DIY Monogrammed Sweatshirts

I’m the proud owner of a Cricut Maker!!! I’ve mentioned on here a few times that the company sent me one of the machines after seeing an Instagram Story I filmed at Maddie’s house. It’s been SO fun to play around with the Cricut and come up with new projects. Every time I figure something new out, I feel pretty victorious. And now that I’ve had it for a while, I’m able to spot new “Cricut Projects” everywhere I go. (I was in Target this past weekend and Taylor and I kept saying, “We could do this with the Cricut! Let’s do that with the Cricut!” etc. etc.)

After finding a monogrammed sweatshirt online for almost $150, we were inspired to create our own for much less for a girls’ craft night. We picked out matching navy crewneck sweatshirts from Target for $20 each. That night we each picked out what design we wanted. I did two pink hearts next to my monogram. Maddie did her monogram over a line of stars and Taylor did a fun peace sign under her initials.

Hearing from you guys responding to my Instagram Stories only got me more jazzed about having a Cricut. People have sent me photos of projects they’re working on, what they’re craft spaces (and sometimes even craft rooms) look like, and even projects they’d like to see me attempt.

Let me be the first to say: I am no expert crafter.

Even still it’s been a blast to play around and what I love about the crafting community is that there’s room for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you have an entire room filled with your crafting materials or a small drawer. Everyone’s included and enthusiastic.

It also just feels good to make something physical. I spend so much time on the computer and creating virtual things that it’s nice to have something to hold or wear at the end of the day.

I put together a Youtube video to walk through the steps we followed to make the monogrammed sweatshirts. The ones we did is actually easier than the one in the video because we just used the design center. No need for Photoshop or an iPad. The font and shapes were pre-loaded and available.

What I used:

– Pink sweatshirt (currently 40% off)

– Cricut Maker (c/o)

– Iron On Material

– EasyPress + Mat

How I did it:

1. Design the monogram and motif:

You can do this directly in the Cricut design center, but I find it easiest to do in Photoshop. All of my text was done in Photoshop (I went with Times New Roman) and I drew the bow in Adobe Draw on my iPad with an iPad pencil. I Airdropped the bow PNG to my computer and played around with the design until I found something that I liked.

If you did the design in Photoshop, save the image as a PNG and then upload that file into the Cricut design center. Select “simple” and then “cut image.”

2. Cutting the monogram and/or design:

Resize the image to be the desired height and width for the final product. In this case, I wanted my monogram to be two inches wide. But you can do whatever size you want!

Put the iron on material shiny side down on a grippy mat, select “iron on” as the material (either on your machine or in the design center, depending on your machine), and load the mat when prompted. Click go to proceed with cutting.

Unload mat and remove iron on material. Trim excess material, then continue to peel the extra material off, leaving only the monogram and design on the clear backing.

3. Iron on the monogram:

Pre-heat your EasyPress (or iron). I did it at 310 degrees, but double check your fabric and iron on material’s recommended heat settings. Start by ironing the sweatshirt to ensure there are no wrinkles where the monogram will ultimately be placed.

Position the monogram where you want it. Using the EasyPress (or iron), press and hold over the design for about 30 seconds. Flip the sweatshirt over and press the back for an additional 10 seconds. Flip the sweatshirt back over and peel the protective sheet off the design. Voilà

What should I make next?!