We all know that everybody and their grandmother has heard of a printer but the same can’t necessarily be said for the Cricut, a brand of computer-controlled cutting machines that are often used in arts and crafts. Cricuts are absolutely brilliant machines that can be used by crafters in a multitude of different ways.
One of the latest models- the Cricut Maker- is one of the most advanced versions of the Cricut to date that can aid in the creation of all manner of handicrafts. But what exactly can you make with the Cricut Maker?
The short answer is, a lot! The Cricut Maker is able to cut through a wealth of materials, such as fabric, leather, and even incredibly delicate paper. The machine does this with ease thanks to a rotary blade that has a smooth, gliding, and rolling action.
As well as this, the Maker also comes with a basic set of tools to start your crafting journey! You can then expand on these tools with items that are suggested, such as scoring wheels, or knife blades. There are so many possibilities with this nifty machine and so, we are going to be having a look at what kind of handcrafted items it is possible to make with ease thanks to the Cricut Maker!
Die Cut Stickers
Stickers are a simple project that can be made very easily thanks to the Cricut Maker. There are all sorts of possibilities when it comes to making stickers on the Cricut. You can use Cricut’s own subscription service- Cricut Access- to find sticker designs.
Alternatively, you can buy art online and then create stickers of it. If you are an artist, why not make your own artwork and then turn them into stickers? You can use your own materials or Cricuts own print-on materials (such as printable vinyl adhesive, printable sticker paper, or clear sticker sheets).
Mix and match materials to find the one that works best for you!
Vinyl Decals And Crafts
Decals are a highly popular product that crafters often use the Cricut Maker to create. One of the reasons for this is because of the ease with which the maker cuts through the vinyl, making particularly quick work of it.
Cricut’s design software Cricut Design Space allows you to quickly and easily create vinyl decal designs. Once you have designed your decals, all you need to do is print them on the Cricut Maker, use the weeding process (getting rid of the vinyl material that you don’t need) and you’re done!
3D Boxes
This might seem like a product that would be quite tricky to replicate with a Cricut but you’d be surprised at how easily the Cricut Maker can handle a 3D box. Cricut Access is a great way to go about creating a 3D box as the service has tons of pre-made box designs ready to go.
All you have to do is download them and cut them from cardstock and you have a box ready to go. It’s super quick and highly efficient. There are other places where you can find designs for boxes too but you don’t need to necessarily find one elsewhere. If you have your own 3D box design, you can make it relatively quickly with a Maker.
Labels For Around The House
It can be hard to stay organized even at the best of times, so if you find that your crafts section is looking a little out of sorts as of late, why not use the Cricut Maker to create some useful labels and start getting back on track?
The process is similar to that of making stickers. You can opt for your own label design or find one that suits you best on Cricut Access. You can then use Cricut Design Space to create the label and start getting organized!
You don’t have to stop at crafts either. You can make labels for all over the house, such as for labels for marking jars in the kitchen or keeping track of toiletries in the bathroom. The possibilities are endless when it comes to making labels with the Cricut Maker.
Decor For Around The House
Whilst we are on the topic of how to spruce up your living space with the Cricut Makers help, you can also use it to jazz up a wide variety of home furnishings by making your own decals.
You could use the machine to design a pillow, make a unique ornament, or even customize a coaster! The only limits are your own creativity.
Fabric
Thanks to that aforementioned rotary blade, the Cricut Maker makes short work of all sorts of various fabrics such as silk, canvas, denim, and more.
You won’t even need a backing material as the Maker has a built-in fabric cutting mat. You can take your pick of fabric and start cutting immediately thanks to the strength of the Maker.
Quilts
Continuing on with that power that the Cricut Maker has over fabric, there is nothing stopping you from making something as large as a quilt with the Maker if you have the sewing skills to stitch it up once you’ve worked your fabric through the machine.
There are tons of quilting patterns that are available on Cricut Access or you can always try and create your own design to go on the quilt.
