DIY Monster Truck Valentine Shirt For Kids
This vinyl Valentine’s Day shirt idea is perfect for a toddler boy or girl who loves monster trucks! Make your own with your Cricut!
I love any excuse to celebrate holidays with surprise gifts and candy for my son.
I’ve started doing a small Valentine’s Day basket, similar to what you might gift for Easter. I usually include candy, toys, a book, and a t-shirt. But, of course, I put things together last minute this year and the stores were totally out of their children’s Valentine’s Day shirts when I looked.
I was going to skip the shirt but then decided last-minute to whip one up for my son, because, hello! I own a Cricut and can make whatever I want, whenever I want!
This “heart crusher” monster truck Valentine shirt turned out even cuter than I imagined. Get the project below to make your own!
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What you need to make a DIY Valentine shirt
- t-shirt: I found a red toddler-sized shirt at Michaels on sale for $3
- iron-on vinyl: I used black and white Everyday Iron-On (I purchased this in bulk awhile ago and it’s been awesome to have on hand!)
- Cricut machine: I used my new Explore 3, but any Cricut machine will work
- a Cricut Access subscription: The images used require an Access subscription, otherwise you’ll be asked to checkout in Design Space before making the project. See if Access is right for you.
- StandardGrip or LightGrip cutting mat and a fine-point blade
- scissors
- weeding tool
- lint roller
- heat resistant tape, optional
- EasyPress and pressing mat
Save $10 on any Cricut machine or heat press with the coupon code AUBREE-10
How to make a monster truck Valentine’s Day shirt
Customize in Design Space
Open my Heart Crusher Valentine’s Shirt project in the Cricut Design Space app.
I used a combination of images to get the exact look I wanted. (The monster truck theme was at the adamant request of my toddler.)
I sized the design to fit a size 4 toddler shirt. If you’re making something different, like a baby onesie or a youth-sized shirt, then select all layers and drag the bounding box in or out to resize (or type in an exact width or height in the top toolbar).
If you’re using different colors of vinyl, change that on the Canvas so you know what color vinyl to load in the machine when prompted.
I made it so the white truck and hearts are attached (so they’ll cut together) and the wheels and “crusher” text will cut together. The “heart” text is not attached to anything, which is intentional so 1, you don’t waste vinyl, and 2, to make it easier for when you go to heat press.
Cut your vinyl
Once you’re finished making any design changes, click Make. Then click On Mat, For any material and Confirm.
On the Prepare screen, make sure to select Mirror for both mats. You can adjust the placement of the layers as needed (to fit the placement of your material on the mat if you’re using scraps, if you want to move the “heart” text to save room, etc.). Click Continue.
Set your base material to Everyday Iron-On (or whatever iron-on you’re using).
Load your vinyl on your mat with the matte side face up (the shiny carrier sheet should be face down, touching the mat adhesive).
Make sure a fine-point blade is loaded in your Cricut machine and load your mat in the machine. Press Go. Unload your mat when finished. Flip the mat upside down on your table and peel the mat away from the material (this way your material doesn’t curl or get bent).
Repeat with the next mat or until all pieces are cut.
Weed your vinyl
Before weeding the vinyl, cut around the pieces with scissors leaving just a small border (but keep the attached pieces connected). If you’re having a hard time seeing the cut lines on your material, a BrightPad can be super helpful.
Weed by sticking a weeding tool into the corner of the vinyl (not on your design) and pull away the excess/unwanted pieces.
Once your pieces are weeded, you’ll want to cut more closely around the black tires, in between the tires and the “crusher” text, around “heart”, and around the white truck frame. This way you’ll be able to position all the pieces together on the shirt at one time so you can press everything together. Just be sure that the carrier sheet doesn’t overlap the vinyl anywhere–you don’t want to accidentally press your vinyl to another piece’s carrier sheet instead of the shirt.
If you’d rather, you can press each piece one at a time the way you’d layer vinyl (not applying the full heat press time until the last layer), but I find that’s trickier to get right with the timing. And it’s not necessary for this shirt where the pieces don’t actually overlap.
Prep your shirt
Plug in your heat press and set to the necessary temperature and time (for a cotton shirt and Everyday Iron-On, it’s 315 °F for 30 seconds). See Cricut’s heat guide for more settings.
Lay your shirt on a pressing mat and lint-roll to remove any fuzzies that could interfere with the vinyl adhering to the shirt.
Once your heat press is warmed up, press the shirt for 5 seconds to preheat and remove any wrinkles.
Next, I usually like to fold my shirt in half lengthwise, pressing with my fingers along the center to form a crease that I can use as a guide when placing my vinyl. But you might just be able to eye it on a small shirt like this toddler one (and I was in a hurry, so that’s what I did).
Assemble and heat press
Lay your vinyl pieces out on your shirt with the shiny carrier side face up (your design should now look normal/not mirrored). Your pieces should just be nesting within each other (make sure the vinyl isn’t overlapping any of the other carrier sheets). You can use heat resistant tape to hold the pieces in place if needed.
Once your design is centered, place your heat press over the top of the vinyl, press Go (the C button) on the heat press, and hold firmly for 30 seconds (or follow your material’s instructions). When Cricut says “firm pressure,” I use my entire body weight to hold the heat press in place.
In order to press this design all together, I recommend the 12×10 EasyPress. If you only have the 9×9, then you’ll just want to press half the design first, lift up, then press the second half since it won’t all fit under the 9×9 heat plate.
Remove the heat press and let your vinyl cool. When it’s cool to the touch, you can do a “cold peel” and remove the carrier sheets.
Enjoy your cute monster truck Valentine shirt!
DIY vinyl Valentine shirt
I hope this DIY shirt tutorial was helpful! I apologize there aren’t more pictures–like usual, I did this totally last-minute and didn’t stop to take pictures of the process. If you need a visual tutorial, leave me a comment below and I’ll put it on my to-do list to make the shirt again for you (with pictures)!
I hope your toddler loves their new monster truck shirt! I know mine does!
Don’t forget to pin and save for later!
