Make A Grandma Shirt with Grandkids Names

TODAY WE WILL LEARN HOW TO CREATE A GRANDMA SHIRT WITH GRANDKIDS NAMES.

This last Mother’s Day I made some cute gifts for my mom.  One of which was a grandma shirt with grandkids names.  But she goes by Granny, so really it’s a granny shirt with grandkids names.  I really enjoy the freedom of creating any shirt I want with the Cricut Maker and Heat Transfer Vinyl.  This was a simple and fun project.  You could even make a grandpa shirt or mom shirt.  The sky is the limit.  I hope it inspires you to make a cute grandma shirt too.

Are you ready to make your own?  Let’s get started!  This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.

Material needed to make a grandma shirt with grandkids names

Creating the cut file

Step 1. Open your design software

Open your design software.  In my case, Cricut Design Space.  Create a new project.

Step 2. Create your grandma text

Use your text tool to type the word “grandma” or “granny” or whatever you choose.  Choose the font style you want to use.  For my “granny” text, I used the Adobe Devanagari font.  Then resize the text.  I wanted to make it as big as I could which will be 11.5 inches wide. You can adjust the spacing of your letters to be farther apart or closer together as well.  If you want to stretch your font at all to be taller without getting wider, click the lock button on the bottom left of your text box.

Step 3. Create your names text

Next, you’ll use the text tool again to create the kids names.  I used the I Love Glitter text.  I really liked that you could have hearts in the text and little swirls.  When you download the font, she gives instruction on how to get the hearts and swirls to appear.  For mine I used the swirl line at the beginning and end of a line and I used the open hearts in between each name.  Adjust the font size to your liking.

Step 4. Weld your letters

For the grandkids names, I wanted them all one piece.  I didn’t want all the letters to be individual.  So first, change your fill color to something other than black so you can see where the cut lines are.

Reduce the spacing between the letters to your liking.  You want them to overlap just slightly.  In this case, if I got it to -0.4 they were each overlapping the way I liked.

Then you hit the weld button at the bottom right of the screen.  But you might have a problem like I did where the middle of the “e” disappears.  This is because the line to the left of the “e” is overlapping with the middle of the “e”, even though I can’t actually see that it is overlapping.  (If you welded the letters and the middle of a letter disappeared, click the undo button.)

Therefore, you have to ungroup all the letters so they can be moved individually.  Then you can move each item individually and get them in the perfect spot.  Then weld them together.  If, when you weld them together and the middle of a letter still disappears, just hit the undo button and try to move them a little more.  Once you’ve got it the way you like, and have it welded, it will be one cut file in the layers panel.

Step 5. Arrange text

Next you’ll want to arrange your text layers the way you want them to appear on the shirt.  I have the “granny” text in the back with the names in the front.  And I have the names centered on the “granny” word and spaced how I want them to appear.  I used two lines of grandkids names so they wouldn’t be too small on one line.

Step 6. Cut out your vinyl

If you have multiple lines of names like I do and send this to your cutting machine, Cricut will move the lines of kids names closer together to use less material.  But I want them to stay spaced out the way I have them set up on the canvas.  So I hid the “granny” text and selected the lines of names. Then clicked on the attach icon on the bottom right of the screen.  This will keep them spaced just how I want them.  Then unhide the “granny” text and send it to your cutting machine.

Important Note: Mirror your image before cutting it.  You will be cutting on the back of the heat transfer vinyl, so you want a mirrored image so when you place it on your shirt, the image will be facing the right way.  Toggle the mirror button to on after you’ve clicked “make it”.  (it’s off in this picture, it will be green when it’s on.)

Troubleshooting: When I first cut with the Siser Heat Transfer Vinyl, I used the non-cricut “heat transfer vinyl” setting and it cut all the way through the carrier sheet.  The setting I used for the Siser vinyl so that it didn’t cut through the carrier sheet was the Cricut brand “iron-on”.  It just says “iron-on” and the Cricut symbol that looks like a “c” with antennae.

Step 7. Weed the vinyl

Take your weeding tool and pull off all the vinyl around your words and on the inside of some of your letters.  I do this carefully just in case it didn’t cut through all the way.  If it doesn’t cut through all the way in some areas, it’s usually very small and I can take a xacto knife and re-cut the area.

Ironing the vinyl to your shirt

Step 1. Prep your shirt

Use an ironing board or wood surface with a cloth to iron your shirt on.  Place your shirt on the surface with all the wrinkles smoothed out.  Use your preheated iron to warm the surface of your shirt where your design will go.

Step 2. Iron your design

Place your design down on your shirt where you want it.  Make sure the carrier sheet is facing you with the sticky side on the shirt.  Smooth it out with your hands.  Place a cloth, pillowcase, or parchment paper over the top of your carrier sheet.  Make sure your iron is set to the right setting based on the instructions for the heat transfer vinyl.  Place your iron on top of your project and press firmly for 10 seconds.  Move your iron around the design and repeat until you’ve ironed the whole design.

Step 3. Remove the carrier sheet

Pay attention to weather or not your vinyl is a cold peel or warm peel.  Warm peel will be peeled off while it’s still warm.  Cold peel will be peeled off after it’s cooled off.  If you are in doubt, always wait until it has cooled off and then peel it.  If at anytime, the design is coming off the shirt while you are peeling, replace the carrier sheet and re-iron.  Repeat this process until you’re able to remove the carrier sheet completely.

Step 4. Iron one last time

After you peel off the carrier sheet, replace the cloth, pillowcase, or parchment paper on top of the design and iron once more on the front and back of the shirt to make sure everything is adhered properly.

Step 5. Repeat with other vinyl layers

Place your other layer of vinyl on top of your design and center it the way you want.  Place the parchment on top and repeat the ironing process.

Now your shirt is ready to give as a gift or show off to all your friends. I’d love to see how you made your shirt!

WANT TO REMEMBER THIS FOR LATER? PIN THIS GRANDMA SHIRT WITH GRANDKIDS NAMES TUTORIAL TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!

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