I recently was invited to jump in and get creative with another round of Cricut Iron-on. It's a new film product that is a similar to an iron-on vinyl that you cut with your Cricut machine and then iron on to any kind of fabric. The challenge this week is to create something wearable to feature this great craft material. Each designer was sent a selection of Cricut Iron-on and blank t-shirts. So, you know I love me a cute t-shirt skirt, so here's another variation.
Materials you will need:
- Cricut cutting machine with Cricut Craft Room account (and computer)
- Cricut Iron-on film in yellow
- Iron
- Big white t-shirt
- 1″ wide (or smaller) Elastic
- Rit Dye
- For Dying you'll need bowls, gloves and a spoon
- Old towel or other material to protect your work area while dying
- Sewing machine and/or needle and thread
How to make a T-shirt Skirt embellished with Cricut Iron-on cutouts:
- Start with a plain old big white t-shirt. Cut off the top of the shirt right under the armpits. The bottom of the shirt will become the skirt, the top is the extra fabric used to embellish the skirt.
- Dye the fabric as desired. I chose to go with a yellow to teal color transition. Always dye your light colors first, so I started with yellow. Then used aqua and then teal. I wanted a bit of a faded color, so after dipping the color I rinse a bit before, microwaving to set and then rinsed again. I also dyed a second shirt solid yellow so I would have extra yellow fabric to work with if I wanted.
- Dry the fabric on high in the dryer. Wash and dry again before using to make your finished skirt. While the fabric is drying, select your cutting designs from the Cricut Craftroom (or your cartridges) and cut them out of the iron-on film.
- Add a waistline to your skirt by sewing along the top of the t-shirt body and running elastic through it. Sew in place. I like to sew the end to show on the outside of the skirt for an extra layer of color, however, you can sew on the inside instead if you prefer.
- Cut strips of fabric from the top of the shirt. Sew strips on around the entire skirt.
- Make flowers or other shapes with the remaining fabric, sew on as desired.
- Finally, apply your prepared Cricut Iron-on cutouts. As a final touch, you can sew on little scrap fabric ribbons or bows if you'd like.
To dye the fabric: Dip shirt in one color at a time. Dip in the color, rinse. Dip in color, rinse, repeat. Then, wrap the entire piece of fabric in plastic wrap, microwave on high for 2 minutes. I always place the wrapped fabric in a microwave safe bowl just incase it leaks in the microwave, then I don't end up with dye o the microwave turntable. Let it cool for a minute or two and then rinse in cold water.
Tip: If you are using distinct colors like I have here, rinse the dark color in cold water and then the light color so the color doesn't become muddy.
Before I start sewing, I always lay out all the pieces to determine what I want my design to be. I play with placement and move things around until I like what I see. The color might look different in this photo… I'm a late night creative thinker!
It helps to have sewing straight pins on hand, pink things in place so they stay where you want them.
Let your Cricut create the art accents!
Instead of going with big complicated cut out designs, I used my Cricut mini and yellow Iron-on film to cut out simple designs. I then scattered cutout butterflies and flowers all around the skirt, alternating placements to accent the entire piece. This t-shirt skirt can become wearable art you create yourself, so get creative with it!
I like showing off the rough edges when I create this kind of skirt. I think it adds character and interest. So I sew along the edge when applying the strips of color, and then the edge will curl. You can, however, sew however you'd like. I'd also hand sewn with embroidery floss and created a design to the strips. I also created floppy flower cutouts that I sewed on, see 'em?
Don't forget the Cricut bonus deal:
As part of this special product launch, Cricut has a special promotion with some EXCELLANT pricing available. There's a few product bundles you're going to want to get your hands on – save yourself some cash and grab some new creative fun. First there is the Cricut Iron on bundle – Get $15 off your Cricut Iron-on Sample Pack!. Or if you don't have a Cricut machine yet, you can get the Iron on PLUS a Cricut cutting machine and save over $100! Get the Cricut Iron-on Bundle for $199.99 (normally $319.95)!
If you need more help using the Cricut Iron-on, check out my other tutorial, making collage art with Cricut Iron-on. You could also make a button embellished t-shirt skirt and add accents with your Cricut. So many possibilities, love it!
You can make your own skirt in any color combination you'd like. Add fun strips of color and then apply Cricut Iron-on cutouts using your Cricut machine . You can decorate your skirt however you'd like, making it as unique as you are! I hope you try the Cricut Iron-on, it's amazing what you can do with it! Stop by the Cricut site to see what other brilliant wearable art you can create! I was provided with some of the Iron-on film to try out for this challenge, but the rest… was all my creativity.
Show and Tell! What fun do you have with your Cricut?
Adorable skirt! I’m unclear about the waistband, though. Is the elastic waistband a separate piece that is sewn on or is it created by folding the top of the fabric over?
Hi Sandy, either would work. I’ve made this skirt both ways.. it all depends on how big the t-shirt is that you start with. My preference is folding the top down and then letting the folded edge show unfinished… I like the bit of ruffle look it adds to the skirt. For this skirt specifically, the top is just folded down.
Thank you! Heading to my t shirt stash to make one for my daughter! 🙂
Soooo cute!