3 Brilliant Mother’s Day T-Shirt Cricut Vinyl Ideas

Celebrating your mother is an important day each year, but Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be tough this year. You can make one or all of these amazing Mother’s Day t-shirt Cricut vinyl ideas to gift to your mom! They are fun, easy to make, and are the perfect statement to show your mom just how much she means to you!

Mother’s Day T-Shirt Ideas for a Cricut

Whether you celebrate Mother’s Day in early spring like those in the UK or late spring like we do here in the US, these t-shirts can be a great addition to your gift. They are super easy to make, affordable, and every mom would love seeing their kids love for them right on a t-shirt they can wear every day to work, out for lunch, or just lounging around the house!

Another great idea that any mom would love are these cute vinyl quote Mother’s Day shadowboxes. They are super easy to customize and can hang in their home to remind them forever just how much they are loved.

Do I Have to Use a Specific T-Shirt for These?

No! You can use any cotton t-shirt for these with great results. I prefer 100% cotton but some blends do well also. The joy of this is that you can always find the size and color plain t-shirt you prefer to customize with these quotes.

I’ve always struggled to find t-shirts with quotes like these that had the right fit, neckline, or even color. This way, when I find a t-shirt that fits those needs, I can just customize it with the quote I want and prefer!

What Vinyl Should I Use for T-Shirts?

For t-shirts, you should be using iron-on vinyl. It is also called heat transfer vinyl or HTV. This is specific for use on fabric as it will adhere to it and stay on the fabric long term when heated.

Unlike other vinyl options, the front side of this vinyl is the shiny side (sometimes called the carrier side) that has a barrier that stays on the vinyl while it is cut, then is peeled off after the vinyl is properly heated onto the shirt or fabric. The matte side of the vinyl will be facing upwards on the mat and will be what is cut.

NOTE: I highly recommend using the Bella + Canvas t-shirts. The unisex model 3001 is a soft but quality shirt that stays true to size and wears really well. It also comes in numerous colors and up to size 4X so is ideal for making shirts like this.

What Tools Can I Use to Seal the Vinyl to the T-Shirt?

There are a few different options out there for sealing vinyl to fabric. For this tutorial, we used a basic iron for clothing as it works well in small batches when used carefully. If you plan, however, to make a lot of these t-shirts, then you will probably want to invest in a heat press. There are large ones, small ones, and my favorite is the Cricut Easy Press.

A heat press is best for even heating that is going to last longer and be consistent. You want the even heat that a press will give you to make sure the vinyl is sealed properly all over and there are no spots that might peel up at a later date.

How Do You Wash These T-Shirts Safely?

While you can just toss them into the laundry as normal, I much prefer the safety method of turning them inside out first. I also recommend laundering in cold or warm water rather than hot water.

If you need to iron the t-shirt, do so with the t-shirt turned inside out for the best results. While the vinyl has to be heated to attach to the shirt, you don’t want to have it melt on the iron without that barrier that is used when heating to apply.

Supplies Needed

For Design #1

For Design #2

For Design #3

How to Make a My First Mother’s Day T-Shirt

Wash and dry the t-shirt if desired and set aside.

Load the appropriate design into Cricut Design Space.

Place the blade and housing into the Cricut machine as directed.

Place the vinyl onto the Cricut matte with the shiny side down and matte side up.

Follow the directions on the screen to choose the mirrored option and correct the vinyl setting.

Load the mat into the machine as directed and allow it to cut.

Once the vinyl is done cutting, carefully remove the top layer of vinyl to reveal the message. The message will be backward as it is mirrored to stick onto your t-shirt properly.

Use the weeding tool to remove any excess bits of vinyl.

Carefully place the vinyl onto the t-shirt where you want it to stay.

Place a sheet of waxed paper or a towel over the vinyl and set the iron to the linen setting.

Once hot, place onto the vinyl and press for 10 to 15 seconds.

Lift up quickly, then place on the next area that wasn’t covered before. Repeat this process until all of the vinyl has been pressed for at least 10 to 15 seconds.

Gently remove the carrier sheet and peel it off leaving the vinyl behind.

How to Make an Amazing Mom T-Shirt

Follow the process above using the appropriate

Load the second piece of vinyl for the black lettering onto the machine and follow the steps to cut it.

Once cut, peel off the excess vinyl and weed small pieces as needed.

Place the black letters onto the t-shirt between the yellow as shown with the sticky side down.

Top with a piece of waxed paper, and press with the iron for 10 to 15 minutes repeating if needed so that all of the letters are heated well.

Remove the carrier sheet and peel it off leaving just the vinyl behind.

How to Make a First Mom Forever Friend T-Shirt

Repeat the same process as design #1.

Then the additional steps for design #2 with the red hearts after applying the black wreath and lettering.

Gift it to your mom for Mother’s Day!

More Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Make sure you honor your mom this year with a fun DIY gift. Below are ideas you can make, some budget-friendly options, and of course great ideas for homemade cards that the kids can make and any mom would love receiving!

Make your t-shirts with the designs on the front, back, or at an angle.

You can use any color vinyl with the different colored shirts as long as they pop against the base shirt color.

These are great for moms for a birthday, holiday gift, anniversaries, just because, and of course Mother’s Day.