DIY Polka Dot Pumpkin T-Shirt with Layered Glitter HTV

Remember the classic Disney Cinderella scene where the Fairy Godmother shows up and bibbity boppity boos everything into a glamorous state? She even transforms a pumpkin into a sparkly carriage! Well, I may not have a magic wand, but I can work my magic to make a glam, sparkly pumpkin t-shirt. It’s not ball ready but it is Fall ready!

Ok, I have to be honest here and let you know that my magic, like most, is just an illusion. We really do not recommend layering Glitter HTV. The results can be unpredictable and we cannot guarantee the longevity in the wash. However there are instances when you need ultimate sparkle, so don’t dismay! There is a way to make it appear like the Glitters are layered! You just have to knock out areas of the bottom layer that the top layer can fit into. Not sure what I mean? That’s ok because I’m going to go over how to use the inset method in ScanNCut Canvas, Silhouette Studio, and Cricut Design Space. You can even download the .svg or .jpg files here so you can practice and make your own glitter polka dot pumpkin t-shirt!

I started by tracing a clip art pumpkin into Adobe Illustrator, separated the stem from the pumpkin, and added the polka dot pattern. I saved the file as a .svg and uploaded it to ScanNCut Canvas.

After uploading I moved the pumpkin pieces away from the dots so I could select all of them. To select each dot at the same time you can either hold down shift and click each dot or left click and drag your cursor over all the dots to select them all in one fell swoop. You know they’re selected when you can see a blue dashed line box around each.  When they’re all selected group them by going to Edit> Group. This way you can move the polka dot pattern around instead of individual dots.

The “Group” icon is highlighted in purple.

Next I dragged the pumpkin back underneath the dots and selected both objects. When they were selected I went to Edit> Divide.

The “Divide” icon is highlighted in purple.

Then I moved the pumpkin over to reveal one wholly pumpkin and the polka dot pattern to fill it.

When that was finished I clicked “Download” and saved my .fcm file to my flash drive. I’ll use the USB port on the Brother ScanNCut 2 to transfer my artwork over after these quick Silhouette Studio and Cricut Design Space tutorials.

To use the inset method in Silhouette Studio I started by uploading the .jpg version of my polka dot pumpkin. I then went to Trace>Select Trace Area and dragged the Value bar to 100%. Afterwards I went to Modify>Compound Paths> Release to separate the layers. I selected just the dots (The same method for selecting multiple objects at one time in ScanNCut Canvas is the same in Studio!) and made them into a group using the Group Tool in the bottom left corner. Then I lined up the polka dots on the pumpkin, selected both and went to Modify>Subtract All.

To do the inset method in Cricut Design Space, I uploaded my .svg file. Then I used the “Ungroup” tool in the bottom right of the side panel to separate my layers. I selected all the dots the same way I did in ScanNCutCanvas and Silhouette Studio and used the “Group” tool so I can move the lot of them at once. Then I made a copy of the dots by right clicking and selecting Copy>Paste. I placed one copy on top of the pumpkin and then selected both objects and went to Layers>Attach. Now the pumpkin will have cut spaces that will perfectly fit the polka dots!

So now that we’ve made our layered Glitter friendly cut file we can move on to slicing up the shiny stuff!

Check out this tutorial for all the need to know info on cutting Siser HTV with the Brother ScanNCut 2.

When the Glitter pieces were cut I waved my magic wand (Siser Weeder) and POOF all the weeding was done! Just kidding! Although that would be great there are some tricks to quicker weeding. Check out all the tips here!

After everything was weeded I set up my 100% cotton shirt on the heat press. This project could easily be done with an iron as well. Check out this video if you want to know how to iron on Siser HTV.

With the heat press set to 320°F and the shirt laid on the bottom platen with as many seams out of the way as possible, I pre-pressed the t-shirt for a few seconds to remove any wrinkles or moisture in the shirt. I use a heat transfer cover sheet every time I close the press. The sheet adds a barrier of protection between the upper platen, t-shirt, and the HTV. Using firm pressure I heat applied the first Glitter layer for 5 seconds and peeled the carrier after waiting a few moments to let it cool a bit.

1st Glitter Layer – Copper

Warm Peel

Then I very carefully aligned the second layer of Glitter so that the polka dots filled in the gaps of the pumpkin. If your second transfer ends up a little off and overlaps some of the Glitter that’s ok as long as the majority of the piece is adhered to the fabric. I pressed the second layer for 5 seconds and peeled the carrier when it was warm.

2nd Glitter Layer – Translucent Orange

The green Glitter stem was the final piece to the puzzle. I butted it up as close as I could to the Copper Glitter without overlapping and pressed for 10 seconds to fully cure it and the other Glitter layers.

Last Glitter layer – Green

The inset technique makes this sparkly pumpkin possible! All of the Glitter is adhered to the fabric, so we know it’s firmly bonded and won’t peel off in the wash. It also makes the garment more light weight because there is less vinyl applied to the shirt. That’s why the inset method is great to use for other layering projects as well!

If you have any questions about this post please leave them in the comment section below!