How to Cut Siser® Heat Transfer Vinyl with the Sizzix® Big Kick™ & Heat Apply HTV with the Cricut® EasyPress
I think one of the best things about crafters is how resourceful they are. Often when they don’t have the exact tool/material/supply called for they find a way to make it work. Sometimes those ways are best left unsaid and unseen, (because the botched project is likely hidden in the back of a closet…trust me) but other times they become a neat little hack!
Another great thing about crafters is they love to share. So today I wanted share how you can use a tool that you might already have in your craft room to cut HTV. If you’re a scrapbooker or a cardmaker, you might be familiar with the Sizzix line of die cutters, but cutting HTV with them is going to be a little different than cardstock. So let’s get started!
How to Cut Siser HTV with the Sizzix Big Kick
While the Big Kick itself comes with two clear cutting pads and a white multipurpose platform, the dies are sold separately. With this model you can use very thin dies (right) and thick steel cut dies (left).
Either one you choose will work, however the cutting process varies slightly. The larger die is thicker so it only needs a cutting pad on the bottom and top. Think of making a “sandwich” out of the pads, HTV, and die.
The thin die on the other hand, needs the multipurpose platform at the bottom of the sandwich to achieve the proper thickness that allows the BigKick to put enough pressure on the sandwich and cut the HTV.

Cutting Brick™ 600 with a thick die and two cutting pads on the outsides.

Cutting StripFlock® with a thin dye sandwiched between two cutting pads, and the multipurpose platform at the bottom.
When you’ve set up all your pieces, manually turn the crank until the sandwich pops out on the other side. You might hear a faint cracking sound, don’t worry, that’s just the dies doing their job! You will notice, however that the cutting pads get worn after use, so just like a cutting mat, it’s best to change up the area the design will cut.
Two things to note:
- If you’re working with a thin die and a thick HTV (like Brick™ 600, Glitter, or StripFlock®) you may need to crank the sandwich back through the machine for a second run to fully cut through the material.
- Keep an eye on the orientation of your die if it’s a word. When working with digital die cutters (like the Silhouette Cameo or Brother ScanNCut) we know to mirror our design and cut on the back (adhesive side) of HTV. So if you want to flip the dye horizontally (mirror) make sure the HTV is laid face down (carrier side), so you don’t end up with a backwards phrase. I prefer to lay the HTV down with the carrier side facing up, so I can place the die on top (like in the photos above.) But just know you can achieve good results either way- it’s ultimately your preference!
After cutting, you may have some pieces of the shape that are stuck in the die. Use your Siser Weeder to poke through the tiny holes of the die to dislodge the HTV.
Would you rather let the cutter do the work? Check out this helpful post from How to Heat Press if you have a Cricut Maker! When all your shapes are cut, it’s time to move on to heat application!
How to Apply Siser HTV with the Cricut EasyPress
The EasyPress is a fairly new tool on the market, but you might already have one and, yes it can absolutely be used with Siser heat transfer vinyl! Just like when you use an iron though, you’ll need a hard, heat resistant application surface. Additional accessories to use are a heat transfer cover sheet and a pressing pad.
The EasyPress’ pressing mat is not available quite yet, but if you’re an embroiderer, it’s possible you already have a tool that can be substituted! Wool pressing pads come in a variety of sizes and are originally used for heat fusing embroidery patches, but they can also be used like a pressing mat or heat transfer pillow to avoid pressing seams, and in this case, the plastic ends of the drawstring on these velvet pouches.

Avoid plastic pieces with a pressing pad or heat transfer pillow.
Since I’m going to layer two colors of EasyWeed® heat transfer vinyl, I pressed the first layer for 5 seconds at 335°F, and peeled the carrier hot. But the HTV is die cut, so there isn’t an edge of the carrier (created by the weeding process) to grab onto and peel the rest. This is where your weeder comes in handy again to get under the clear carrier and start the peeling process. This is a useful hack when HTV is hand cut with scissors as well.
Lay the second color, carrier side up, and press for 10 seconds. Repeat the carrier peeling step and your pouch is prettified! Fill it with treats, jewelry, buttons, or whatever other small items you need to store or gift.
More tips on layering HTV can be found in this blog post.
With just 2 dies, I made 5 unique designs using Glitter, EasyWeed Electric, Holographic, EasyWeed, and Brick™ 600 heat transfer vinyl.

