Learn how to create an adorable DIY Christmas shirt for kids using iron-on vinyl, the Cricut Maker, and the EasyPress 2!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine. This post also contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
Dressing my one-year-old up in adorable holiday outfits has become one of my favorite activities lately! When Cricut asked me to create an iron-on project using my new Cricut Maker and EasyPress 2, my mind immediately went to all of the cute DIY Christmas shirts I could make for Chloe. And then I imagined gingerbread men elbow patches and my heart melted!
Today I’m sharing all about how I made Chloe’s festive t-shirt and how you, too, can make a DIY Christmas shirt for kids. So grab a mug of hot cocoa and let’s get started!
Check out my Complete Guide to Cricut Heat Presses for a deep dive into all things Cricut heat presses.
Related: What materials does the Cricut Maker cut? [A look at my new Cricut cutting machine]
DIY Christmas Shirt For Kids
Supply List
- Glitter Iron-On
- Solid Color Shirt (Check your local consignment and thrift stores! They always have tons of great kids’ clothes.)
- Weeding Tool
- Cricut EasyPress 2
- Cricut EasyPress Mat (optional)
- Cricut Maker
- StandardGrip Cutting Mat
- Cricut BrightPad (optional)
Step 1: Design your DIY Christmas shirt in Cricut Design Space
Open Cricut Design Space (free software that comes with your Cricut machine) on your computer or phone. Start a new project and select the shirt template option which lets you choose a shirt size to help you lay out your design (this is a really neat feature of Design Space!).
I used the free Cricut font named “A Child’s Year” to type the words and moved them around until I found a layout I liked. I also searched the images and found this cute gingerbread man graphic that is free to download with your Cricut Access subscription. I sized two gingerbread men to fit on the sleeves of the shirt.
This is one of the first projects I’ve made with my new Cricut Maker, so I followed the Youtube tutorials Cricut has and they walk you through every step.
Note: Make sure you attach your design elements so they are cut out exactly as you positioned them. You’ll also need to mirror your design prior to cutting!
Step 2: Cut out your design
Once your design is ready, click “Make It” and double check that everything will cut correctly. You’ll also need to mirror your image for iron-on vinyl (this is an important step!).
Now stick a sheet of glitter iron-on onto your cutting mat, load the mat into your Cricut, and start cutting.
Here’s the second Youtube video that shows every little step of the process:
Step 3: Weed your design
Once your design is cut out, you’ll need to remove the excess vinyl from the plastic backing. This process is called “weeding”. The weeding tool has a little hook at the end that helps pick up all of the little pieces.
I also pulled out my new Cricut BrightPad for this project. It gives you lots of light so you can see all of the little cut lines of intricate designs and was a huge help for this project.
Step 4: Heat up the EasyPress 2 and apply your design to a shirt
Cricut’s heat press, the EasyPress 2, is designed specifically for iron-on projects like this one. Yes, you can use a household iron. But an iron doesn’t heat evenly and isn’t as hot as is ideal for firmly applying the iron-on vinyl. So that’s where the EasyPress 2 comes in. It’s a great size for fabric iron-on projects and you can adjust the temperature based on the materials you are working with. I also like that it has a timer so you know you’re applying just the right amount of heat for the recommended amount of time.
This was my first time using the EasyPress 2 and it was really simple to use out of the box. I plugged it in and it heated up in a couple of minutes. It comes with a rubber holder so your work surface is protected.
I also used an EasyPress mat that gives you a heat-resistant, slip-resistant work surface to place your shirt on. At first, I thought the mat was a little overkill since a folded towel would also work, but I can already tell that the mat will get a lot of use in my craft room. It’s nice that I can slip it in the box with my EasyPress 2 so I have everything I need in one place.
Once your EasyPress 2 is heated up, it will beep and you are ready to get started! Lay out your shirt and position the iron-on material until it’s exactly where you want it. The plastic backing of the iron-on is sticky so you can stick it in place.
Then place EasyPress 2 on top of your iron-on material and set the timer! Once your words are ironed in place, follow the same process to iron the gingerbread men onto the sleeves. Peel off the plastic backing once everything cools down slightly and your project is complete!
I watched this Cricut video to learn how to use my new EasyPress 2:
This iron-on project was so much fun to make! I especially love the little gingerbread men elbow patches ;). Chloe has worn this to a couple of holiday parties already and will wear it some more this coming week and has been getting lots of compliments on it.
I just think it’s so cool that I can whip up fun shirts like this with my Cricut. Seriously, I bought this shirt for $2 at a local consignment store and used glitter iron-on I already had so this is a really inexpensive holiday project.
Want to learn more about the Cricut Maker? Check out this post where I introduced the new cutting machine and talked about the 100+ materials it can cut.
Check out my Complete Guide to Cricut Heat Presses for a deep dive into all things Cricut heat presses.
Have a great day!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.