Two years ago I purchased my first Cricut machine, and for the past 2 years I have had the most absolute fun crafting. I am usually not a super crafty person (not that I didn’t like doing crafts, it’s just well, they didn’t turn out very well), but with the Cricut something just clicked. Maybe it’s because I LOVE clothes, and being able to make my own t-shirts was super appealing to me.
What I love about the Cricut (or even the Silhouette machines) is that you can either do your own design, and personalize as you’d like (including the colors, sizes, names etc) or you can make a super simple shirt or sign using an SVG file.
If you aren’t sure what an SVG file is, it’s pretty much a file that can be converted into a system (such as the Cricut Design space) to create an image on a product, such as a shirt, canvas, etc.
As you can see above , you can find some really cute SVG files online to make some really cute gifts (the oven mit above was a Christmas gift for my sons teacher – well a part of it. It includes cookie mix, a spatula, and then a gift card as well. It was a huge hit!)
The first year I got my machine coming up with my own designs was a piece of cake. I had many ideas over the years, and I just hadn’t bought a machine yet, so as soon as I did, I made shirts and bags and decor constantly. (Like literally working on my machine every night and every weekend!). Once I finally exhausted my list of ideas and motivation, as holidays and events would start coming up, I had to go looking for inspiration for shirts.
The only ‘catch’ to some of these great SVG files that you find, is the cost. When you are paying $3-6 per SVG file on Etsy, plus the t=shirt, plus the vinyl (not to mention your time) this affordable crafting hobby, starts to get a little on the pricey side.
However, I did fine a bit more affordable route. If you find great sites like designbundles.net, you can get a legit entire bundle of designs for a particular type of event or holiday – such as Christmas, Halloween, Birthdays, etc – for quite a deal!
For example you can get this 4th of July SVG bundle for less than $3! Purchasing SVG bundles makes it a lot more affordable to make shirts for family and friends (or even to sell at your local craft fairs, or Facebook groups). Pair that with the great deals you can find on t-shirts at JoAnns and Michaels (and sometimes even Walmart) and buy your vinyl in bulk from an online retailer, and your gifts (or your business) will saves tons of money!
When you purchase the bundle, an SVG ZIP file will be sent to you, that you will need to download to your computer, and then upload to your Cricut (Or Silhouette) design space , to be resized, etc, and cut for your t-shirts, or other decor items.