(top row, left to right) Old Gold Glitter, Yellow EasyWeed® Electric. (bottom row, let to right) Gold Holographic, Vegas Gold and Silver EasyWeed®, Yellow Brick™ 600 HTV.
Remember when I said crafters love to share? Pinning the image below is a great way to share these tips with fellow crafters!
Hi, I’m having trouble with Siser EasyWeed and my Cricut Easy Press. The instructions for the Cricut HTV are totally different than the Sizer. I’m not getting the HTV to stick everywhere. I also don’t get the Kraft paper thing and just pressed like the Cricut instructions said.
Hi Tari! We recently put out this video on our Youtube Channel that explains how to use EasyWeed® products with the Cricut EasyPress. For the most part, we recommend increasing the temperature on the EasyPress to 335°F and pressing for 10-15 seconds on each area of the heat transfer vinyl. This way, there’s no inside out press like Cricut recommends for their products. Also, kraft paper can be used as a cover sheet, but so could a thin cotton cloth or a teflon sheet. It’s your preference, but we recommend a heat transfer cover sheet for best results.
I pressed a cotton shirt with Siser Stretch HTV. I pressed it for 15 seconds at 305 degrees, but then it wasn’t quite sticking down so I repeated the process. It is staying down now, but I’m wondering if I should repress it at the higher temperature? It has been 24 hrs since I pressed it.
Lisa, with EasyWeed Stretch, you need to use a firm pressure. Increasing the temperature won’t help and may cause the adhesive to liquefy between the design and the garment. Try using more pressure on your next press and see if that helps.
Hi Lily,
I have a new Cricut EasyPress 2. I want to be sure I am using the correct time and temperature settings Siser recommends. In your You Tube Video you used 335 degrees for 15 seconds. Is this the correct temperature and time for all Siser vinyl (glitter, electric, etc.)? Also, what if I am pressing onto different materials such as cotton canvas or nylon? Do the times and temperature change. Do I need to press on the back? Thank you so much.
Christie,
Each Siser material has its own recommended time/temp/pressure (you can find more info on our site or app https://www.siserna.com/app). The reason that the EasyPress was set to 335° was because our EasyPress seems to be off by about 30 degrees. You can check yours with an inexpensive digital thermometer… https://www.amazon.com/HDE-Non-Contact-Thermometer-Temperature-Functional/dp/B00QYX6F5G
Hi Lily,
I just purchased a Cricut Easy Press 2. The temperature guide from Cricut only gives recommendations based on their brand of vinyl. I have purchased all Siser vinyl and am unsure of the temperature and time to use based on which kind of vinyl I am using. Can you please advise. I did watch your youtube video and see that you recommend 335 degrees for 10-15 seconds but you didn’t say if that was for all kinds of vinyl or which kinds. (glitter, electric, etc.) Also, I know Cricut says to do a 30 second press on the back of the garment as well, do you recommend that? I appreciate your help.
Hi Lily and/or Keith!
I have an EasyPress and I’ve checked the temp with an IR thermometer and at it’s highest setting (360) it only gets to about 295-299 degrees. Can I still get a good adhesion if I press for a few seconds longer? Currently I’m working with 100% cotton tees. And should I be seeing the texture of the fabric embedded in the easyweed? I’m not. Maybe I need to press harder too?
Thank you. :)
Hi Patricia! 295-299°F is only about 5-10°F different from the temperature we recommend for EasyWeed® HTV, so you should be ok to press for the standard time of 10-15 seconds. If you find the HTV is not sticking, you can press in 5 second increments until all areas are adhered. If the HTV is still not sticking, then you’ll likely need to apply more pressure or utilize a heat transfer pillow if your design is near a seam, button, collar, etc. Seeing the fabric texture through the HTV isn’t necessary. Check out tip #2 in this blog post to see why we don’t recommend seeing the texture.
If I’m using a Sizzix to cut, can I use a standard iron to press?
Hi Debbie! Yes, you can use a home iron to heat apply the HTV as well. You may want to check out this video for tips on using a home iron to apply HTV.