This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.
I love making my toddler personalized shirts using my Cricut Maker, Explore Air 2, and Cricut Joy. If I am in my craft room and office, I’ll use my Cricut Maker. If I’m crafting with the kids in the living room, I’ll use my Cricut Joy.
Customizing fun t-shirts for my kids is so much fun. I love having my Cricut machines around for the simple fact that if there is some sort of theme at school or for an event, I can whip up a shirt in no-time.
This morning, my three year old was throwing some princess fits, so I needed to capture her personality with a shirt.
I got in some fun designs with Cricut Infusible Ink, and I wanted to show you how to use them on their new line of custom blank apparel for toddlers. Learn all about Cricut Infusible Ink and how it differs from regular heat transfer vinyl.
All About Cricut Infusible Ink Sheets
Cricut Infusible Ink Sheets will allow you to create designs on your blanks that infuse the ink into the material. Unlike vinyl, there is no material that is melted on top of the blank. Rather, it is infused (some call it sublimated) into the blank.
They come in a multitude of colors sheets – from patterns to any solid color you could probably think of.
The blank is the material that you are putting the ink on.
In the case of this tutorial, I’m using Cricut’s Toddler T-Shirt Blanks (crew necks) that come in 2T, 3T, and 4T sizes.
Difference Between Cricut Infusible Ink Sheets and Heat Transfer Vinyl
Infusible Ink Sheets allow the ink to infuse into the blank material whereas heat transfer vinyl still has some “raised” surfaces when the vinyl is added.
With Infusible Ink, you’ll notice that the ink sheets will be lighter in color. That’s because the heat is what transforms the sheet into a more vibrant application on the blank you are adding it to:
How to Make Toddler T-Shirts with Cricut Infusible Ink
This tutorial is going to teach you all about how you can make fun, cute toddler t-shirts with Cricut Infusible Ink.
Supplies Needed for Cricut Infusible Ink for Young Kids
- Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2, or Cricut Joy
- Cricut Infusible Ink Sheets (Brushed Sunset)
- Computer with Design Space Installed (my design here)
- Heat Press (Easy Press 2 here or the Heat Press I’m using)
- Cricut Standard Mat
- White Butcher Paper
- White Card stock
- Lint Roller
- Scissors
Directions for Cricut Infusible Ink Shirts for Kids and Toddlers
1. Measure your shirt to figure out how wide and tall your design should be.
2. Open up Design Space and create your design (use my design here). Resize the design as necessary. Ensure your design is mirrored.
3. Once Design is ready, click on “Make It”. This will then walk you through the steps to choosing your material.
4. If you don’t see the “Infusible Ink” as an option, search for it and choose it. Cricut will then guide you to the necessary steps including what to do with the machine.
5. Next, you’ll want to weed the negative and excess infusible ink sheets. You won’t be able to re-use these, so just throw the extra away.
6. Set up your press for the temperature settings using the Cricut Heat Guide here.
7. Pre-Press your shirt for 15 seconds. Use the lint roller to roll off any dust or debris, as this can cause big implications to your design.
8. Add the white card stock inside the shirt to protect the other side from getting ink on it.
9. Add the design face down on the shirt, followed by the butcher paper that came with the infusible ink sheet (I’m using Brushed Sunset)
10. Press the design using the heat press (or Easy Press) based on the Cricut Heat Guide here.
11. Remove the backing (careful, it will be hot).
12. Now, you’ve got yourself a personalized shirt.
Summary of Cricut Shirts for Toddlers and Kids
I absolutely love how this shirt turned out. My toddler’s personality is captured perfectly with this personalized Cricut Infusible Ink t-shirt. It’s made of soft polyester, so I know she’ll love wearing it all day.
Other Cricut Infusible Ink Posts You Might Love
If you liked this post on Cricut Infusible Ink for making toddler shirts, you might also like some of these other projects that use Cricut Infusible Ink.
- Best Places to Buy Cricut Infusible Ink Blanks
- Cricut Infusible Ink Pens Tutorial
- What is a Cricut Machine
- Cricut Joy Pros and Con
