50 Unique DIY Accessories to Make with a Cricut Heat Press

Once you’ve chosen your blank, you'll need a Cricut heat press, a blank item of clothing or a blank accessory, and either heat transfer vinyl (HTV) or a sublimation transfer. NOTE: if you’re planning on customizing apparel or accessories with a sublimation transfer, you MUST use it in combination with a sublimation blank. Learn more about Cricut sublimation and how you can convert a printer into a sublimation printer to print your own sublimation transfers right in the comfort of your own home! You can find a wide range of iron-on vinyl as well as crafting blanks and sublimation blanks on Amazon, at your local craft store or online.

Next, use your Cricut machine to cut out your design or text from the iron-on vinyl or infusible ink sheets (disregard, if your heat transfer design is pre-cut). Make sure to mirror all images and text in Cricut Design Space before cutting, as iron-on vinyl needs to be placed on your project with the design facing down and there’s nothing worse than completing a fabulous DIY project and realizing the darn thing is upside down! Once your design is cut, carefully weed out any excess vinyl to reveal your final design. Cricut weeding tools help make the weeding process much easier, faster and yield higher-quality results by reducing the likelihood of rips and tears.

Next, place your blank item of clothing or accessory in the heat press if it is a clamshell style heat press, or on your heat-resistant mat if it is a Cricut EasyPress or similar-style off brand heat press (not a clamshell press), and carefully position your iron-on vinyl design on top of your crafting blank. Cover the vinyl with a heat resistant sheet such as a Teflon sheet to protect both your heat press, your material, and your blank, and press your design for the appropriate amount of time and pressure, at the proper heat setting for the material and crafting blank you’re using. Download our Cricut Heat Press Temperature Guide Cheat Sheet for easy reference of the proper settings to use for a wide variety of the most common materials and blanks.

Once your design is pressed, carefully remove the heat-resistant sheet once it has cooled fully and check to make sure the vinyl has adhered properly. If any areas of the design are lifting, you can go over them again with the heat press. Once your design is complete, allow your project to cool before wearing or using it. Finally, snap a photo of your amazing new project and share it with us in our Cricut crafting community page on Facebook so we can celebrate this amazing Cricut win with you and marvel at your wonderful new DIY Cricut accessory!