How to Use Glitter Iron On

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If you are a Cricut beginner (or even if you’ve been crafting for a while), you may be wondering how to use glitter HTV with your die cutting machine. We know that many people find iron on glitter vinyl really intimidating, but it’s really not any more difficult than using regular heat transfer vinyl. And, it’s an amazing material that can really take your projects to the next level. You’re going to love this informative article on How to Use Glitter Iron On Vinyl.

A step-by-step visual tutorial on using glitter heat transfer vinyl (HTV) with a Cricut machine. The top section shows a digital design reading DAWGS sic 'em, while other sections display hands applying, weeding, and pressing the vinyl onto a red shirt. The center features bold red text reading "How to Use Glitter HTV" with the website "makersgonnalearn.com" beneath it.

How to Use Glitter Iron On

A red sweatshirt, two purple Cricut StrongGrip mats, a roll of masking tape, and a roll of black glitter iron on vinyl

Materials Needed:

Siser Glitter HTV: https://www.143vinyl.com/siser-glitter-htv-12-x-12-sheets/?partner=219904 (There are other brands available such as Cricut Glitter HTV but we prefer Siser)
Sweatshirt: https://amzn.to/3KaxEQR
Cricut Mini EasyPress: https://amzn.to/38rp9hf
Cricut EasyPress Mat: https://amzn.to/3eMd0r6
Strong Grip Mat:https://amzn.to/3TQtWPQ
Masking tape – if your mat has lost some of its stickiness

Designing Your Project in Cricut Design Space

Select Your Fonts: We used “Brock The Jock” for a varsity-style look and “Moonlight” for a script element.

Download and Install Fonts: Download your chosen fonts from the Makers Gonna Learn website and install them on your computer. If you’re not sure how to do this, check out the video for this lesson for a step by step tutorial.

A digital design in Cricut Design space. It says DAWGS in a varsity style font and below that in a more script style font it says sic 'em.

Create the Design:

Use the text feature to input your team name or desired wording.

Adjust the size and letter spacing for a custom look. For intricate adjustments, ungroup to letters and/or ungroup to lines and manually move them as needed.

You can use Align to get all elements of your design perfectly lined up.

Finalize the Design:

Align all elements for a cohesive look.

A pair of hands using a measuring tape to measure a red sweatshirt

Measure your fabric and adjust the design size accordingly to fit (we used an 11-inch width).

A digital design in Cricut Design space. It says DAWGS in a varsity style font and below that in a more script style font it says sic 'em. TYou can see dimensions on the screen and on the top tool bar the Size settings are circled in red.

Attach all elements together for consistent cutting.

Preparing and Cutting the Iron-On Vinyl

A digital design in Cricut Design space. It says DAWGS in a varsity style font and below that in a more script style font it says sic 'em. This is displayed on a virtual cutting mat. A hand is pointing to the mirror button.

Mirror Your Design: Since you’re working with iron-on material, ensure the image is mirrored before cutting. Design Space may do this for you automatically but it’s good to double check it.

The materials selection screen in Cricut design space showing the different glitter settings available.

Select Material Setting: Choose “glitter iron-on” in Cricut Design Space.

Prepare the Mat:

Place the iron-on vinyl (usually the shiny side down but not all heat transfer vinyl has a shiny side. In this case, you need to place it carrier sheet down) onto your mat.

Black glitter heat transfer vinyl being applied to a purple strong grip Cricut cutting mat. Two hands are adding masking tape to the vinyl to help hold it down.

If the mat isn’t sticky enough, use masking tape to secure the edges.

For extra security, use a brayer to press the material firmly onto the mat.

Load and Cut:

Load the mat into your Cricut machine.

A picture of a Cricut Explore machine. A purple mat with black glitter iron on vinyl has been inserted into the machine. We can see a Cricut scoring stylus and a fine point blade in the machine.

What setting to use when cutting glitter vinyl on Cricut Maker or Explore? For glitter HTV, you can just use default pressure and a fine point blade!

Pro Tip: Before unloading the mat, ensure the cut has gone all the way through. If necessary, send it through the machine again.

Applying the Vinyl to the Shirt:

Weed Your Design:

Use a weeding tool to remove the excess material from around your design. It’s important to weed slowly and carefully with glitter vinyl.

A purple mat with black glitter iron on vinyl. A woman is using a pair of tweezers to weed the excess vinyl away from the design.

We like to weed on the mat because it’s like having an extra set of hands as it helps hold the vinyl down for you while you’re weeding. Be especially careful when weeding around the smaller letters so you don’t lose any parts of your design.

Pro Tip: Our recommendation is to use a good pair of tweezers when weeding glitter iron on.

Apply Your Design Using Your Heat Tool:

A hand holding a Cricut mini Easy Press ironing on a design onto a red shirt. The design says DAWGS in a varsity style font and below that in a more script style font it says sic 'em

For projects like this, our preference is to use the Cricut Easy Press Mini. You’ll want a heat setting of 330 degrees F or Medium and a heating time of about 30 seconds. for most glitter iron-on vinyl. Check the package for the HTV you are using and follow the manufacturer’s temperature and time guidelines.

A red shirt with a design that says DAWGS in a varsity style font and below that in a more script style font it says sic 'em in black glitter vinyl. A woman's hand is peeling up the transfer sheet.

Once you have ironed on the HTV, gently peel away the transfer sheet. If anything starts to lift up as you remove it, place it back down and heat that area of the design a bit more.

A red shirt with a design that says DAWGS in a varsity style font and below that in a more script style font it says sic 'em in black glitter vinyl.

And that’s it! You’re now ready to create stunning glitter iron-on designs for any fabric.