t-shirts Archives - Chambray Blues

We love patriotic holidays, it’s so much fun to dress up and go to the parade or family barbecue in style. Here’s my latest project with the Cricut Maker!

Patriotic at Heart

If you have been following me for a while, you will know that I love my Cricut Maker. There are so many great things you can do with this cutting machine! Cricut has selected me and another group of bloggers to design t-shirt collections for their website. Each month a new group of 3-5 t-shirt design files will be chosen from the group and featured on their site for you to make. Not every design will be chosen, just the ones they like. The fun thing is that each collection will include adult and child sized graphics so you can make shirts for your entire family! You can purchase t-shirt blanks without any graphics on them at local craft stores, or Amazon (affiliate link is included for your convenience). For my projects I used some old white t-shirts we had laying around. Why spend money if you don’t have to?

For this Patriotic collection, I designed a number of different patriotic styles but only used the ones I liked the best. The rest will be featured here at a later time. These files are not available on the Cricut site just yet but will be soon if they are approved (cross your fingers!). I also plan to sell my SGV design files in a new shop on here on Chambray Blues which will be coming soon so you can have access to them either way!

Here’s how I made the shirts:

Patriotic T-Shirt Supplies Needed:

• Red and Royal Blue Cricut Heat Transfer Vinyl (affiliate link)

• 2-3 White T-shirts in various sizes. I used a 3T baby onesie, and XL and 2XXL adult sized shirts (affiliate link)

• Cricut Heat Press or iron (affiliate link)

•Cricut Heat Proof Matt or ironing board with heat proof cover (affiliate link)

•Cricut Maker (affiliate link)

•Cricut Ironing Shield or press cloth (affiliate link)

•Light grip matt (affiliate link)

Directions:

1. Choose a t-shirt file to make in Design Space. There are a number of patriotic files currently available. Be careful to select files designed for t-shirts, if the design is intended for other purposes you may have trouble cutting it. It could be too small or have lots of layers that will waste your materials and aren’t suitable for use with vinyl.

2. Cut the files as directed by Cricut on your machine. Be sure to place your vinyl on the grip mat with the shiny side DOWN. Also, be sure your design is REVERSED. If not, select the edit button, then the mirror setting. Cut all the pieces for your design before assembling.

3. Trim away excess vinyl. I like to cut away any extra material and save it for another project. It’s too good to waste!

4. Weed out any “white space” with the weeding tool. That is, from the wrong side (non shiny side of the vinyl) pull away any vinyl that will not be needed in your design. You will end up with your design and a somewhat sticky backing. View it from the right side, the shiny side to be certain it is correct and that it is all intact.

5. Place your vinyl shiny side UP on your t-shirt (the sticky backing will hold it in place). Be sure your design is centered evenly over the center front of the shirt. It is helpful to fold the shirt in half and mark the neckline with a pin so you can get accurate placement. I recommend placing your vinyl about 2″ down from the neckline on most styles. You may need to hold it up to a mirror and check the placement before going on to the next step.

6. Once your design is in place, cover it with the pressing mat or press cloth.

7. Heat your heat press to 340 degrees F (If you are using a different vinyl you may have to adjust the temperature). If you are using an iron, use the cotton or linen setting with no steam.

8. Press your design in place for 20 seconds (you can set the timer on your Easy Press for this). Press the design a little at a time if you are using an iron, be sure to lift the iron up and not rub it side to side or it will affect your results.

9. Turn the shirt over, cover it with the press mat and press again on the back side for an additional 15 seconds.

10. Turn the shirt over, let is cool slightly. Remove the clear plastic material and reveal your design. Check to be sure all edges are adhered to the t-shirt. You can press the vinyl again if needed, or use a weeding tool to hold it down to the warm fabric until it melts in place. Be careful not to over press your vinyl. I have made this mistake and created scorch marks from the iron. If you have this problem, try dabbing the marks with white vinegar until they disappear.