, you will have a square of vinyl that measures 6″x6.75″
Load the mat into the machine and let cut
Remove mat, use squeegee tool to burnish vinyl, and weeding too to weed off the excess vinyl
Apply clear transfer tape to vinyl and burnish the transfer tape to the vinyl.
Remove mat from the vinyl and burnish from the back.
Remove backing and apply to clean (it’s a great idea to prep your tumbler by cleaning it with alcohol and a lint-free cloth) Starbucks tumbler
Burnish vinyl to the tumbler. Once transferred smoothly and firmly to the tumbler, remove the transfer tape.

DIY Baby Shower Decor

August 26, 2022 by Paula W

Having a baby shower? We have got a fantastic idea for some DIY baby shower decor. With these balloon boxes you can make adorable, affordable baby shower decorations that you are going to love.

This custom baby shower decor is sure to have all your guests raving about how talented you are! You could easily adapt it for other party themes too – graduation, birthday, anniversary, and more.

DIY Baby Shower Decor

You can order the boxes already made from Amazon, but we’re going to show you how to take those basic boxes to the next level and turn them into something really special.

Cut Files/Fonts Used:

Cut File – https://makersgonnalearn.com/cut_files/flower-corner-1/

Font – https://makersgonnalearn.com/fonts/insistence-3/

Supply Links:

Boxes – https://amzn.to/3MRXZRN
Starcraft Vinyl: https://bit.ly/3uP2GUo
Squeegee Tool: https://www.143vinyl.com/4-squeegee-mint.html?partner=219904
12” by 10 yard Siser Transfer tape: https://www.143vinyl.com/siser-easypsv-transfer-tape-12-inch-x-10-yard-roll.html?partner=219904
Pink Balloons: https://amzn.to/3HoiPY7
Parchment Paper: https://amzn.to/3OelCFp
Cricut Weeder Tool: https://amzn.to/2Smd44Z
Our Favorite Cutting Mats: https://amzn.to/3pdN1KN (Nicapa)
Pin Pen Tool: https://bit.ly/2SCiMlZ
Measuring tape
Cricut Explore 3: https://amzn.to/3pHRuap
Cricut Maker: https://amzn.to/2S1iFNB

Step-by-step Instructions:

1 – Measure the opening of the box so you can determine how large your design should be.

Working in Design Space:

2 – Add a rounded square shape to your canvas in Cricut Design Space and size it to match the dimensions of the box opening.

3 – If you have not downloaded and installed the font you want to use prior to opening Design Space, you will need to save your work so far and then completely exit out of it. When you reopen Design Space, your font will be available for use.

4 – Add the letter as desired. In this case, we added the letter B, using the font Insistence. Size it as desired. Select the square and the letter and choose Align, Center.

5 – Upload the cut file and add to your canvas. Add it to the corner of your design allowing it to hang over the edges a little bit.

6 – With the cut file selected, add an Offset. Change the size as desired. We chose an offset size of 0.1. Once you set the size, press Apply.

Use Contour To Delete The Parts You Dont Want

7 – With your cut file selected, choose Contour and then Hide All Contours.

Slicing your design:

8 – Select your offset and your text layers. Choose Slice. Delete the unnecessary slice results.

9 – This time select the cut file (Flower Corner) and square. Once again, choose Slice.

10 – Delete the square slice result (see image above). We find it easiest to delete it from the Layers Panel.

Choose The Cut File Slice Result And The Second Square Slice Result 1

11 – Then, select the next square slice result and the cut file slice result as indicated in the image above. Weld.

12 – Choose your cut file and the text and Weld.

13 – Select the square. Under Operation, change from Basic Cut to Guide. In this way, it will keep the square there in Design Space to serve as a guide for you, but it won’t cut it out.

Cutting your design:

14 – Click Make It. Connect to your machine and choose Premium Vinyl as your material.

15 – Weed your design. Some parts are intricate and prone to tearing so take your time.

Pro Tip – We found it handy to use the Cricut weeding tool to hold down some of the pieces while weeding with the pin pen.

