I've been having a lot of fun playing with my Cricut when it comes to paper, but I really wanted to combine it with crochet... and teaching a class recently provided the inspiration! I wanted to share with you what I came up with - and how my Cricut and Expressions Vinyl got in the mix!
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
First came the pattern - I was teaching a beginner's class, and coincidentally, I had been asked to design something to teach crochet for I Love Yarn Day! So I came up with the Beginner's Crochet Hanging Tag!
Made with Lion Brand Yarn 24/7 Cotton and a US-G, 4.0 mm hook, it's a great first project, small and easy. The pattern will be shared as part of the I Love Yarn Day celebrations this fall - and whenever I teach beginner crochet classes! (Email me at tamarakelly@mooglyblog.com if you'd like to me teach a class near you!) If you're not a beginner, you can base it on the Tag It pattern here on Moogly already!
The class was a lot of fun, and I go to give away OttLite Craft Lamps too - love being an OttLite Ambassador this year! Between the lamps and the yarn and hooks, I know these new crocheters are off to a good start!
Of course, the Beginner's Crochet Hanging Tag can be customized in a million ways, but I had spotted my opportunity... experiment time! The Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton is in fact 100% cotton, and won't melt with heat, so it was time to play!
I used my Cricut Explore Air™ and the Cricut Design Space™ app with free clip art to create a sheet of cutout hearts. After a couple of test runs with paper, I ran an Expressions Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl Sheet through the machine!
Seeing the cut lines was a little tricky - but that's where my OttLite LED Light Box and Task Lamp Station came in handy! Love having the perfect tools for the job! Once I had found the line, I slipped my Cricut Weeding Tool under the vinyl surrounding the hearts, and it all came off in one glorious sheet. Sooo satisfying, am I right?
Then, to the ironing board! I put down the crochet tag, and placed the vinyl cutout on top (dull side down, clear film up!) - the sticky on the film helps hold it in place.
Then I covered with a thin cloth to protect my iron, and pressed down for about 10-15 seconds. I might have wiggled it... just a little bit...
Then, I carefully peeled off the clear film...
Success!! My experiment worked!
The vinyl stuck perfectly to the yarn, without any weird gaps or peeling of anything. Nice and secure. LOVE!!
Of course, I had to share! So I removed the excess vinyl from the rest of the sheet of hearts and covered it with kitchen wax paper, to protect the sticky film. Cut into squares, they were ready to go to class! Each student got a vinyl heart along with a small instruction sheet, so they could add them to their hanging tags (or whatever they want!) when they got home.
Putting all of this together was a lot of fun, and I love that I now know I can combine cotton crochet fabric and heat transfer vinyl! The possibilities are endless! Monograms! Sports! Favorite kids characters - what would you iron onto your crochet?
Get Moogly on your favorite social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr, and sign up for the free Newsletter so you don’t miss a thing! Thank you to Lion Brand Yarn, OttLite, Cricut, and Expressions Vinyl for providing the materials that helped make this post happen.
PAT
I LOVE YOUR IDEA OF THIS LOOKS NICE DO YOU HALF TO QUARE YOU ARE GREATUSE A CIRCUIT LIKE YOU DID OR CAN YOU USE HEAT TRANSFER FROM A FABRIC OR CRAFT FAIR ALSO DO YOU HAVE DIRECTIONS FOR YOUR S
Tamara Kelly
Hi Pat! This pattern will be released as part of I Love Yarn Day this October. Thank you!
The Cricut does the cutting, but you can cut heat transfer vinyl with scissors or another cutting machine, I just happen to use and enjoy the Cricut. 🙂 You can buy heat transfer vinyl at most big box craft stores these days.
PAT
DO YOU HAVE DIRECTIONS FOR YOUR SQARE AS ASKED ABOVE BUT DIDNT FINISH WRITING THAT ABOVE
Donna
Hi Tamara
I was wondering about washing it? Can you wash it in a washing machine with damaging the design?
Thanks!
Donna
Tamara Kelly
You should always wait at least 24 hours after application. For garments, they say to turn them wrong side out and wash on low temps and air dry. For crochet, I would probably handwash though, since machines can be hard on the yarn anyway.
Jillie1962
But don’t put it in the dryer!
Candy
Can you safely apply a rhinestone heat transfer to acrylic crochet project? Making a Poncho and want to bling it up for a birthday present
Tamara Kelly
Hi Candy! I would be very careful - acrylic will melt at high heat! I would recommend trying it on a little swatch first to see what happens (and under a cloth, to protect your iron!). I might recommend using beads instead, if the heat is indeed an issue.
Renee
I was wondering how this would work on wearable crochet items like sweaters. Would it stretch and peel or would it be ok?
Tamara Kelly
I haven't tried it on washables yet - all iron-ons have a limited life, and handwashing (as you would normally do) for handmade sweaters *would* help extend that life! I know it's washable on t-shirts, but on crochet it's currently untested.
Tracy J
Ohhhh I smell a project in the works!!! I’m getting a circut for Christmas and can’t wait. I use to make signs so I have some knowledge about them and I’ve wanted one for years. I also crochet 🥰 I’m adding more cotton yarn to my wish list.
Penny hurtt
So glad I saw this. I am crocheting mug cozies and wanted to bling them up using my cricut.. Will have to try this out.