Getting Started with Cricut: So Many Choices, What Do You NEED To Get Started
I received my Cricut machine as a gift, in preparation to make customized items for my (at the time) upcoming wedding. I thought, this can’t be too hard, can it? I was wrong. I was dead wrong. Many of my projects ultimately went well and our wedding was beautiful, but a couple of projects had us wanting to throw things out the window (that will be a different post). Below is the guidance I wish I had found before starting, with links to some of the products that I can’t get by without. I am a member of the Amazon Affiliate program, and do earn a small commission from qualified purchases. If you choose to purchase any of these products via the links, I may receive a small commission as a part of the Amazon Affiliate program. Product links can be found in underlined text or at: https://www.pinterest.com/mbcraftycustomcreations/getting-started-with-cricut/
The Machine
There are many different options of machines to get, and these options primarily differ based on what you plan to make with your machine. I looked primarily at Cricut, as the advertising made it seem the most intuitive. I wanted to be able to make lots of different things, using different craft media and different tools. Cricut’s website boasts that the Cricut Maker and Cricut Maker 3 can use 13 different tools on over 300 materials while the Explore Air 2 and Explore 3 only have access to 6 tools that can be used on 100+ materials. You can purchase any of these products from Cricut directly, via Amazon, or at a local craft store. the Cricut Maker, and Explore Air are older models, and may become more difficult to find over time. The major difference between these two products and their updated models is the ability to use “Smart Vinyl” which is vinyl that allows it to be fed into the machine without the use of a mat. This allows for projects that are longer than the previously allowed 1.9 feet. I used Cricut’s comparison page to explore the differences between different machines.
Essential Tools
There are a few essential tools that you will need in order to complete your first project. These include mats, weeding tools, and scrapers. There are additional blades and specialty materials, but I would recommend starting with the basics before trying to tackle these specialized projects.
Mats:
The first time you purchase mats, I recommend buying a mix of all of the different colors. Each color mat has a different purpose: light grip, standard grip, heavy grip, and “fabric”. If you plan to exclusively use your machine to do one type of project, you may prefer to buy more of one color. I have tried a few different brands over time, but I have not noticed a big difference in performance between different brands (or by sticking with Cricut).
Weeding Tools:
None of the products I’m about to share are ones I started out with, I initially purchased a “starter pack mix” that no longer appears to be available on Amazon. You aren’t missing out, I don’t use any of the tools I found in that pack on a daily basis.
Weeding Tool: This multi- function weeding tool is really cool, because you can switch out the tool heads and the handle itself has a nice weight to it. It also has one of the most secure attachments of the “X-acto” blade that I’ve seen on the market. Nobody needs to cut themselves on a super sharp blade that came loose. You may notice that I don’t tend to recommend Cricut accessories all the time, but this one is definitely worth the extra cost that often comes with their products.
Crafting or sewing scissors: You’re looking for scissors that are nice and sharp, but also small. I received a pair as a gift that works nicely, but was unable to find them while writing this article. Therefore, I have linked this product based on size and style combined with brand recognition. I have other pairs of Singer scissors (and have been very happy), but not this exact product. I welcome feedback on if you like this pair or recommend a different pair. I do NOT recommend mixing or borrowing the sewing scissors, as these scissors will likely get adhesive goo on them.
Lighted seam rippers: these things make weeding projects a ton easier. You are looking for the edge of a cut on 2 pieces of vinyl that are the same color, extra light on your workspace is a godsend. These ones are pretty cheap, best value I found at last check, and do the job very nicely. The other thing that is nice about them is that the area between the tip and the blunted end is MEANT to cut seams, so you can easily cut excess vinyl out of your way rather than grabbing the scissors when the weeded vinyl becomes too unwieldy. I chose the seam rippers instead of these products https://amzn.to/3IvTEVj , https://amzn.to/43hnFQs , https://amzn.to/439L8TE, which do on average have a higher price point (unless you catch them on sale).
Scraper: This is to help evenly apply pressure to projects. Several other scrapers I have gotten for free or found in other packages were more flimsy and didn’t really apply the pressure as evenly as possible.
Project Materials
I started with some permanent vinyl, and some HTV (heat transfer vinyl) and some card stock for my first projects. I would highly recommend keeping it somewhat simple to start out. Shortly after I got my machine, I did try doing foiling, and it was a little difficult to figure out but I got there. Vinyl comes as flat sheets or rolls. If you are buying a lot of one color, the rolls tend to be more economical, but if you’re looking for just a small bit of color here and there the sheets are really nice to work with and don’t roll up on you while you try to apply them to the mat.
Permanent Vinyl:
Permanent vinyl is the simplest to use for projects, you cut it out and stick it to your final project and you’re done (more or less). It works well for hard, smooth, and flat surfaces. This would be what people typically use as labels for kitchen containers, name tags etc. In order to use this, you will cut your project, weed the project, apply transfer tape (so that the spacing stays the way you wanted it) and then apply it to your final product.
HTVRont’s 57 Multicolor Pack: It has some pretty greens and blues as well as a decent rainbow of colors along with plenty of your normal black and white colors you might use more of.
Other Multipacks: It appears I purchased this other brand of vinyl at one point. I use it frequently because it has a ton of different colors, and haven’t had a ton of trouble. I do feel like it bubbles for me a little more than the HTVront brand, but I have seen some new techniques I plan to try soon.
Heat Transfer Vinyl:
Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is useful for fabrics, shirts, bags, or other materials with resistance to high heat. The average goal is not to burn or melt the product you’re placing HTV on. If you aren’t sure what the burning or melting point is, search for it and check, or consider holding off. Any HTV product you get will have instructions of how hot to set the surface, how long to press, and whether to peel the carrier sheet hot or cold. Pay attention to these, or make sure you have access to get the info back if you throw it away (sounds silly but I did this on accident). With HTV, you can use an iron, though not highly recommended by anywhere I could find. I will post soon about the different heat press options.
HTVRont’s 80 pack: This has a decent amount of black and white, as well as a nice rainbow of colors. They also have a few “specialty sheets” which do nicely for cool accents
HTVRont’s 36 pack: also has a decent selection of colors.
HTVRont’s 24 pack: is also an option if you are worried about not enjoying HTV or like the colors better. When I wrote this article, the 24 and 36 pack were nearly the same cost; however, the colors made me choose the 24 pack over the 36 pack (my mother prefers and would get more use out of the light blues).
The sky is the limit with different products you can find as “starter packs” to use with Cricut machines. If you’ve already purchased one of these, explore what you have and what you like or don’t like. I received a starter pack as a gift, and while it didn’t end up having my favorite vinyl, I still use some of the weeding tools to this day, or when I’m in a pinch. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect to start exploring today.