Applying the vinyl:

16 – Apply transfer tape. We recommend using a LightGrip tape or some that has been used before. (YES! You can reuse transfer tape!) Transfer tape that’s too sticky is likely to pick up the intricate parts of this design and not allow them to stick to the box well. Burnish well.

17 – Open up the box and make sure you check for the right side to apply the parchment to.

18 – Pull the design up from the backing. Place a piece of parchment paper shiny side down. With the bottom and edge hanging of the parchment paper a bit, lay it down on the parchment, only pressing down at the bottom.

Fold Back And Remove The Parchment Paper

19 – Fold back the design and remove the parchment paper. Using your burnishing tool, begin burnishing from the bottom and working your way up, laying down a little of the design at a time.

20 – Peel off the transfer tape slowly and carefully. Take extra care around those little pieces in the intricate part of the design.

21 – Assemble the box and fill with balloons.

Cricut Kitchen Craft Projects

August 24, 2022 by Paula W

Your die cutting machine is one of the best tools you can have on hand when it comes to organizing and decorating your home. We use it all the time! So, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite Cricut Kitchen Craft Projects here.

From labeled jars to charcuterie boards, tea towels, and more, there are so many different kitchen projects you can make. These are great ways to add style to your own kitchen or make them as gifts.

Cricut Kitchen Craft Projects

DIY CABINET KITCHEN ORGANIZERS From Makers Gonna Learn

Get your kitchen organized with some handy dandy labels. You’ll know just where everything goes!

DIY MENU BOARD From A Little Craft In Your Day

Meal planning is such a great way to reduce stress and frustration (no more – what are we going to have for dinner???). This menu board helps keep it all sorted out.

CRICUT PRINT THEN CUT KITCHEN ORGANIZATION From Makers Gonna Learn

More ideas for organizing your kitchen with adorable labels!

DIY IRON-ON TOWEL From Makers Gonna Learn

You can whip up some simple tea towels with your die cutting machine and iron on vinyl.

DIY WINE GLASSES From Makers Gonna Learn

These wine glasses with quotes on them are fun for a party or they make a great gift.

DIY DECORATIVE SERVING TRAY From 100 Directions

What a beautiful serving tray! Make one and top it with homemade baked goodies for someone special.

DIY TEAPOT SET From Best Of His Life

We love this idea for customizing a teapot. The tea fans in your life would love receiving this!

CUSTOM SUMMER C

CUSTOM SUMMER KOOZIE SET From Makers Gonna Learn

Make yourself some koozies for your next party. It’s a great way to keep your drinks straight and makes for a fun take-home favor.

DIY PERSONALIZED WOOD BURNED SPOON From Burton Avenue

What cook wouldn’t love a personalized wooden spoon or two for their kitchen?

FAUX WOOD BURNING From Makers Gonna Learn

You can make so many beautiful designs with our faux wood burning technique. We used it here for place cards.

HELLO AUTUMN COFFEE MUGS From Intelligent Domestications

Make some mugs to welcome in every holiday and season.

DIY CUSTOM CHARCUTERIE BOARD From Makers Gonna Learn

We. Love. Charcuterie. So of course, this custom charcuterie board was a huge win for us! Makes an amazing gift!

CUSTOM APRONS From Make Life Lovely

Use some HTV to create some lovely personalized aprons for yourself or to give as a special handmade gift.

SUBLIMATION PATTERN MUG From Makers Gonna Learn

We love sublimation! You too? Well then, you have got to check out this adorable sublimated mug!

DIY WATERCOLOR MIXER DECAL From The DIY Mommy

Make your mixer unique with a custom mixer decal!

INFUSIBLE INK MUG From Makers Gonna Learn

Want to use infusible ink instead of sublimation? We’ve got you covered.

BRUSH STROKE PRINT & CUT MUG From Makers Gonna Learn

Or how about a print then cut instead?

There are so many fun ways to organize and customize your kitchen with the help of your die cutting machine. Which of these ideas will you try first? We’d love to see what you make! Share with us on social media using hashtag #MakersGonnaLearn.

