Need a last minute idea for Valentine's Day? How about this cute little heat transfer to make a holiday shirt or bag? I've got you covered with this holiday heat transfer project. It even shows Mom some extra ❤️:
I literally just dreamed it up and made it yesterday, so that's why it's pretty simple. Sometimes projects need to be quick & easy so you can enjoy the actual occasion rather than be caught up in the project making part. It occurred to me around mid-day that this Valentine's Day will be the first one for my little nephew. I wanted to send him a little something to celebrate that, but obviously it being just days away I needed to hurry. And use what I happened to have on hand in the house. No challenges, right? LOL. That's how I tend to roll....
Thankfully I had some sheets of red heat transfer vinyl left from some previous Christmas projects and a blank 18 month sized t-shirt I never got around to embellishing for my almost 3yr old (luckily said nephew is big for his age). Added bonus was that I found I had a blank 2T long sleeved tee in my stash too and my little guy is on the small side, so I was able to make one for him too!
These worked out ideally. I'm a big fan of "holiday" themed wearables that you can still wear well after the actual day is over and these definitely tick that box too. YAY!!!
Now, how to make them
Here's my FREE design for the I Love Mom Heart. Just right click to save the jpeg. You could use it as a graphic or printable too;)
Using Cricut Design Space I turned my design into a cut file (making cut lines around the Mom part as well as the outer edges) and sized it to fit baby/toddler sized shirts (about 4 inches high by 6.5 inches wide). Then mirrored it before cutting:
It took just seconds to cut them both out:
Weeding out just the Mom part - remembering to leave the center of the "O":
Press time!! It's key to check the fabric composition to make sure you get the settings right. And don't wash the shirts first - having that factory sizing in them helps htv adhere better. These were both cotton poly blends and this was basic htv, so the Cricut Heat Guide recommended 330 degrees. I always press mine on a folded fluffy towel too - I didn't get good results using the special heat press mat in the past.
I wanted my design to be centered, but you could get creative with placement or angling. The shirts got a 5 second preheat with the press and then I put the heat transfer vinyl on. FYI, if you're new to using htv, you leave the carrier sheet on.
30 seconds on the front, 15 seconds on the back and then wait until cool to peel the carrier sheet off. One of them wasn't fully adhered around one of the letter edges so I gave it another 15 second on the front and 5 more on the back. Just don't go too long when re-pressing or it'll melt the htv.
Wait 24hrs before washing and always wash on cold, delicate and line dry to keep the transfer nice. I've had some shirts like this last for years and dozens of washes by doing all that, so it's worth it. I can't wait to see my nephew and my little guy wearing these. He's my sister's first baby, so it makes it extra special that it's Mom-themed.
I've also got these other fun shirt Valentine's Day tutorials using Heat Transfer Vinyl:
and this sweet Love Bug Applique too:
Happy Valentine's Day!
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