My grandson is 4 1/2 and is currently living on the east coast. I like sending packages to my grandkids and wanted something extra special for him for Halloween. I came across this “Spooky Dude” design and knew I wanted to make him a shirt. I don’t buy white shirts often because I have a hard time keeping them white. I had already purchased a black shirt because I was planning on a big pumpkin or skeleton design. The designer’s white shirt is super cute and I almost did the same, but I am glad I stuck with black. I LOVE how it turned out!

Of course he needed a new hat to match it. I designed a new “Frank Beanie” for him. The pattern is free so you can make one too if you want.

I was super excited to get a picture of him in his new “spooky dude” hat and shirt. Isn’t he adorable?!

How To Make One Too

Materials We Used

Cricut Easypress 2 machine (size medium/9″ x 9″) or iron
Cricut Maker
Cricut Everyday Iron-On Vinyl: White, Neon-Orange, Neon-Green
Computer or other device to access Cricut Design Space
Weeder tool, Standard Grip Cutting Mat
Black T Shirt (or desired color… change vinyl colors to match)
“Spooky Dude” Shirt Design from Perfect Stylish Cuts. There is a “Spooky Girl” one too.

Extra Supplies Worth Having

The Cricut Tools Basic Set includes a lot of things that come in handy: a weeder, scraper, scissors, tweezers and spatula.

Making the Iron-on Vinyl

Step 1: The Graphic

Download the graphic for free from Perfect Stylish Cuts. Don’t you just love it when you go to make something and it is super easy? I am VERY impressed with how well done this “Spooky Dude” is and how easy it was to customize the colors. I will definitely be checking out her site for more projects.

I used to think all of these cut files would be easy to use, but not everyone sets them up so they can be customized.

For tips on using design space, check out Design Space For Beginners.

Step 2: Cutting the Vinyl

Place your iron on vinyl shiny plastic-side DOWN on your standard grip cutting mat.
Follow the guided steps.
Make sure to click “Mirror Image (for iron-on)” so it flips your image.
Don’t peel the Cricut vinyl sheet off the mat yet. We are going to remove the extra vinyl that’s not part of your design first.
Use the Cricut weeding tool to remove any unwanted vinyl. Make sure you get every little piece out of the letter centers too. When done, peel the piece off the mat.
Cut around the outer edge of the vinyl to remove the extra film. You will want to cut pretty close to the edges of the different pieces.

Step 3: Applying The Vinyl

Place the shirt on an EasyPress Mat. Check placement and make sure it is straight.

Temp Settings: Need to know the temperature to use for your fabric? Cricut has an online heat guide you can use. I also really like the downloadable charts from “Hey, Let’s Make Stuff”.

When the EasyPress has reached the necessary heat, place it on top of the vinyl. Push the button to begin the timer for 30 seconds.

Flip the shirt over. Cricut suggests also ironing from the back of the piece,

Allow the vinyl to cool a bit and peel off the film.

What We Learned

How Tos: Links I found super helpful with this project

~ Wash the t-shirt first WITHOUT fabric softener. Woa! I have seen people say “don’t wash the shirt first” so many times, but CRICUT says YES, wash it first and the tip for leaving out the softener is one I should have known! Check out their tips for “How to Make Sure Your Iron-On Lasts…“

~ Check out this article on “layering techniques” for tips if needed.

~ Have a piece of parchment paper on hand to cover any parts once you pull the plastic off of the different layers.

I hope you get a chance to make this set for a spooky dude or spooky girl in your life. You could make it for adults too. If you do, please add #snappytots to your posts so I can see.

Have a happy and safe Halloween.