How to Sublimate on Cotton

August 22, 2022 by Paula W

If you have been working on sublimation projects for a while, you may think that you can only sublimate on polyester. Well. we’re here to tell you that you CAN sublimate on cotton! Wow! The DTF film and adhesive we’re demonstrating here is a game-changer.

Be sure to check out this post and video and learn how that’s possible. We will show you just how to make sublimation crafts on 100% cotton, opening up a whole new selection of materials to use with your projects. This is a must-see for sublimation fans.

How to Sublimate on Cotton

DTF means direct to fabric and it is what makes all the difference in being able to sublimate on 100% cotton. Let’s get started and show you how easy it is to use.

Materials needed:

100% cotton t-shirt – https://amzn.to/3pk2fAh
DTF Transfer Adhesive Powder – https://amzn.to/3duy7PT
DTF Transfer Film – https://amzn.to/3JQDGVc
A piece of copy paper
A bin to put the adhesive in
Measuring tape
Masking tape
Sublimation Printer: https://amzn.to/3P4BOd3
Sublimation Ink: https://www.143vinyl.com/starcraft-su…
Heat press: https://www.143vinyl.com/starcraft-he…
Heat resistant gloves: https://amzn.to/3dR01mt
Cut file: https://makersgonnalearn.com/cut_file…

Step-by-step tutorial:

WORKING IN CANVA

1 – Download your desired Print then Cut cut file from Makers Gonna Learn. Open Canva and set the size of your design. Ours is 8.5 by 11 inches. Then click Create New Design.

2 – Upload your PNG file. If you drag and drop, it will automatically upload for you.

3 – Size your design as desired. Remember that it needs to work within the confines of the transfer film.

4 – You need to mirror your image. To do that in Canva, you can do it by clicking on Flip. You can then Flip Horizontally or Flip Vertically. For our purposes, we flipped horizontally.

Choose Transparent Background When You Download 1

5 – Click Share. Download. Choose Transparent Background. Click Download.

PRINTING YOUR DESIGN

6 – Open the image that was downloaded. Choose your sublimation printer. We find this product works best on the “Photo on Glossy Paper” setting. Change the quality of the print to “Best”.

7 – Before you print, it’s important to prepare the film. We found it worked best to tape it to a sheet of copy paper and feed it through the printer that way. Make sure you are working with the film print side (matte side) up. Line it up with the copy paper underneath it as close to the top as possible, leaving a little bit of space for the tape. Try to get the masking tape as close to the top of the film as you can so it covers it as little as possible.

8 – Make sure you know how your particular printer feeds before loading the paper. Ours works with the side it’s going to print on face down. This is very important.

Pro Tip: If you don’t know how your printer works, use a plain piece of copy paper. Put an X on one side and feed it into your machine. Print it and find out which side it prints on.

Print your design.

Place The Printed Image In The Bin Of Adhesive

Move The Paper Around Until The Transfer Sheet Is Covered In Adhesive

ADDING THE ADHESIVE

9 – Put the adhesive (it’s a powder) into a bin that’s large enough to hold your printed design. Without touching your printed image, slide it into the bin. Carefully move the transfer around until it is completely coated with the adhesive. You want it well coated with the adhesive.

Pro Tip: Hold it up to the light so you can make sure that the design is thoroughly coated.

Place Design Under Heat Press To Cook It

10 – Place your design on your heat press. You want the heat set to 385 degrees. Lower the lid but don’t let it touch the design and adhesive. You want to heat it for 30 seconds to a minute and a half. Since we used a clamshell style heat press and the lid lowers at an angle, we turned our design around when it was partway “cooked” so that it would be heated more evenly.

HEATING YOUR DESIGN

11 – Once your design is heated, you will see that it no longer looks powdery. The adhesive has melted and you can see your design as with the image above. You are able to see the colors and details now.

12 – Press your shirt in the heat press for about 10-15 seconds to get all of the wrinkles out. Place the design on the shirt and cover with a piece of butcher paper. Press for 30-35 seconds. It’s a good idea to wear heat resistant gloves when you take the shirt from the heat press.

Pro tip: A warm peel did not give us good results. Cold peel was best. We like to rub the shirt against a cold surface (like a marble countertop) to help cool it down faster. Flip it over and rub it again on the other side.

