DIY Holiday Wreath Project: How to apply Heat Transfer Vinyl on Ribbon
Wreaths are a big deal right now. They are staple décor for your front door. I love making new wreaths each season to give my curb appeal a little refresh. Today I want to show you how to make a simple embroidery hoop wreath using a Silhouette Cameo, heat transfer vinyl, and ribbon.
Estimated time: 30 minutes Crafting level: Beginner
HERE ARE THE SUPPLIES YOU NEED:
- Heat transfer vinyl (I used red)
- Teflon sheet
- Silhouette Cameo (or any craft cutting machine)
- Cutting mat
- Home iron or heat press
- Weeding hook or craft tweezers
- 4-inch ribbon (found at any craft store)
- Large embroidery hoop (found at craft or fabric store)
- Holiday sprigs (found at local craft stores)
STEP ONE: Create designs in software
Open your software program (I used Silhouette Studio) and create your own designs or import them. I found this hand lettered “Merry Christmas” design in the Silhouette Design Store and knew it would be perfect for my wreath.
Because my ribbon is 4 inches wide, I need to reposition the words to be next to each other. This is only necessary if you plan to cut the whole phrase at once instead of 2 parts. Right click and select ungroup.
Now you can move each word so they are next to each other.
Right click again and select group to put both pieces together again.
Because heat transfer vinyl is cut on the backside, we need to mirror our designs. Right click on them and select flip horizontally.
Now the phrase is mirrored and ready to cut!
STEP TWO: Cut heat transfer vinyl
Go to your cut settings window and select the material you will be cutting. I’m using smooth HTV so I clicked on Heat Transfer, Smooth. Be sure to change your blade accordingly if you aren’t using the auto blade function on the Silhouette Cameo 3.
Place your heat transfer vinyl onto the cutting mat, shiny side DOWN.
Load your cutting mat into the machine and let it get to work!
STEP THREE: Weed vinyl designs
After the phrase has been cut, it is now time to weed. Start by peeling off all the vinyl that is not part of the design. With a good cut, this should come off smoothly.
Use a weeding hook or a pair of craft tweezers to help weed out the small insides of the letters.
Continue until all the words have been fully weeded.
STEP FOUR: Iron vinyl onto ribbon
After weeding, it’s finally time to add some heat! Warm up your iron to cotton settings with no steam. If using a heat press, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Begin by placing your vinyl words onto the ribbon where you want them. You can move them around as much as you’d like until heat is added.
Place a teflon sheet over the design and press for 15-20 seconds. Repeat until all parts of the design have been pressed.
Wait 30 seconds for the ribbon to cool and then carefully lift off the clear carrier sheet. If any part of the vinyl design starts to lift off, place the carrier sheet and teflon sheet back down and add some more heat and pressure.
Now we have a completed festive ribbon to add to our wreath! For other ideas on how to decorate with HTV, check out our post, 9 Heat Transfer Vinyl Christmas Gift Ideas Garunteed to Be a Hit.
Now take your embroidery hoop, loosen the screws a little and slide your ribbon between the hoops until it’s where you want it. Then tighten the screws.
Heat up a glue gun and glue the holiday sprigs wherever you’d like! Add a ribbon to the top of the hoop and hang it for the holidays!
It really is that simple to make your own wreath! I love that it’s clean, modern, and easy enough for any crafter! Check out our Holiday DIY: How to Make a Doormat Using Stencil Vinyl and Paint post to learn how to dress up your front door even more!
What crafts are you going to make this holiday season? Shop our site to explore all the different types of vinyl we offer for all your crafting needs. From foil to glitter to irridescent vinyl, and everything in between, we've got you covered!
About the Author
Aubrey Claybrook
My name is Aubrey and I currently live in Kaysville, Utah. I’m married to a wonderful husband and we have three silly, energetic kids. I love anything creative, including refinishing furniture, interior design, making fun party favors, holiday decor, and of course all things made with my Silhouette machine. I enjoy using my creativity as part of my every-day life, and I love inspiring others to do the same! Follow me on Instagram: @projectsilhouette