Layered Vinyl on Shirts with your Cricut

Last week I showed you how to make a shirt with your Cricut. Today I am going to show you how to do layered vinyl on shirts with your Cricut. This project has two colors layered on top of each other. The first step in learning how to layer vinyl on a shirt is to learn how to create those two layers!

This tutorial will take you through all of the steps for how to do layered vinyl on shirt with your Cricut. There will be a video at the end so you can see all of the steps come together. I did another post on this topic where I showed the same process, but for an image with three layers in it. You can see that tutorial HERE.

By the way, this post contains Affiliate Links to companies I have partnered with, such as Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for shopping with my links!

Materials Needed for layered vinyl on shirt with your Cricut

I prefer to use Siser brand vinyl for my iron on projects. I feel that is the best quality brand of iron on vinyl out there, and it weeds the easiest. For permanent vinyl I like StarCraft vinyl.

Over the years I have gotten Siser vinyl from a variety of places, including My Craft Source. When you shop at My Craft Source be sure to use code ShawnMosch to get 5% off your order!

Heat Transfer Warehouse is another great source for your vinyl needs. I also have a coupon code you an use there! Use code SHAWN5 to get 5% off your first order when shopping at Heat Transfer Warehouse.

Another retailer that I work with is Vinyl and Tulle. Use coupon code SHAWNMOSCH to save 10% off your order! They ship WORLD WIDE!

Madame Blanks is my recommended source for for my Canadian followers! Use coupon code SHAWN10 to save 10% off your order of StarCraft products!

I have also ordered from Expression Vinyl. Sorry, no code for that one, but if they are having a sale or are the only place that you can find that has the item you want, at least you know they are a trusted retailer. All of these stores carry Siser brand vinyl and I love that I can order large rolls or small sheets. This can give you a larger variety of choices and allow to to save money on larger orders. To make sure you are getting the best price for your vinyl, make sure to check out my Vinyl Buyers Guide.

Getting Started

First, we need to pick an image that we are going to put on our shirt. You can use one from Cricut Design Space, use a SVG file, or upload your own image. For this project we are going to use an image that my daughter designed in Adobe Illustator. Here is the image she created. As you can see, it has two colors. Since this is not an svg file, when we upload this to Cricut Design Space we will be creating two layers, one for each color.

Since these were created in Adobe Illustrator, my daughter was able to save them with a transparent background. This means that when I upload the image into Cricut Design Space I will only see the yellow and maroon parts of the image. Everything that is white will show up in Design Space with a checkerboard pattern, which means it is transparent. It will be like the white area is not even a part of the image. If you were using an image that did include a white background, you could use the Cricut Magic Wand tool to clean up and remove that white background. I have a tutorial about cleaning up an image HERE.

Uploading and saving to create layers

Since this image has two colors, we will need two layers to cut with our Cricut. You can do this by uploading the same image twice. This will create the two colored layers that you need to created layered vinyl on shirts with your Cricut. The first time when I upload the image, I will save it to be the maroon layer.

Important – Save as Cutting Image

When you upload an image to Design Space, this screen is really important. You can save your image you have two choices. You can save it as a print then cut file, or you can save it as a cut only file. I created a video HERE that shows the difference between a print then cut project and a cut only project. For this project we want to save it as a cut image, which is the choice on the right. This will be the maroon layer.

Now I upload the exact same image again. This time I am going to use the magic wand to remove the maroon parts and leave the gold.

Now I want to save this as a cut file. I am going to add the word gold when I name it so I remember that this is the gold layer.

Now that I have both of the layers created, I can see both of them in my Uploaded Images. (see the image on the left below) When I select both of them I can insert them into the Design Space Canvas. (see the image on the right below)

Set the Color

Once the images are in Design Space, choose the color for each layer of the image. Because these are images that I uploaded, when it came into Design Space it was all gray. Click on the image and in the top panel there is a square that allows you to choose the color you want. The true color will be the color of the material you put on the cutting mat, but this is a nice visual piece to help you see how your project will look.

If you look at the layers panel on the right side of the screen in the image above, you can see that the small preview of the layer also changed to the color that you set the layer to be.

