Monogrammed Shirts Using the Cricut Explore

Wedding planning is so exciting!  As soon as my daughter set the date, she started a Wedding Board on Pinterest.  One of the things that she really liked were Monogrammed Shirts for herself and her bridesmaids to wear the day of the wedding.

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These Monogrammed Shirts were my first Heat Transfer Project using the Cricut Explore and Expressions Vinyl.  I wasn’t too worried though.  The Internet was full of ideas, so it couldn’t be that difficult, right? I thought it would be just like doing adhesive vinyl, but it’s a little different.

Supplies Needed For Monogrammed Shirts

• Heat Transfer Vinyl from Expressions Vinyl
• Cricut Explore
• Anna’s Decorative Monograms

Tips for Making Monogrammed Shirts

• Cut your pattern in REVERSE.  With heat transfer vinyl, or HTV, you cut your design so that it is BACKWARDS when you look at it.   I used the Cricut Explore, and there is a reminder so you don’t forget.
• Use a good quality iron.  I was at a weekend craft event when I made these, and I used the hotel iron.  The vinyl didn’t stick very well, and I had to fix it with my Oreck iron when I got home.  I don’t think the hotel iron was hot enough.

I couldn’t decide what type of shirts that I wanted to monogram.  The wedding was at the end of May, so the chances of the weather being warm and clammy were pretty good.

My first thought was to do T-Shirts, but I wanted the bridesmaids to have something to wear while they were getting their done for the wedding, that they wouldn’t have to pull over their heads.

A button up Oxford style shirt was more practical, but all I could find was long sleeved shirts.

Steps for Making Monogrammed Shirts

1. Whatever type of shirt you choose, wash and dry it before putting your vinyl on it.  If you don’t, and it shrinks, your monogram will pucker and come off.
2. Iron your shirt before applying the heat transfer vinyl.  This will give you a smooth surface to apply your vinyl.
3. Use a thin cloth over the vinyl when ironing so that the vinyl doesn’t stick to the iron.
4. I ironed from the top and also from the back side of the fabric to make sure the adhesive was melted.
5. To make sure I got the whole monogram, I ironed it once and let it cool, then ironed it a second time.
6. Hand washing and line drying will will make the decal last longest, but you can wash it on a delicate cycle and dry in a cool to medium dryer.

These pretty girls wore them while they got their hair done the morning of the wedding.  Then when it was time to put their dresses on, they just unbuttoned them and didn’t worry about having to pull a shirt over their head.