Infusible Ink Astronaut T-Shirt

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I have a daughter who is kind of obsessed with all things space related, especially NASA, so when I saw that there were a few different galaxy prints of Infusible Ink sheets I had to order some. I wasn't even sure what I would make but I knew she would love them.

A few weeks ago she let me know as she was going to bed that the next day her class was going on a field trip to the planetarium and she wanted a NASA or space themed shirt to wear. At first I responded that I didn't have anything to make her a shirt before remembering the Infusible Ink shirt and galaxy sheets I had ordered. It worked out perfectly. So I told her to go to bed and there would be a shirt waiting for her in the morning.

I looked in Design Space and found several neat space designs but ended up deciding on an astronaut image. It was part of a cartridge called Explore the Galaxy that is free with Cricut Access. Any of the images in that set would have been perfect for a project like this and would pair great with the galaxy print Infusible Ink sheets.

I ordered two different galaxy prints, Galaxy which has 2 different prints, and Galactic Stars which has 4. I ended up choosing the bottom (in the picture on the outside of the box), bluest print in the Galactic Stars pack.

I cut it out on my Cricut Explore Air 2, Infusible Ink works with both the Maker and Explore series machines. Then used an EasyPress 2 to press it onto the t-shirt. The t-shirt I used was the Cricut Infusible Ink compatible blank. I have not tried any other shirts so I can't speak to how they will work but if you do go with a different shirt make sure it has a high polyester count.

When using Infusible Ink I always check the heat guide for step by step instructions. You will want to place cardstock inside of the shirt so it doesn't bleed through. You will also want to run a lint roller over the shirt before pressing to make sure there isn't anything between the shirt and the transfer, and last, you will need butcher paper (which comes in the Infusible Ink roll) to cover the entire design before pressing.

The best part of working with Infusible Ink is peeling up the transfer for the final reveal. The colors on the transfer sheet are always a little dull and colorless, but when you peel it back you will see beautiful, vibrant colors, in this case in a cool galaxy print.

How to Make an Infusible Ink Astronaut T-Shirt

You will need:

• Cricut Maker or Explore
• Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets, Galactic Stars
• EasyPress 2
• EasyPress Mat
• Cricut Infusible Ink Compatible T-Shirt
• Butcher Paper
• White Cardstock
• Lint Roller

Instructions:

Open the Astronaut T-Shirt Design Space file, or find an image that you would like to use. The images in the Explore the Galaxy cartridge are a great place to start, and they are all included free with Cricut Access. 

Resize as needed to fit your shirt. 

Place the transfer sheet colored side up on your mat and cut on the Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet setting, don't forget to mirror your design.

Weed the design. 

Preheat EasyPress to 385 degrees. 

Place the t-shirt on on the EasyPress mat. Put a piece of cardstock inside of the shirt so that it won't bleed through. Lint roll t-shirt. Place butcher paper on top of the t-shirt and preheat for 15 seconds. 

Remove butcher paper, place design image side down and cover with butcher paper. Press for 40 seconds with light pressure. 

Carefully remove press and peel off liner.