I’m back with another post about my Cricut Explore Air! If you’ve read my other Cricut posts, by now you should be familiar with machines and what they can do along with how easy they are to use. This time, I’m going to show you how you can literally make anything you can think of with a Cricut and how you can use the Design Space to create or upload your own designs.
Just in case I’ve already lost you, here’s a quick recap.
Cricut machines are super heros. Seriously. They are a crafter’s dream. They are writing, scoring and personal cutting machines! They can cut paper, vinyl, adhesive foil, craft foam, iron-on transfers, faux leather, window cling and so much more.
They also come with access to a really cool web-based program called Design Space, which has over 50,000 images and more than 800 make-it-now projects and tutorials. You do not need to be artistic, tech-savvy or good at crafts to create amazing projects with the machine.
If you are a creative person you will be excited to know that you can literally make anything you can think of by creating your own designs and projects!
Because of my computer and design skills, I personally really love this feature. More often than not I usually create my own designs in Illustrator or Photoshop for my projects.
You don’t need to have those programs though to create your own designs, you can still do that right in Cricut’s Design Space. There are tons of shapes and fonts you can use right in the app to create something unique.
I decided that my craft room needed a little sprucing up, so for today’s project we are going to be making some pillows:
How stinking cute are these pillows?! I made them by creating a design in Photoshop and then choosing the “upload an image” option in Design Space. Even if you aren’t skilled at design programs, there are lots of images that are available either for free download or purchase for Cricut projects. (Try searching Pinterest!)
For this DIY you will need:
- Any Cricut machine
- One Cricut mat
- Cricut Iron-on material
- The Cricut basic tool set
- An Iron
- A pillow case and insert (mine was 20 x 20)
First, you need to launch the Cricut Design Space by visiting www.cricut.com/design in your web browser or launch the app on your tablet/phone and select create a new project to begin.
Next, click on upload image from the menu on the left side of the screen and then select the image you want to upload. Once the image is finished uploading, select simple image > continue.
The next screen is where you can select any area of the image to delete so that the background is transparent. If you are using a file with a transparent background like a .png, this is already done so just select continue once again. On the next screen, save the image as a cut file.
Position the image on the mat preview and resize it to be as big or small as you’d like. Since the pillows I was working with were 20×20 inches, I made the graphics fill the entire mat. Once your ready, click through to the next screen to begin cutting.
Remove the protective cover from your mat and place the iron-on material on it, with the shiny side down. Be sure to use the scraper tool to smooth out any air bubbles.
The next steps are pretty simple:
- Turn the dial to “iron-on” as that is the type of material we are using for this project. Make sure you select “mirror image”.
- Slide the mat into the machine and press the “load machine” button – it’s the one with the double arrow.
- Once the Cricut button starts flashing, press it to begin cutting.
When the machine is finished cutting, the load button will start flashing. Press it again to unload the machine.
We now need to remove all of the negative space from the cut. This process is called “weeding”. Once you’ve removed all the extra bits of material from your design. Once you’ve done that, remove your design from the mat, leaving it on the clear transfer paper (you can kind of see the outline of this in the photo above.)
Next, iron your pillow case. It really helps the iron-on material to stick better if the fabric is already warm. Place your design on-top of the fabric and begin ironing it.
Wrap a cloth around your hand and apply some pressure to your design to help it stick. Once it’s cool, flip the pillow case over and iron the reverse side. I find this really helps the design stay put. Wait for it to cool down again then flip it back over and carefully remove the clear iron-on film.
If you find this process a little confusing, here is a video from Cricut that I found really helpful the first time I made an iron-on project.
All that’s left to do is stuff your pillow case with the insert and add it to the room of your choice!
I think that iron-on material is becoming one of my favourite materials to work with. I’ve used it to make PJs before, and I really want to make a few graphic sweat shirts and tote bags using it next. I also used it to add a little something extra to an old cardigan of mine, so stay tuned for a post about that soon.
If you have a Cricut, have you guys tried making anything with the iron-on material yet? Let me know! If not, what project would you want to make using it?
PS – Did you know that March is National Craft month?! I’m going to be celebrating it all month long with my Cricut, thats for sure! Let me know how you’ll be celebrating, too.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut that contains affiliate links, however all of the opinions expressed in this post are of my own.
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