Group before you Re-size

Before we change these images to the size we need them for the shirt, we want to stack (or layer) the gold piece over the top of the maroon piece. To do this I just click on the gold piece and drag it over so it is on top of the maroon piece. Next, I make a big selection window around both pieces to select them. Then I click the Group button in the upper right corner.

how to layer vinyl on a shirt

Group keeps your layers together so that you can resize them at the same time. This ensures that they stay proportional to each other.

The next step is to make the image the correct size for the shirt. To resize your image, you can click on it and then type in the exact height or width that you want the image to be in the top panel of Design Space. You can also use the double arrow in the lower right corner of the image to resize, but this will not be as exact as entering a height or width.

If you own a shirt already that has an image on it I would recommend using that as a guide. You can measure how big the design is as compared to the shirt and look at it for design placement. Sometimes I have cut my design from card stock first so that I can hold that up to the shirt and make sure I like the size.

Flip or Mirror

Time to cut the Vinyl

Now you are ready to start cutting your vinyl. Place the vinyl on the cutting mat with the shiny carrier sheet side stuck to the mat. There are grid lines on the cutting mat, so make sure to place the vinyl inside of these grid lines. The Cricut will start cutting 1/4” inside of that grid line. This is a buffer that is built into the Cricut system to make sure that nothing cuts too close to the edge of the material.

When you load the mat into the Cricut hold on the the end of the mat. This helps the Cricut to really catch the mat and for it to load all the way in. You will know if the mat is fully loaded if the point of the blade is over the vinyl. Once the mat is loaded, the C button on the Cricut will blink. Press that to start the cutting process. Once the Cricut is done cutting the load/unload button on the Cricut will blink. Press that to unload the mat.

Because you created this image with two color when you click Make It the Cricut will sort all of the items of the same color so they cut from the same cutting mat. You will cut one color, or layer, at a time.

how to layer vinyl on a shirt

Next up – Weeding

Now it is time to weed the vinyl. Weeding is the process of removing all of the vinyl from the negative space around the image and exposing the sticky side of the carrier sheet. If you cut letters, you would be removing the center of the letter O or the little piece inside of a R. You can either do this process while the vinyl is still on the cutting mat or you can remove the whole piece of vinyl from the mat. I prefer the second method. I use the point of my weeding tool and just peel back and pick off the parts I want to remove.

Tip: If it is hard to see the cut lines, you can put the vinyl on a light pad. The light will shine through the places where the Cricut cut, which will help you more easily determine what areas to weed away.

How to Layer Vinyl on a Shirt – Pressing

I have found that the process of pressing the layered vinyl on shirt with your Cricut is where a lot of people struggle. Since every heat source and vinyl will have slightly different recommended times and temperatures for pressing, I recommend that you review the information for the specific products you are using.

Since we know that we will be pressing a second layer on top of this, we do not want to burn or overheat the first layer when we press the second layer, whatever the time is that it says you should press for, reduce that slightly. Really, you just need to press this first layer enough that it sticks to the shirt.

I have found that I personally get better results when I started using a heat press instead of a standard home iron. When I first got my heat press I did some tests on some fabric I had. This allowed me to experiment with the time, temperature and pressure until I found a setting I liked.

Another tip that helped me is purchasing a cardboard shirt cut out. I can place my shirt on there, then figure out the image placement while the whole project is on my craft table.

Start with the layer that will be the background layer of the image. For this project, that is the maroon piece.

Place the image on the shirt, with the sticky side of the carrier sheet touching the shirt. Since the cardboard cut out is firm it is much easier to pick that up and move the shirt to the press and not have to worry about the image moving around.

Once you place the shirt inside of the press, place a piece of parchment paper or a light weight tea towel over the image. This protects it so that the heat source is not directly touching the carrier sheet. Some vinyl recommends that you peel the carrier sheet off while the vinyl is still hot, right out of the press. Some will say to let it cool before you peel the carrier sheet off. Read the directions for your vinyl.

Removing the Carrier Sheet

Next is removing the carrier sheet. I like to peel it back slowly so if any of the vinyl looks like it is not sticking I can stop, and then go back to the press and press the shirt a second time. I also like to look at the image after the carrier sheet is removed and see if there are any edges of the vinyl that look like they are not all the way down. When you press the second layer on, these problem spots could go away, but keep an eye on them.

