If you’ve been a follower for very long you know I love my Cricut. I recently upgraded from the Explore Air 2 to a Cricut Maker and I’m here to answer any questions you might have about the two.
This post is sponsored by Cricut. I received the Cricut Maker, Easy Press, and Bright Pad in exchange for promotion. While I received these products for free all thoughts and reviews on these products are my own. I’ll do my best to highlight the pros and cons of all these products.
First, let me say that I’m a sucker for heat transfer vinyl or as Cricut calls it Iron On. I’d say that’s what I use my machine for 90% of the time. As a sewist, I’m all about personalizing our wardrobe. That’s part of why I sew, to create unique, one of a kind clothing for me and my children. The skies the limit with what we can design and iron on and the fact that it takes just minutes makes it so fun and easy.
If you’re like me and use your cutting machine primarily for vinyl then honestly the Maker just isn’t necessary. It has lots of bells and whistles that I’ll address further down this post and the potential it has is huge. I’m excited by what I can create knowing all the possibilities this machine has but if I was sticking with vinyl my Explore Air 2 was amazing too.
The biggest game changer for me was getting an Easy Press.
I have a normal inexpensive iron that I was using to iron on my projects. While it worked fine I would notice peeling after a couple of washes every now and then. It was frustrating and always made me nervous to gift personalized tees because I was worried about the quality. I never considered a heat press- too big and bulky, expensive, and unsafe. My craft space is small and open so my kids are always in and out of it, just not ideal for a heat press.
The Easy Press has seriously been such a huge upgrade. It’s so portable and easy to use. The surface heats quickly and evenly and the temperature control and timer take all the guess-work out of it. It comes with a handy Quick Reference Chart that I keep with it that details the exact temperature and time for your vinyl/fabric combination.
The weekend I got my Easy Press we set to work making some quick, cute Christmas presents for my daughter’s and their bff’s. They helped me design their projects in Design Space then I had them do the rest. They quickly weeded their sheets using the Bright Pad and I supervised as they pressed the designs to the tees.
The Easy Press is easy to handle and the flat design makes it easy to slide from the cradle to the project. We picked up a few tips along the way (most of these are mentioned in the user manual but I think they’re essential to getting a good result). First, use a towel between your project and the hard surface beneath it. The towel will absorb any moisture and protects your surface. Second, preheat your area where you’ll be placing your vinyl with a quick press. This will get rid of any lingering moisture and help the vinyl adhere best. And lastly, make sure to flip your project inside out and iron from the backside as well. This just makes it adhere even better! Even following all these steps, you’ll have a great finished product in minutes! I can’t say enough good things about the Easy Press and the great results you get when using it.
Let’s talk about the Maker. It gets ALOT of use in our house. We use our cutting machine a few times a week. We have a big built-in desk in our main living space that the Maker sits on next to our computer making it convenient to use. We use it for school projects, bulletin boards, Valentine’s boxes, decorations, and more, using it to cut all kinds of paper and fabric.
The Maker has so many unique features. It is heavy-duty, with up to 10x more cutting power than other machines. It has an Adaptive Tool System that allows you to switch between blades easily and has the potential for more tools to be added. The Rotary Blade is what sets this machine apart from others on the market. The Rotary Blade acts just like a rotary cutter, gliding over the surface and pivoting to make even the most intricate cuts. It can cut anything from thin, delicate tissue paper to thick denim. It’s amazing to watch and I was in awe as it easily cut through thick glittered felt. My son is so excited for the knife blade to hit the market. He had the idea to make a chipboard puzzle as a gift this Christmas and I had to tell him that the Maker would soon be able to make it happen for him. The possibilities of this machine are what sold me. I hate getting a product only to feel like it’s ‘old technology’ within months (hello- how many gaming consoles have we gone through?!). The fact that this machine can grow and expand is a huge selling point.
As an apparel sewist, I have yet to really use my Maker for garment sewing. The small cutting space (you can use a 12×24 mat) just doesn’t make it practical. BUT I can think of a ton of small projects that will be great for it. My daughters have been sewing and enjoy quick little makes. Design Space is full of projects that will be perfect for them. I know when spring break and summer vacation roll around our Maker will be busy. They love doll clothes, small bags, hair bows, accessories, and decorations. Design Space continues to add more of these type of projects and I’m excited to get my craft on with them!
Our Cricut products are well-loved and have become a natural part of our lives. We love to create and are grateful to have our Maker, Easy Press, and Bright Pad to help our dreams come to live.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
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