That your Cricut can cut fabric?!
Am I the last one to figure this out?! I had heard rumors that this was true, but decided to try it out for myself to make my little guy this applique shirt:
One of the things I like least about sewing is the cutting, so this little trick is going to save me for sure. Here is what I did:
1. I used a 100% cotton fabric. I am not sure if any other fabrics would work. I pre-washed my fabric with NO fabric softener.
2. I adhered Heat-N-Bond to my fabric. I have heard that Pellon does NOT work, so avoid that. I just followed the directions on the package.
3. I peeled the paper backing off of the fabric and adhered it right on my Cricut mat. I smoothed it on the mat so it was good and smooth. I cleaned my mat right before this step, just to be sure it would have the ultimate clean cut.
4. On my cricut, I set the speed on the lowest possible setting and the pressure on the highest possible setting to be sure it would go slow enough and deep enough to cut through. I have also heard that using a brand new blade ensures the best cut or having a blade set aside just for cutting fabric would be a good idea. But I used my old, very-used blade and had no problems at all.
5. CUT. I was still in denial that this would work, so you can imagine my amazement when I peeled away the fabric and found out that it really worked!
Because I was doing an applique, I ironed my fabric right on my shirt. I found that my large fabric pieces “stuck” the best at this point. My tiny “Lucky Charms” letters needed an extra layer of Heat-n-Bond to stick. It seemed to lose some stickiness after I peeled them off the mat.
So after sewing around my edges, here is the final effect!! My little guy is a very active model–a moving target!! I thought this was the most manly shamrock, but just in case I paired it up with his camo pants. I don’t want anyone thinking he is wearing a flower!! Strangers STILL ask me if he is a girl. Must be those pretty blue eyes.
This is the best view I could get of the back of the shirt. By the way, appliquing tiny letters is so difficult!!! My mother and I both had the hardest time. So I gave up on the shirt saying “Lucky Charm” and just went with “Lucky.” I am definitely going simple with my next applique. No more tiny letters!!!
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