Once Cool To The Touch Peel Off The Transfer Sheet

13 – Once the design is cool to the touch, slowly begin peeling away the transfer sheet.

Isn’t this an amazing technique? Let us know if you give it a try.

Etching Coated Tumblers with Citristrip

August 19, 2022 by Paula W

So many people are buying lasers so they can make these tumblers, but we have a craft hack that will save you all that money! We’re going to show you all about etching coated tumblers with Citristrip and your Cricut machine. This technique is super popular on TikTok and we know why. It’s such a great way to customize a coated tumbler.

These make fantastic handmade gifts or you can just make some for yourself. There are so many different designs you can use with this Cricut technique. Let’s get started!

Etching Coated Tumblers with Citristrip

We are going to test a couple of different tumblers in the video and see which ones we get the best results with. Check it out!

Supplies Needed To Engrave A Coated Tumbler

Materials used in the video:

Some of the tumblers we tested.

Pro Tip: Test the bottom of the tumblers. If it doesn’t work, you haven’t ruined the whole tumbler and can use it in a different way.

Font: Atmospheric

Permanent Oracal 651 adhesive vinyl for your design (this is important!)
Citristrip gel
Small container for the Citristrip
Tumbler
Brillo or other scrubbing pads
Painters’ tape
Paintbrush
Weeding tool

Step-by-step tutorial:

Prepping your design

1 – Create your design and cut it out of the permanent Oracal 651 vinyl. It’s important to use this type of vinyl for best results. With other vinyls, the Citristrip has a tendency to seep through.

Weed your design. Remember you’re creating a stencil so you’re weeding away the design and leaving the negative space. Apply transfer tape, burnish, and remove the backing.

2 – Apply your design to the tumbler. Burnish and ensure it’s well-adhered to the tumbler.

Pro Tip: We like to use the other end of the weeding tool to really get into all the detailed areas of the design.

3 – Cover your tumbler with tape around the stencil. This helps to protect the surface of the tumbler from the Citristrip. Remember, it’s a stripper and you only want it to touch the area of your stencil.

4 – Get ready to paint on the Citristrip. We found it helpful to find a small container or something similar that you can place the tumbler in or on and keep it from rolling around while you paint. You want to cover your design with a thick layer of the Citristrip.

Use Your Weeding Tool To Check On How Well The Citristrip Is Working

5 – You can check in after 5-10 minutes to see how well the Citristrip is working. Use your weeding tool to see how well it’s removing the area of your design.

6 – Once your design has etched for a while, it’s time to clean off the Citristrip and etched material. Head to the sink and use a scrubber. Rinse off the debris with water.

Pro tip: It can take up to 2 hours to completely etch your design.

7 – You can go in around the edges with the weeding tool to clean them up. Follow up with the scrubbing pad again.

DIY Car Trash Bag

August 17, 2022 by Paula W

If you’re anything like us, your car can go from clean to chaotic in no time. We’re always on the hunt for better ways to keep it neat and tidy. So, we came up with this DIY Car Trash Bag you can make with the help of your Cricut.

This Cricut project is so easy to make and so convenient. Our two favorite features: it’s reusable and adorable! Cricut beginners, this is a great fabric craft project to start with!

DIY Car Trash Bag

Font used: Click Clack Font: https://makersgonnalearn.com/fonts/cl…

Materials used:

Terrazo Fabric: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Fabric-Sew… (outer fabric)
Burnt Orange Fabric: https://www.hobbylobby.com/Fabric-Sew… (inner lining)
White Thread: https://amzn.to/3tTeOFE
Thread Ripper: https://amzn.to/3OiqeLg
Sewing Machine: https://amzn.to/39O4W91
Rotary Blade: https://amzn.to/3tWk4bv
Vinyl Fuse Matte: https://amzn.to/39KRVx7
Cricut Maker: https://amzn.to/3OzZWUs
Fabric Grip Mat: https://amzn.to/3HMmhM5 (Choose 12×24 inch mat.)
Cricut Mini Press: https://amzn.to/3A4mWXo
Cricut Spatula: https://amzn.to/3bogws9
Heat n Bond: https://amzn.to/39RJPme
Sewing Pins: https://amzn.to/39I6vFx
Sewing Clips: https://amzn.to/3IIbIdK
Scissors: https://amzn.to/3yFUhpo
Small Scissors: https://amzn.to/3aInbNA
Cricut Maker: https://amzn.to/3uMWjmF
Flexible Stretchable Fabric Glue

