How To Apply Heat Transfer Vinyl With An Iron

If you want to make your own personalised T-Shirts, Tote Bags, Make Up Bags, Cushions, Slippers, Dressing Gowns... you name it... then heat transfer vinyl is what you need. And it's so simple to apply, using just your household iron. 

Of course, always be very careful when using an iron, they can get super hot and you don't want to lose concentration and injure yourself! 

Watch my quick video tutorial on how to iron on vinyl here: 

...and check out my written instructions below: 

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WHAT YOU NEED: 

Iron on Vinyl Design
Household Iron
Heat Mat
Baking Parchment/Teflon Paper
Tote Bag

STEP ONE: 

The first thing you need to do is to weed your design and get rid of all of the vinyl that you don’t want. Make sure to get the insides of the letters too, but don’t take any dots or I’s with you.

STEP TWO: 

Once that’s done you need to heat up your bag or tshirt or whatever you’re adding vinyl to, trying to get rid of as many creases as possible while you’re at it. Your iron needs to be completely dry with no water in it. I had mine on the hottest setting too, but just choose the setting you would use to iron the fabric that you're using and that should work fine. 

Make sure you’re doing this on a completely flat surface with something to protect it if it's not heat resistant. I use a heat protector mat, but you can also use a flat towel... the key is flat, because if there are any lumps or bumps in your fabric then the vinyl won't make contact with all of it and won't stick. 

You could also use an ironing board but it needs to be really sturdy, and ideally at about hip height so you can really press down with your iron, so an ironing board isn't always the best choice. 

STEP THREE: 

Once your item is warmed up, place your design down where you want it to go and cover it with some baking or Teflon paper (you don't have to use the teflon/baking paper, but I like it for protecting my fabric and design - just heat for less time if you don't decide to use it.) 

The key is to press down as hard as possible – my knuckles actually go white when I do this! Don’t move it about like you would a normal iron, just press down in sections until you have covered every bit of the design.

The amount of time you need to press down usually just depends on the fabric. It tends to be about 10-20 seconds with baking/teflon paper but can be more/less. If you're not sure, just keep checking to see how it's getting on, and then re-applying heat if it hasn't quite stuck yet. 

STEP FOUR: 

Take the paper off to check it – if it has worked you should be able to see the pattern of the fabric in the vinyl design. If it hasn’t worked go back over it for a bit longer.

If it has worked, and you’re using warm peel vinyl then you can peel the top bit of plastic off straight away to check it (being careful it's not too hot first though!), but if it is cool peel then you need to wait until it has cooled down to do that. It should tell you which type it is when you buy it. 

STEP FIVE: 

If little bits are still peeling off and it's not quite completely welded with the fabric, then place the plastic back on and give it a little bit more of a heat up in the areas it isn't sticking. You can also try turning it over and heating from the back too. 

In order to make sure it is completely stuck down, move the fabric around a bit, but if it is completely stuck then none of the little bits should come off. 

You can add heat transfer vinyl to so many different types of fabric, but if you're unsure ask your supplier what it can be transferred to. You also should be able to wash your items as normal, but this can depend on the quality of the fabric, vinyl and/or how much pressure was put on during application, but again just check with your supplier for more details.

Or if you want to make your own heat transfer vinyl designs for unlimited wedding gifts and decorations, then get yourself a Cricut machine or a Silhouette Cameo! There are 1000 different things you can do with them, and they will help you make Christmas gifts, Birthday gifts, party decorations and plenty of other crafty things for years to come. Take a look at the Cricut website for more info. 

Let me know what you're planning to make with your iron and vinyl? Leave a comment below