Woman in Real Life

*This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.*


Some people have book club meetings centred on wine and hors d'oeuvres and I have no objection to that. Sounds like a good time. I and my book club gals are self-proclaimed tea grannies though. There are only three of us but we sure do make a lot of (vegan) goodies to enjoy with our tea (and sometimes coffee). See our wonderful brunch spread in this post. Sarah makes the most incredible tofu omelette and Connie's scones cannot be beat. But I digress. To celebrate our love of books and tea, I wanted to make some personalized DIY t-shirts with our own little slogan - I thought Tea+Read would be fitting. I also put our new "logo" on Cricut Infusible Ink coaster blanks too, because tea. If you would like to make these projects or learn how to use Cricut Infusible Ink transfer sheets in general, please read on.


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Materials needed to make the Tea + Read book club t-shirt

Cricut Maker
Tea+Read t-shirt design image in Cricut Design Space
Cricut EasyPress 2
EasyPress mat
white cardstock
Cricut Infusible Ink T-Shirt Blank
lint roller
Cricut StandardGrip Mat
Infusible Ink transfer sheets (I used Wildflower)
butcher paper (comes with transfer sheets)

How to use Cricut Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets To Make Tea+Read T-Shirts

Open Tea+Read t-shirt design image in Cricut Design Space. (If you like it as is, my design is done and ready for you to use.) Adjust size if desired. Select "Template" on the upper left of the Cricut Design Space screen to see the design on a t-shirt template to get a better idea of sizing and how the final image will look. You can also change the colour of the image if you'd like to see a more accurate outcome. But you don't need to change the colour on-screen. Just cut on the Infusible Ink transfer sheet of your choice.


Click the green "Make It" button. 

IMPORTANT: On the cut preview screen, be sure to toggle the switch next to "Mirror" to mirror the image. (The writing will appear backwards on the preview screen.)

Click "Continue."


Browse materials and type in "Infusible Ink." Use the default setting of the regular fine-point blade.

IMPORTANT: Place the Cricut Infusible Ink transfer sheet with the liner side down on the StandardGrip cutting mat (coloured pattern facing up). Be sure it's applied smoothly. Use a brayer if necessary.

Load the mat into the Cricut Maker. Hit "Go."

Once cutting is complete, unload the mat from your Cricut Maker. Carefully remove the Infusible Ink transfer sheet from the mat, pulling the mat away from the material as you go.


With clean, dry hands, weed away the unneeded materials, leaving only your design (still on the backing material). I used the Cricut weeder to help with the letters, but generally I find that Infusible Ink is easiest to weed with your hands, just by kind of bending it a bit and "cracking" the unwanted parts out.


Set the correct time and temperature on the EasyPress 2 or EasyPress. Use Cricut's heat guide. The EasyPress 2 (which comes in three sizes) pairs beautifully with Infusible Ink because it offers a hot (up to 400°F) and even heat plate, while still being small enough to be quite portable. Beware, your friends will want to borrow it though!

On the heat guide screen, select the EasyPress you're using. Select the heat-transfer material - Infusible Ink transfer sheet. Select base material - Infusible Ink Blanks - t-shirt. Click "Apply."

For this project, using an EasyPress 2 and applying an Infusible Ink transfer sheet to a Cricut t-shirt blank, the heat guide recommends setting the EasyPress 2 to 385 degrees fahrenheit, preheating the t-shirt for 15 seconds and applying the Infusible Ink transfer sheet for 40 seconds, using a light pressure. (Don't move the EasyPress 2 around while applying pressure.)

How to apply Cricut Infusible Ink transfer sheets to a t-shirt

Preheat Cricut EasyPress 2 to 385°F. Place t-shirt on clean EasyPress mat, ensuring that no seams will be in the way of the EasyPress plate (because you want a flat application).

Insert a sheet of white cardstock inside the t-shirt, under the area where the image will be applied, to prevent ink from bleeding through to the back of the shirt or onto the mat.

IMPORTANT: Use a lint roller to remove any hair or other hangers-on.

Cover t-shirt surface with butcher paper larger than the EasyPress heat plate.

Preheat the t-shirt for 15 seconds to remove any excess moisture. Remove butcher paper.

Place design face down, liner side up. You should be able to read the words correctly from left to right.

Where should I place the design on the t-shirt? 

Because it's a V-neck t-shirt, I recommend that the top of the design start about an inch down from the point of the V.)

Cover the design with clean butcher paper larger than the heat plate.

Press with light pressure at 385°F for 40 seconds.

IMPORTANT: When you place the EasyPress 2 over the design, ensure that the EasyPress 2 is large enough to cover the entire image and DO NOT move the EasyPress 2 around on the design. Let it sit in place. Start the timer.

When the countdown is complete, slowly lift the EasyPress 2.
Slowly remove butcher paper. (Surface will be warm so use caution.)

Slowly remove the Infusible Ink liner while warm. If some of the transfer sheet remains on the shirt, remove with tweezers.


If you're a fan of iron-on, you'll absolutely love Infusible Ink. The ink is completely absorbed into the t-shirt (hence the infusible) - you can't feel it with your fingers, ie. there's no bump at all. It's peel- and crack-proof and lasts through many washes. Infusible Ink creates very professional results and is great for t-shirt designs that you want to sell or share with a group of friends, colleagues or teammates.