Step-by-step tutorial:

Working in Design Space:

Add A Rectangle To Design Space And Duplicate It

1 – In Design Space, add a square to your canvas. Unlock it and size it as needed. We made ours 11 by 20.5 inches. You’ll need 3 of these, so duplicate the rectangle twice.

2 – Add another rectangle to Design Space and size it to 4 by 14 inches. This will be the strap/handle.

3 – Click Make It. Choose On the Mat and remember to select your 12 by 24 inch mat. Select continue and connect to your machine.

4 – Choose your material. We find that with the Maker, we can leave it on default pressure with the rotary blade, but with the Maker 3, it works better with more pressure. You might want to experiment with a scrap piece of fabric with your machine to see which works best for you.

Pink Fabric Grip Cutting Mat Laying On Top Of Terrazzo Patterned Fabric

5 – Press your fabric with an iron or EasyPress to remove wrinkles. Lay the mat on the fabric and cut around with a pair of scissors. Trim it to fit well on the cutting mat. Use your brayer to make sure it is laying flat on the mat, with no wrinkles.

Pro Tip: Be aware that the fabric grip mat is quite sticky!

Cutting the fabric:

6 – Remove the fine point blade and replace it with the rotary blade.

7 – Cut your fabric. If there are any little snags when you remove the fabric from the mat, you can snip those with a pair of scissors. Repeat with each of your pieces of fabric.

Apply Pellon Vinyl Fuse To Lining Fabric

8 – You can cut the Vinyl Fuse separately, or you can adhere it to the lining fabric before cutting. Read the Vinyl Fuse instructions before using. Ours says: Use a medium heat setting. Remove it from the release paper and place sticky side down on the fabric.

Place it on the side of the fabric that you want showing. Lay the paper that you removed from the Vinyl Fuse over top to protect the EasyPress/iron and the fabric. Press it on. Cut with your Cricut placing it on the mat bonded side up.

Pro Tip: Remember to change the material setting to Light Cotton Two Layers if you’re cutting the fabric with the Vinyl Fuse already attached. Use More Pressure.

Sewing the trash bag:

9 – Fold the patterned fabric (your outer layer) in half with right sides together, matching the shorter edges together. Pin or clip to hold. Sew along the side edges using a quarter-inch seam allowance.

10 – Repeat for the inner lining. Make sure the waterproof (fused) side on the inside when folding.

Mark A Line One And A Half Inches From The Corner

11- With the pocket you have sewn out of the patterned fabric, bring the seams together. Measure 1.5 inches down from the corner. Mark a line there for sewing. Repeat with the other corner. Do the same thing for the lining fabric.

12 – Pin the corners in place. Sew across those lines you have drawn. Once sewn, cut off the corners.

13 – Keep the lining fabric as is. Turn the outer fabric right-side out. Push the corners out really well.

Fold The Strap In Half Along The Long Edge

Sewing the strap:

14 – Fold the strap piece in half along the long edges. Iron. Fold up the bottom edge and press that as well.

Open The Folded Piece And Fold The Outer Edges Into The Middle

15 – Open the strap up and fold the outer edges into the middle (where the fold line is). Press. Fold it back along that middle line and press again.

16 – Sew along the open long edge and then across the bottom where you folded it in and back up the other side.

Place The Raw Edge Of The Strap Along The Top Edge Of The Outer Piece

17 – Place the raw end of the strap along the top edge of the outer fabric bag and sew in place.

Pro Tip: It’s a good idea to measure where you’re placing that end of the strap so you can line the other end up evenly later one.

Assembling the bag:

18 – Place the outer piece of your bag inside the inner one, lining up the seams. Pin or clip to secure. Sew all the way around that top edge with a quarter inch seam allowance, leaving a gap of a few inches to be able to turn it right side out.