I allow my first layer to cool completely before I press my second layer. This is probably my biggest tip I give people when they ask me how to layer vinyl on a shirt. Allowing the first layer to cool down helps so that you do not end up burning it when the second layer is added.

how to layer vinyl on a shirt

Time to press the Second Layer

Place the second layer on the shirt, with the sticky side of the carrier sheet touching the shirt. For this project that would be the golden yellow layer. This might take some time to get things lined up just right, but since you have not pressed the second layer down, you can always pull it back up and re-center things. If your second layer seems to move you can always tape it down using a special heat resistant tape.

Once you place the shirt inside of the press, place a piece of parchment paper over the image. This protects it so that the heat source is not directly touching the carrier sheet. Some vinyl recommends that you peel the carrier sheet off while the vinyl is still hot, right out of the press. Some will say to let it cool before you peel the carrier sheet off. Read the directions for your vinyl.

how to layer vinyl on a shirt

Garment Care

I always recommend that shirts that have vinyl applied to them are washed on gentle, inside out, no fabric softener and air dried. This helps to protect the vinyl. The one time that I did not give someone these care instructions they put the garment in the dryer and the vinyl started to peel off.

I hope that this tutorial cleared up any questions that you had about the process of how to layer vinyl on a shirt. If not please let me know and I can add some more details to this post. I have also included a video of this entire process from start to finish for you. Sometimes it is nice to see all of the steps come together.

Layered vinyl on shirt with your Cricut video

I cannot wait to see pictures of the shirts you create by following this tutorial for how to layer vinyl on a shirt!

Make sure to check out my shirt tutorials from the links below, including
Making a Shirt with your Cricut
Layering Vinyl on a Shirt
Multi Colored Layered Vinyl on a Shirt
Print than Cut Image on a Shirt

All HTV/iron on vinyl projects

I prefer to use Siser brand vinyl for my iron on projects. I feel that is the best quality brand of iron on vinyl out there, and it weeds the easiest. For permanent vinyl I like StarCraft vinyl.

Over the years I have gotten Siser vinyl from a variety of places, including My Craft Source. When you shop at My Craft Source be sure to use code ShawnMosch to get 5% off your order!

Heat Transfer Warehouse is another great source for your vinyl needs. I also have a coupon code you an use there! Use code SHAWN5 to get 5% off your first order when shopping at Heat Transfer Warehouse.

Another retailer that I work with is Vinyl and Tulle. Use coupon code SHAWNMOSCH to save 10% off your order! They ship WORLD WIDE!

Madame Blanks is my recommended source for for my Canadian followers! Use coupon code SHAWN10 to save 10% off your order of StarCraft products!

I have also ordered from Expression Vinyl. Sorry, no code for that one, but if they are having a sale or are the only place that you can find that has the item you want, at least you know they are a trusted retailer. All of these stores carry Siser brand vinyl and I love that I can order large rolls or small sheets. This can give you a larger variety of choices and allow to to save money on larger orders. To make sure you are getting the best price for your vinyl, make sure to check out my Vinyl Buyers Guide.

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I do have several tutorials on the topic of Layers, but if you are reading this and feel that there is something about layers that I am missing from my information I want to hear from you! This will help me to make my Cricut Design Space Layers information even better!

To start, I talk about some basic layers information HERE

I can teach you how to create a layered cutting file from an image you find online. Click HERE for my Cricut Layers Guide tutorial.

Another common way to make layers is to start with coloring book style image and use Duplicate and Contour to make your colored layers. I show that full process HERE.

If you are looking for information on how to assemble the Cricut Design Space layers for your finished project, then you should check out some of the information that I have listed below.

I have shared how to layer vinyl on a shirt HERE and cardstock. Honestly I feel that you should start with a layered cardstock project just to get the concept of how Cricut Design Space layers work, and how the Cricut will sort pieces by their colored layers for cutting.

Now, after looking at all of this information on Layers what questions do you still have? This is a honest request. I want to create the best resource on the topic of layers out there! I want to answer every question a Cricut owner could have on layers . . . to the point where when ever there is a new Cricut owner that has a question on layers everyone will say “Oh, you need to read this Cricut Design Space layers info from Shawn Mosch”