How to Iron on StripFlock Heat Transfer Vinyl

How do you let your mom know she’s super fly? It’s easy when you have Siser® heat transfer vinyl! A custom t-shirt makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift because it can be personalized to fit your mom’s taste. I decided on a throwback style with a sassy saying for the mom I have in mind. Choosing my HTV was easy after that since I knew StripFlock’s fuzzy texture would be the perfect choice to compliment the 70’s style font.

To make a shirt for your mom, gather the following materials!

Supplies for a DIY Mother’s Day T-Shirt

• Siser Heat Transfer Vinyl
• Vinyl Cutter (I used the Cricut Maker)
• Siser Weeder
• T-Shirt (I used a tri-blend)
• Home Iron
• Heat Transfer Cover Sheet
• Solid, Heat-Safe Application Surface (not an ironing board!)

Now that you’ve got the goods, let’s get started! Create your cut file, and ensure it’s mirrored. Cricut Design Space reminds you of this before cutting when you use an Iron On setting. You can confirm your cut file is ready by looking at the mat preview and making sure it says “Mirror On.”

Cut the HTV with the shiny side down on the mat.

When the cutter is finished, unload the mat and trim away any part of the HTV that wasn’t cut to save for future projects.

Now you can grab your Weeder and get to picking! Some people love the weeding process and others are not so fond of it. StripFlock has a pressure sensitive (sticky) carrier like EasyWeed®, but is more rigid so you’ll likely end up with more small pieces to pick out. It’s all worth it for that fuzzy texture though!

When you think you’ve removed everything but the HTV you want to iron on, flip the material over to the shiny side and double check your work.

Now that your HTV is ready, prep the t-shirt for decoration by pre-ironing the application area. Pre-ironing removes any wrinkles or moisture in the fabric and makes for a better bond between the fabric and the vinyl. Afterwards, center the HTV on the T-Shirt, place  a heat transfer cover sheet on top, and press down with your iron for 15 seconds. When the 15 seconds is up, lift (don’t slide!) the iron to the next section of HTV and press for another 15 seconds. Repeat this process until the entire transfer has received heat and pressure.

The Cotton setting is recommended for most Siser heat transfer vinyls when applying with an iron.

Wait until the carrier is cool to the touch before peeling (With new StripFlock® Pro, you can peel the carrier hot!) You’ll feel some resistance, but as long as each area got sufficient heat and pressure there will be no lifting HTV. However, if any area isn’t sticking to the fabric, simply lay the carrier back down and re-press that spot with your iron for 5-10 seconds. Remember to wait until it’s cool before attempting to peel again!

Can you dig it? If black isn’t your mom’s style, that’s ok because new StripFlock Pro is available in over 20 colors! You can see them all on the Siser North America app.

There’s still time to make your mom a DIY Mother’s Day t-shirt! Get the FREE CUT FILE here and pin the image below to Pinterest to keep this info handy!