19 – Turn right side out. Pin along the top edge, making sure that the spot where you left the opening in all tucked in properly. Top stitch around the top edge. Remember to pull the strap out so you don’t accidentally sew it.

20 – Add a piece of Velcro on the bag where the strap will be attached. Place the corresponding piece of Velcro on the end of the strap. Although these are adhesive, it’s a good idea to tack them in place with a few stitches too. We found that the adhesive on the Velcro gummed up the needle, so instead of sewing, we used fabric glue to secure them. You could hand sew if you prefer.

Back in Design Space:

21 – Now, back to Design Space to create a monogram for this car trash bag. We used the font Click Clack and typed in the person’s initials. Size it as you wish to fit the bag.

22 – Apply Heat and Bond to the fabric you’re using for the monogram. Peel off the backing. Use your brayer to adhere to the cutting mat with shiny side up.

23 – In Design Space, click Make It. Be sure to mirror your design. Cut it out.

Pro Tip: There is a Bonded Fabric setting but it uses the Fine Point Blade. So, we chose Cotton and then added More Pressure so we could still cut with the rotary blade.

Use Easypress To Adhere The Applique Letters To The Bag

24 – Remove the letters from the mat. You might need to use your TrueControl Knife to cut through any places where your machine didn’t cut completely. Use your EasyPress to press the letter appliques in place.

Embroidery Cricut Hack

August 15, 2022 by Paula W

Have you ever used your Cricut machine with your embroidery projects? Whether you’re a Cricut beginner or a seasoned pro when it comes to using your die cutting machine with embroidery, you’re going to want to check out our helpful embroidery Cricut hack.

Embroidery Cricut Hack

We have an amazing Cricut hack for embroidery that you probably didn’t even know you needed! Want to turn your designs into an embroidery craft? This is a must-see!

Materials we used:

Cut Files/Fonts Used: https://makersgonnalearn.com/cut_files/leaf-3/

Stick and Stitch – https://amzn.to/3wVyERe
Embroidery Floss – https://amzn.to/3GoxRfQ
Needles – https://amzn.to/3z3XW20
Embroidery Hoop – https://amzn.to/3lO4jPg
Cricut Pen – https://amzn.to/38ph8MP
Mats – https://amzn.to/3yZ8Cz7
Measuring tape

Step-by-step tutorial:

Working in Design Space:

1 – Download the Monstera Leaf file from Makers Gonna Learn. Upload into Design Space, choosing Complex. Choose the Cut Image option.

Pro Tip: You could use the Print then Cut image and print it directly on the Stick and Stitch with your printer. Because this then washes away though, that’s a waste of a lot of ink so we prefer the Cricut pen method.

2 – Add to your canvas. This file comes in quite large, so you will want to size it down so you can work with it more easily.

3 – Measure the space available on your surface so you can determine just how large your design should be.

Fine tuning your design:

4 – Duplicate your design. We then made one of the leaves smaller than the other, changed the color, and rotated it. You can create your design any way you’d like.

The Overlapping Section Is Messy Looking

5 – If you change your design from a Basic Cut to a Pen function, you will see that where the two leaves overlap becomes quite messy looking. To fix that, we’re going to use the Slice function.

Slicing the design to get rid of the excess parts

6 – Select both leaves (while set to Basic Cut) and choose Slice.

Use Your Layers Panel To Delete The Unnecessary Slice Results 1

7 – Use your Layers Panel to delete the slice results that you want to delete. You can see the layer you need to delete in the image above.

8 – Next, select the two layers indicated in the image above and choose Weld.

If You Move The Green Layer You Can See The Perfect Cut Out Beneath

9 – If you were to move the green layer out of the way now, you would see the perfect cutout layer beneath. This is exactly what we’re trying to achieve.

After Changing The Design To Pen Function

10 – Select both layers and change from the Basic Cut function to Pen.

11 – Change the colors to match the design you want. Select both layers and Attach.

Pro Tip: Be sure to use Attach not Weld. See image below for what would happen to your design if you used Weld.

