A Beginner's Guide to Cricut Iron-On Vinyl

I've seen so many cute flower girl shirts online that I decided to make my own using Cricut Iron-On Vinyl. I found a metallic pink that would look great on the white tank tops. I'm using these tank tops for the girls to change out of their dresses after the ceremony. I had never used iron on and watched a few YouTube tutorials and figured "how hard could it be?" Well, I wasted about half my roll trying to figure it out based on the guides I was following. I'm here to help share my mistakes with a step-by-step tutorial to save your iron on rolls!

Step one: Create your design in Design Space

I found my inspiration online and re-created it using a hand-lettered font using Cricut's free online tool. I used a free laurel png as the outer greenery ring. I used two designs for the shirts.

Step two: Mirror your design

Once you are happy with the look and size of your design, switch on the "mirror" option in Design Space. Make sure you also change your machine to the iron-on cut setting. 

Step three: Load your paper

This is where I went terribly wrong. All the tutorials I watched said, "shiny side up." Well, both my sides were shiny. I went with the shiniest side which was my pink metallic side. I was way wrong! Load your paper with your pattern side DOWN. If you have a solid color, glitter or metallic they will all be down on your Cricut mat. 

Wrong: Pattern side up
Right: Pattern side down

The "back" will be facing up on your Cricut mat.

Step four: Prep your fabric and design

Warm your fabric with the iron and have a tea towel handy, as this will be layered between the iron and the vinyl. Weed your design by peeling the excess vinyl off of the clear plastic layer. I found that this process was easier than weeding regular vinyl. 

Step five: Setting your design

Lay your design pattern-side up on the fabric (the clear plastic will be at the top). Lay a small, thin towel over the vinyl and press your iron down. It works best to press and hold down for 30 seconds as opposed to using an ironing motion. It took about 5 minutes of the press and hold technique over different sections of the vinyl until the entire design was welded to the fabric. Peel away the plastic layer and let cool. 

Don't use any steam settings on the vinyl.

Enjoy your new custom shirts!