Making Custom T-shirts with the Silhouette Cameo

Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) tutorial

Making custom t-shirts, hoodies and onesies with the Silhouette Cameo is cheap, easy and really effective.  I love being able to make cute designs as gifts for kids to wear and they get so excited when I include their name :)  I make t-shirts for adults too,  normally simpler more graphic designs, except for my pal Emily who insisted that she too have a sparkly unicorn that I'd made for some 5 year olds!  

I actually had my Cameo for 8 months before I gave HTV a try, as it seemed quite intimidating, but really shouldn't have worried.  You've most likely seen HTV before, on t-shirts with company logos, cotton shopping bags, or even those stag and hen party t-shirts.  It's used on umbrellas, hats and I was surprised to find that it's also used on mugs.

How Heat Transfer Vinyl Works

Unlike regular vinyl which has a sticky reverse side and is applied cold, HTV has a fine layer of dry glue which is smooth to the touch.  It must be heated before the glue layer melts and bonds with the fabric.  After this, the clothes can be worn and laundered as normal. 

If you iron directly onto vinyl, it would melt, so HTV sheets come with two layers, a shiny transparent plastic top sheet and the vinyl itself.  The shiny top sheet performs two functions: 1 - it is slightly sticky so it holds the vinyl design in place for transferring to the t-shirt and 2 - it is heat resistant so protects the vinyl from the heat of the iron or press.  Once the design has been applied, the plastic top sheet is peeled off and discarded.

Number 1 rule of HTV - always mirror the design

As the front of the vinyl is protected by the shiny plastic top sheet, the design must be cut on the reverse side.  This means that the design must be mirrored when cutting with the Silhouette Cameo.  It doesn't matter for pictures normally, but for text it's crucial.

I've forgotten to do this frustratingly many times and there's nothing worse than thinking everything is fine, then realising at the ironing board that the text is backwards!  I've even seen crafters putting a sign on the Cameo lid saying 'Remember to Mirror'.

The mirror option in the Silhouette Studio software is found in the Replicate window.

HTV mirroring blooper, only discovered once I'd cut and fully weeded it - cue sweary words!

Use Replicate Window to Mirror Image because we are cutting the HTV on its reverse side

Cut and weed

Each HTV variety will need a different cut setting and it's a bit of trail and error, so test out on a small piece.  I use a mat, though you don't have to as it has the protective sheet.

A top tip is to check the cut before you unload the HTV.   That way, if the cut wasn't deep enough, you can do another pass with the vinyl in the same alignment.

In my Sew Fabulous paper cut project, I peeled the paper off the mat and my design was ready.   I then quickly cleaned the mat of the cut out pieces using a car ice scrapper.  Unfortunately, it's not so easy for HTV, you have to 'weed'.  This term means removing all the vinyl that isn't needed on the design.  In the Spiderman design above, it's anything white, so the outside background, internal triangle in the A of JAMIE and also all the rectangles within the mask.  Weeding vinyl is much like weeding in the garden, kind of satisfying unless there's loads of it!

Most vinyls, such as the hologram one used for the Spiderman design are easy to weed as the cut lines are very obvious.  Glitter vinyl on the other hand, is hellish.  In the photograph below, details have been cut out on the fairy's wings, but the lines are almost impossible to see.  I've researched tips and the easiest trick that I've found is to gently roll the design between two fingers.  Other recommendations include shining light from below, using a sharpie on sketch pen mode before cutting, or rubbing some powder such as talc or chalk.

Invisible cut lines makes weeding Glitter HTV a pain!

The curl technique to find cut lines

Position and Press

 Once the design has been weeded, it can be pressed onto the fabric.  I use a quilting ruler to check that the design is straight and centred.  Pressing a centre fold vertically on the t-shirt and also horizontally underneath the arms is another way to make sure the design is aligned. 

Then it's just the slightly nerve-wracking task of pressing the vinyl in place.  I use an iron, with no steam, at a click below the cotton setting.  Sometimes the top sheet can buckle a little or the vinyl looks like it's warping.  It pretty much always comes good if you just keep calm and keep the iron moving in smoothing circles :)

If the HTV is a hot-peel variety, you can remove the top sheet immediately.  Other wise, it needs to cool first.  Once the top sheet has been removed, I normally always place my bargain Poundshop teflon sheet over the design and press again quickly for good measure.

Align the design, I find a quilting ruler very handy for this

Using a poundshop teflon sheet iron at a click below Cotton setting to apply HTV design

The Big Reveal

Here's how the t-shirts featured in this tutorial turned out:

The Spiderman design is from Freepik and the font used is Ariel Rounded.  I used  Black Sparkle Cool Flex Vinyl (0052052) from MDP Supplies.  The red long sleeve t-shirt is by Fruit of the Loom and I bought it from Universal Textiles.

The moon fairy design is from the Silhouette Design Store and the font is Twinkle-Fairy.  The vinyl is Silver Glitz (GTZF00200) from MDP Supplies and the t-shirt is the Fruit of the Loom Girls Valueweight from Universal Textiles.

The Robot design is from the design is from the Silhouette Design Store and the font is Bauhaus 93.  The vinyl is Silver Glitz (GTZF00200) from MDP and the t-shirt is the Fruit of the Loom Kids Unisex Valueweight from Universal Textiles.

Shopping for Supplies

HTV comes in every colour imaginable and lots of different finishes.  My ever growing stash includes matte, glitter,  metallic, glow in the dark, reflective, flock and iridescent.  The best and by far most reasonable place I've found to buy it is MDP Supplies, who have a handful of stores (one in Grangemouth near me) and a good on-line shop.  A sheet that is 33cm wide and 50cm long is £2-3 depending on finish.  I normally get up to 10 designs from one sheet, although adult t-shirts and hoodies take up more space.  It's worth noting that MDP is  aimed at businesses, so prices are quoted without VAT.

MDP also sell t-shirts and hoodies at a good price (my favourite is Fruit of The Loom).  I normally go to Universal Textiles for my garments though as they have a bigger range, in particular for girls fit t-shirts and ladies hoodies.  MDP and Universal are selling kids t-shirts for about £1.50 at the moment.  I find H&M are also good for boys and girls t-shirts or onesies and normally have a 3 for 2 offer.

Plain white cotton onesies are available from all the supermarkets normally in a 3 or 5 pack costing less than £1 an item.  I'm told Sainsbury's ones keep their shape better than Asda.  John Lewis and H&M do nice coloured bodysuits, they work out a bit more expensive at about £2.60 each.