Homemade Cards
No need for shopping for a birthday, Christmas, or Valentine’s Day card with the Cricut Maker! You can easily create your own cards with any design you might want. You can add an extra layer of personalization thanks to the huge amount of possibilities but you can also make them at lightning fast speed.
Transfers For Clothing
Another super popular choice when it comes to home crafts and the Cricut Maker are transfers to put on clothes, particularly t-shirts. If you want to design your own clothes, you can easily do this with the Maker by creating a heat transfer vinyl design which can then go onto your chosen fabric.
Cricut Design Space is once again a handy tool if you want to make some clothing transfers as you can use the software to design the pattern that you want to put onto your clothing. From there, all you have to do is load the machine with the heat transfer, begin the cutting process and you are good to go.
The transfer should be ready to be ironed onto your clothes. Cricut also has its own machine to seamlessly put vinyl transfers onto fabric- the Cricut Easypress- which is also an option for you to consider. Customized clothes make for great gifts too so this is certainly a cool option if you’re looking for a unique gift for family or friends.
Mugs
Let’s be honest, most of us are caffeine or sugar fiends in one way or the other. We sustain ourselves on coffee, tea, or maybe the occasional hot chocolate. Only those who dislike hot drinks can abstain from this allure (but seriously, how can you not like hot drinks??) but even then, mugs are still likely to be plentiful in your home. Whether it is for soup, noodles, or coff e- the lifeblood of so many of us – you can count yourself as an anomaly if there isn’t at least one mug in your home. Unique mugs are always highly popular – both for yourself and as a gift- and with the Cricut Maker, you can create your own mug decals (or download a design from tons of fantastic options of Cricut Access). Cricut has got you covered on so many aspects of handicrafts, including mug making!
The Cricut Mug Press can simply and easily transfer your designs onto a plain mug (it works excellently with Cricut Infusible Ink too), but have no fear if you do not own said mug press as you can do it yourself easily as well. All you need to do is use cut vinyl and plaster the design onto your mug. You’ll be a mug-making expert in next to no time!
Keychains
This is a brilliant option when it comes to cute gifts for birthdays or as stocking fillers around Christmas time. Not only are the possibilities for unique customization endless but they are also pretty simple to make.
For an acrylic keychain, all you need are some acrylic blank bases, some keychain accompaniments (you can usually buy this together), jewelry pliers, Cricut Permanent Vinyl, transfer tape, a weeding tool, a scraper, and of course the Cricut Maker as well as the Cricut Design Space software.
There are a bunch of additional tools you might want depending on what you want to create with the keyring- such as acrylic paint- but for just the basics, you won’t need much else. You can make fabric key rings with the Maker too. Just find the right sewing pattern, cut it out with the machine, and get to work!
These are just a few items that you can easily make with the Cricut Maker. There’s plenty of other fun crafts to be made with the machine as well, such as the following.
Wall Art
Papercrafts
Purses
Clutch Bags
DecalS for Glassware
Wedding Invitations
Patterns for Homemade Jewelry
Jewelry Boxes
Leather or Wooden Jewelry
Baby Clothes
Soft Toys
Christmas Decorations
Balsa Wood Decorations and Cuts
Hair Accessories
Food and Cake Decorations
Window Decals
Scrapbooking Decals
Washi Tape
Unique, Customized Envelopes
Stencils
Tags for Gifts
Socks
Coasters
3D Projects
Calligraphy Signs
Jigsaw Puzzles
With all of these possibilities- and tons more that we haven’t mentioned- the Cricut is surely one of the most versatile crafting machines available on the market today that is well worth investing for fans of DIY and homemade crafts!
Hi, my name is Michael Moore, and I have been 3D printing for a number of years now. I have created many cool gadgets over the years, but my current passion is creating one of a kind jewelry pieces. They can be so intricate and beautiful that many people wouldn't believe they are 3D printed.
Through Love and Robots, I hope to share my knowledge with others, and provide advice about everything 3D printer related.
