How To Use Iron On Vinyl with Cricut - For Beginners

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Last Updated on May 15, 2024 by Chris Butler

Are you ready to branch out and make your very own shirts with your Cricut? It’s one of the most popular Cricut Crafts you can do.

Hi y’all, welcome to Daily Dose of DIY, I’m Chris, and today’s tutorial is perfect for beginners. We’ll walk through the steps of using iron-on vinyl, also known as heat transfer vinyl or HTV, to create custom shirts.

Plus I have a free SVG design you can use to make your own shirts and a time and temp guide so you don’t have to look it up every time.

teal shirt with whit and pink iron on vinyl. The words say Grit and Grace

First things first, let’s gather the supplies you’ll need for this craft.

Quick Links to Information in This Post

Supplies Needed for Iron On Shirts

A shirt (I prefer Bella Canvas for its quality) and ShirtSpace is one of the best places to grab them.
Heat Transfer Vinyl in your chosen colors. I’m using Siser Brand in White and Pink
A Heat Press I’ll be using the Cricut Easy Press
Weeding Tools for vinyl,
A Cutting Machine (like the Cricut Maker or Explorer)
Green Standard Grip Cutting Mat
Teflon Sheet or Parchment Paper

It’s not recommended to use a home iron for heat pressing shirts as the temperature doesn’t get high enough and the heat can be uneven. That said, it will work, but your shirt won’t last as long. So, if you just need a one-time shirt, you should be fine.

Grab a free time and temperature guide along with SVG files for designs including the Grit and Grace design. Access the free resources by filling our the simple form below.

All of my free SVG files and Designs are kept in a library for your convenience. We will send you the link and password right away, and you’re free to use all the resources you want in the library.

Already have the password? (It’s at the bottom of every email) Enter the Library Here

Prepare Your Design to Cut

Now, let’s get those designs ready in Cricut Design Space. Upload your SVG file into Cricut Design Space, adjust the size of the design to fit your shirt dimensions. Ten inches wide works for most shirts, but if you are a size small you may want to go down to 8-9 inches wide.

a design for a shirt in cricut designs space. the design is words that say grit and grace

I show you how to upload, adjust size, and a cool trick to mirror your mats in one click in the video below.

It’s time to cut your vinyl using the Cricut machine. Set your machine material setting to iron-on vinyl if you have a dial or choose everyday iron on from browsing materials.

Place your sheet vinyl side up on the green cut mat and insert it into your Cricut and hit the go button.

Determine Which Side of Iron on Vinyl Goes Down

Pro Tip: Having a hard time determining which side is the carrier sheet and which side is the vinyl? Using your weeding tool and poke a corner. You will not be able to poke through the carrier sheet, but you will be able to poke through the vinyl. The carrier sheet side is the side that goes down on your cut mat.

using a weeding tool on a white HTV sheet to deteremine which side is vinyl and which side is the carrier sheet

Once the Cricut is done cutting, unload your mat and flip your mat over and remove the mat from the vinyl. Next grab your weeding tool and weed away the excess vinyl leaving just your cut out. Don’t forget to weed the insides of the letters.

removing green cut mat from white heat transfer vinyl

removing the excess vinyl, also called weeding from a design cut out of white vinyl

How To Line Up Your Design on a Shirt

Let’s apply the vinyl to your shirt using a heat press. Preheat your heat press to the recommended temperature for your vinyl. (Don’t forget to grab my free time and temp sheet!).

Fold your shirt in half and then pre-press your shirt to remove wrinkles, moisture, and warm it up for vinyl application. By folding the shirt in half you’ll make a crease line down the center.

teal shirt folded in half getting ready to press with a heat press

Fold your design cutout in half and make a crease in the carrier sheet. Now, you just need to line up the creases to center your design.

folding a vinyl design in half to determine the center. The design in on a teal t-shirt

If you have a ruler handy measure two inches down from the bottom of the color of your shirt. This is where the top of your design should go.

using a tape measure to position the white design on a teal shirt

Place your vinyl cutout vinyl side down, with the carrier side up on your shirt. The carrier sheet isn’t so sticky that you can’t reposition it if needed. Make sure your creases line up and the top of the design is 2 inches down from the collar.

Press Iron on Vinyl onto Your Shirt

For Siser Easy Weed we are going to press our vinyl at 305 degrees for 10-15 seconds. I’m going to start with 10 seconds, once the time is up set your easy press back on the base.

PRO TIP: You may have heard the words Cold Peel, Warm Peel, and Hot Peel. This refers to the temperature at which you peel the carrier sheet off of the vinyl. Siser can be peeled Hot or Cold

Check with the vinyl company to see what temperature you should peel your carrier sheet. For Siser I wait until it’s cool to the touch and peel off the carrier. If any parts of the vinyl didn’t stick down simply lay the carrier sheet back down and re-press for a few seconds.

removing the carrier sheet from the pressed vinyl on a teal shirt

If your design involves multiple colors or layers, repeat the process for each color. Align the additional colors carefully over the base layer, cover exposed vinyl with parchment paper to prevent melting, and press each layer for 10 seconds.

adding a 2nd layer of light pink vinyl to the teal heat pressed shirt. The whole design says grit and grace with the word and in pink

parchemnt paper over a teal shirt with a vinyl design and a cricut easy press getting ready to do the final heat press on the shirt

Once all layers are applied, ensure the vinyl is securely adhered. I like to cover with parchement paper and press again for five seconds once all the layers are in place. It’s also a good idea to press the shirt from the back for additional adhesion.

Caring for Your Iron On Shirt

Allow the shirt to cure for 24 hours before washing, and wash and dry the shirt inside out for a long lasting shirt. It’s even better if you can hand to dry and avoid high temp dryers.

Congratulations on creating your own custom vinyl shirt! With the right tools, techniques, and a dash of creativity, crafting personalized apparel is a breeze. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions below and don’t leave without your free time and temp guide and free designs!