Drawing the design:

What Design Would Look Like If You Use Weld

12 – With your design sized as needed, press Make It. Press Continue. Connect to your machine. For the material, select Heavy Cardstock (since we’re drawing with the pens, it doesn’t really matter what material you choose).

Press Make It To Send The Design To The Mat

13 – Load the first pen into Clamp A as directed by Design Space. Place the Stick and Stitch on the mat and load into the machine. Press Play and allow the Cricut to draw the first part of your design.

14 – Once it has drawn the first part, you’ll be prompted to load the second pen. Remove the first one from Clamp A and replace it with the second one. Press Play and let the machine draw.

Pro Tip: When loading a pen into your Cricut, you always want to be sure you hear it “click”.

Some Of The Pink Lines Have Been Drawn With The Green Pen

Note: You’ll see that Cricut has drawn some of the lines that we wanted to be pink with the green pen. An easy way to ensure that you are embroidering it correctly would be to start with the pink shape first. Embroider those lines while they’re still easy to see and distinguish from the ones that are meant to be green.

Place Design On Garment And Add Embroidery Ring

Embroidering your design:

15 – Trim around your printed design. Remove the backing and place it on your garment, sticky side down. Add an embroidery hoop around your design.

16 – Thread your needle and knot your thread. Bring the needle up on the line that was drawn (point A) and then put it back down a short distance away from where it came up (point B).

Bring Needle Up On The Line You Have Drawn

17 – Bring the needle back up on the line a short distance away from point B. (point C) Push it back down at about the halfway point between point A and point B. (point D)

18 – From here, continue bringing the needle up a short distance away from the previous point (in this case, point C) and then back down at the halfway point between that previous stitch. (in this case, points C and D). Repeat that step until you reach the end of your embroidery.

19 – When the embroidery is complete. place the embroidered design in water. The Stick and Stitch will start dissolving. You can do this in a bin of water or in the washing machine.

It’s that easy to create a beautiful embroidery project with the help of your Cricut!

Etching Mistakes You Might be Making

August 12, 2022 by Paula W

If you love etching but are having some problems with it, this is the information you’ve been looking for. We are going to walk you through some common etching mistakes and how to fix them.

Using your Cricut machine as a tool for creating etching designs is so much fun, but we know it can be frustrating if you’re having craft fails. We’ll show you how to overcome those so you can make flawless etched crafts every time!

Etching Mistakes You Might be Making

If you’re just getting started with etching, we have some great resources to help you. This guide is more for people who have been etching for a while, but still aren’t getting the consistent, perfect results they want.

How to make etched glasses

How to etch stainless steel

Materials we’re using:

Glasses: https://www.dollartree.com/brand-name…
Vinyl: https://amzn.to/3HhP3mY
Armour Etch: https://amzn.to/3rZikMK
Transfer Paper: https://amzn.to/3IR0br9
Cricut Explorer 3: https://amzn.to/344aFoA
Our Favorite Weeding Tool: https://amzn.to/3pwnJc2
Our Favorite Cutting Mats: https://amzn.to/3pdN1KN

Etching Mistakes

1 – Removing the stencil before washing away the excess etching cream

If you remove the stencil and then start to wash away the etching cream, when that cream touches other parts of the glass, it will continue to etch. To avoid this, keep your stencil in place and use some masking or painter’s tape to cover up the rest of the glass to protect it. Then you can rinse away the excess cream without damaging your glass.

As you can see, as you try to weed away that stencil, even the weeding tool is going to spread the cream around and cause more etching. You could clean the tool off every single time but this method is still not foolproof (and we wonder if your weeding tool might be ruined by repeated exposure to etching cream).

2 – Struggling to apply vinyl to a very rounded glass

These glasses are very rounded, making it tricky to smoothly apply vinyl to them. It starts to fold and bunch up in ways that make it difficult to get that vinyl to lay flat.

Trying To Apply Vinyl To A Very Rounded Surface

We’ve got a great hack for you to make it much easier. Cut off as much excess of the vinyl as you possibly can. Then, cut slits around the design, taking care not to cut right through the design itself. This gives you more flexibility when applying the design to a rounded surface and can give you success.

