Always Be Yourself T-Shirts

-This post sponsored by Cricut, may contain affiliate links-

About a month and a half ago I had the opportunity to teach a beginning iron on class at the Cricut Mountain Make-A-Thon. My class topic was on slicing vs. layering when using iron on, and we also talked a bit about knockout designs.


Knockout designs are designs where an image or text is sliced out of another image or text. In preparation for my class I wanted to make some projects that use the knockout technique so that I would have some sample so show in my classes. This collection of t-shirts is what I came up with.

I had seen shirts that said things like "Always be yourself unless you can be Batman, then always be Batman" or something similar to that, and that gave me the idea for these shirts. I chose a few things that my kids like, mermaids, unicorns, fairies, superheroes, and dinosaurs and I made designs that said "Always be yourself unless you can be _______, then always be _______.

Once I had the text part ready I sliced a shape out of the center of the text, a mermaid tail for the mermaid design, a unicorn head for the unicorn shirt, etc. I used different kinds and/or colors of iron on to give contrast between the image and the rest of the design. It was fun to play with different color and texture combinations with the different designs.

I will link to all of the design space files in the instructions below.

How to make Always Be Yourself Shirts

You will need:

• Cricut Machine (Explore or Maker) with fine point blade
• standard grip mat
• plain t-shirts 
• variety of colors and types of iron on
• EasyPress 2 - 9"x 9" or 12"x 10"  (or other EasyPress/Iron/Heat Press)
• EasyPress Mat

Instructions:

All of the shirts are made by cutting the designs out as you normally would, don't forget to mirror your designs. Also, if you are using different types of iron on be sure to select the correct material before cutting. Follow recommended settings to press the iron on onto your shirt. I usually start with the main part of the text and add the image inside second. 

Below you can find the links to each design as well as the specific types of iron on used.

Always Be a Unicorn

Always Be a Unicorn Design Space File

Iron on used: 

• Main text- Patterned Iron On Natalie Malan Sunset Blossom Sampler, Pink Floral
• Unicorn head and  bottom word- Iron On Lite, Metallic Purple

Always Be a Mermaid

Always be a Mermaid Design Space File

Iron on used: 

• Main text- Patterned Iron On Natalie Malan Aquamarine Sampler, Print
• Mermaid tail and bottom word- Glitter Iron On, Aqua

Always Be a Fairy

Always Be a Fairy Design Space File

Iron on used: 

• Main text- Patterned Iron On Anna Griffin Charlotte Sampler, Purple Floral
• Fairy and bottom word- Foil Iron On, Lemon Grass

Always Be a Superhero

Always Be a Superhero Design Space File

Iron on used: 

• Main text- Iron On Lite, Royal
• Superhero and bottom word- Iron On Lite, Metallic Red

Always be a Dinosaur

Always Be a Dinosaur Design Space File

Iron on used: 

• Main text- Iron On Lite, Charcoal
• Superhero and bottom word- Iron On Lite, Aqua

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.