I have to admit it took me several trial and errors before I finally figured out how to use my cricut machine correctly and use the iron on vinyl…actually I’m still not sure if I completely know how to use this machine.
Using Iron-On Vinyl to Make Decorative Kitchen Towels
I am using flour sack towels to make these.
They are easy to iron, plain white so most colors can go on them, and they match everything.
I use this little heat press, but it is small, I would highly recommend a t-shirt press of something bigger…it will save you A LOT of time!
First, you can use any vinyl cutting machine out there, I just happen to have a circuit machine that I love!
You need to make sure you buy the IRON-ON VINYL at the store, not just regular vinyl, you can go to any craft store or buy it on amazon.
Keep in mind, if you buy the rolls of vinyl you’ll need to cut them to the size of your mat, so you’ll need some scissors.
You also need a mat for the vinyl to lay and stick onto while it’s being cut.
Design your artwork on your software for whatever machine you have and when you get ready to MAKE IT, lay your vinyl UPSIDE DOWN (most colorful side down) on your cutting mat and make sure the software says MIRROR ON! You’ll only use this for iron-on vinyl, so if you don’t do iron-on a lot it can get confusing! But make sure you don’t forget those steps or else your letters, image, etc. will be backwards!
If you have a cricut, once you turn the dial to iron-on, the software should remind you to make sure the vinyl is upside down (shiny side down), and that the mirror is on.
You’ll load the mat by pressing the arrow, and once the software is ready you’ll click the go button, the C.
Once it’s done cutting, you will unload the mat by pressing the arrow again, and then pull the vinyl off the mat.
Depending on the color of vinyl, you’ll just barely be able to see the artwork, but make sure you are able to see that it cut everything you wanted.
Keep in mind you don’t want it to cut all the way through both layers, you just want it to cut through the “soft” backing not the “hard” plastic layer-this is the barrier between your iron and the vinyl.
When you are able to see your cut lines, then you can peel away the UNWANTED vinyl from your art work. I use the little pick and sometimes the tweezers set to peel this stuff away.
You’ll want to then, arrange the peeled artwork on your fabric.
*Make sure that there is no plastic backing underneath the vinyl at all as you are layering your different pieces or else they won’t stick to your fabric…duh!
Ahhh I almost forgot! You don’t have to do this, but I always do to make it look nicer -iron your blank fabric before you put any vinyl on it to get out any big creases and just to make sure everything if folded nicely and flat.
Then iron on your vinyl – if you don’t have a t-shirt press that does the pressing for you keep this in mind – you have to put pressure on the vinyl, not just heat!
So if you are using a handheld iron you need to put quite a bit of pressure for about 30 seconds! I usually do this on a lower table so that I can put the majority of my weight on it.
I usually have my iron on the highest heat setting, but make sure to look at the directions of your iron to see what setting to use for different types of fabric!
Now for the reveal! Once you’ve iron pressed for a good hard 30 seconds on each section, you can peel off the plastic!
Some vinyls are cheaper than others and don’t peel away as smooth, so just be careful as you’re doing this last step!
I usually wait a few seconds to let the initial heat cool off before peeling off the hot plastic. You do want to make sure you peel off the plastic while it’s still warm!
TA-DA!
Use & Wash like normal! 🙂