How to apply vinyl to rounded surfaces

Pro Tip: Choosing shorter but wider decals can make it easier to apply them to rounded surfaces. Glasses with straighter edges are also easier to work with.

3 – Using small fonts

When etching, small fonts can be a problem. Etching is meant to be subtle, so if you use a small font, it will be really hard to read. You need to use large, bold, thick fonts for the best results. And remember, less is more.

If you want professional-looking results, you want to keep the text to a minimum. Think about using only a first name or last name or adding a monogram. This will keep the etching looking clean and professional.

Not only are small fonts often hard to read, but they can be hard to work with during the etching process too. It’s more difficult to keep the vinyl down really well and to get really crisp results.

4 – Weeding the incorrect part of the stencil.

When you weed a stencil, you are weeding the opposite part of the vinyl that you normally do. Usually we weed away the negative space and leave behind our actual design. With a stencil, you want to weed out the design and leave the negative space behind.

Freezer Paper Stencil Fully Placed On Door Mat

So, for example, if you have created a monogram as your stencil design, you want to weed out the monogram and leave the vinyl that is around the monogram. Check out the photo above to see where we weeded out Bell Family and kept the negative space around it.

If you weed the wrong part, once you etch, you’re going to end up etching your whole glass instead of just the design!

Adding Glyphs to Cricut Designs

August 10, 2022 by Paula W

Add some fun to your fonts with the use of glyphs and special characters. We’re going to show you just how easy it is to take your fonts to the next level and give them some extra flair to them by adding glyphs to Cricut designs. This is one of those things that so many Cricut crafters don’t even seem to know about, but it’s such a great addition to your toolbox.

We will take you through this tutorial step-by-step so you can master this Cricut technique in no time. You can add glyphs and special characters to your designs in Design Space – let us show you how easy it is!

Adding Glyphs to Cricut Designs

What exactly is a glyph? How do I know if the font I’m using has glyphs? And what steps do I follow when adding glyphs to Cricut designs? These are some of the questions we’re going to answer here.

Apps we will be using:

The font we’re working with:

Arrow Words Font

Examples of fonts with glyphs:

Step-by-step tutorial:

How to tell if the font you’re using has glyphs:

1 – To find out if the font you want to use has glyphs or not, drag it into FontDrop.

Fontdrop Will Show You If There Are Any Glyphs Or Not

2 – It will show you all the characters that are available in that font and whether there are any glyphs or special characters.

Using glyphs on a Mac:

1- From your home screen, press Command Space and the type in Font Book. Look for the font you want to use and you’ll see the glyph options available there.

2 – Find the specific glyphs you want to use. Once you have one selected, press Command C to copy it.

Type In The Text You Want To Use In Design Space

3 – Type in the text you want to use in Cricut Design Space.

4 – Place your cursor where you’d like to put the glyph you copied. Press Command V to paste it there.

Once You Have Added Your Glyphs You Can Weld

5 – Repeat as needed until your design is ready. Weld.

Using glyphs on a PC:

1 – After downloading and installing the font on your computer, you can find the glyphs for it by searching for Character Map.

2 – Find your chosen font in the dropdown menu. To copy the glyphs that you want to use, press Select and then Copy.

3 – To add the glyph to your typed text in Design Space, choose Edit, Paste. Repeat for any other glyphs you want to use. Select all layers and Weld.

Using glyphs on an iPhone or iPad:

1 – You will need 2 different apps to be able to access glyphs on your iPhone or iPad. The first app you need is Unicode and it’s currently 99 cents. You’ll also need iFont which is a free app.

2 – Download the font that you want onto your phone. Open downloads and click on the font to open it. Select iFont.

3 – Install the font. Press Allow.

4 – Follow the instructions on the screen.

5 – Once the font is installed, open Unicode. Choose Browse Fonts and select the font you want to use.

6 – Select the glyph you want. Then, choose Share Glyph. Select Copy.

7 – Open Design Space. Select a text box and choose your font. Paste in the glyph and type in your words. Go back to glyphs and choose your next one, copying and pasting as you did for the first. With your whole text selected, Weld.