Cricut Maker FAQ (& Paris Pillow Project too!)
Everyday life is just what we do while we are waiting to go on our next amazing adventure, right? I decided to bring my favorite city - Paris - home with an easy pillow project. I'm going to show you how to make it, along the way I'll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the Cricut Maker machine!
[Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Cricut, but all opinions expressed are my own.]
Paris Pillow Cricut Maker FAQ
I've been playing with my new Cricut Maker machine for a few months. Even with all of my experience with previous machines, some things have surprised me. And there's some things I didn't learn from the information I gathered about the machine before I got it that I know now.
Here's some of the things that I wish I knew before I got my new Cricut Maker machine:
Fabric Cutting: Even though I was super excited about the fabric cutting ability of the Maker's rotary blade, I assumed that it would have limitations based on my experience with a rotary cutter for quilting. Boy, was I wrong! I'm still experimenting with its capabilities but as you can see from the flowers on this pillow, it can do way more than a regular rotary cutter.
Cartridges: I knew the Maker didn't have a cartridge slot, but what I didn't know was that it has a cartridge adapter! The adapter plugs into a USB slot on the Maker or your laptop so that you can load new cartridges into Design Space. All of my cartridges are already loaded in Design Space, but hey, I like to know that I still have the option to load more!
Tablet Support: The design of the new Maker machine is really pretty...but I had no idea it was functional too! That groove along the top of the machine, under the cover? It turns out it will hold your tablet in place while you use it with your Maker! And for those all day crafting sessions, you can plug into the USB plug on the side of your Maker to recharge your tablet. (Note to self: Add that to my list of reasons to buy a new iPad!)
Those are some of the things I've learned about the Maker in my time with it. But let's take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions about the Maker:
Q: What makes the Maker different from other Cricut machines?
A: The biggest difference between the Maker and the previous generation of Cricut machines is the Adaptive Tool System. That's the "gear wheel" that you see in the right hand tool holder when you look at the front of the machine. This gives the machine the ability to create 10x more power with new tools like the scoring wheel, knife blade, and rotary blade.
Q: What materials can I cut?
A: The Adaptive Tool System opens up a whole new world of materials that the Maker can cut. It can cut thicker leathers, balsa wood, matboard, and the one I'm most excited about - fabric without a backer!
Q: What types of fabric can I cut (without a backer)
A. The answer is...pretty much anything! Cricut now offers packages of coordinated cotton fabrics to use with its machines, or you can hit the fabric store and grab whatever suits your fancy (and your project).
Q: What kind of DIY projects can I make?
A: A better question is what can't you make? With vinyl for making seasonal and home decor items, iron-on for tshirts & totes, fabric cutting for quilting...and did I mention that Riley Blake and Simplicity have an entire library of sewing patterns in the Cricut Design Access subscription now? Sew gifts, doll clothes, and seasonal decor without the hassle of hand cutting (and know it will be perfect every time).
Q: Will I use the machine enough to justify the price?
A: From DIY parties to DIY gifts...the Cricut Maker makes it easy to finally do all of those things that you've been wanting to do. Impress your friends with handmade gifts, make tshirts for the kids sports team....the possibilities are endless!
So, onto the project! Paris is always a good idea, right? This adorable pillow is way simpler to make than it looks. The best part is that the envelope pillow sham is easy to take off to clean - or swap out for something seasonal.
Paris Pillow Cricut Maker FAQ
Supplies Needed:
Cricut Martha Stewart "Wildflower" Patterned Iron-On
Cricut Martha Stewart "Mint" Everyday Iron-On
white felt
canvas fabric - 16" x 36"
16" square pillow form
buttons & sequins
needle
invisible thread
thread (to match buttons)
I love working with coordinated fabric collections for the same reason that I love working with coordinated paper collections! It makes it so easy to do a project with a variety of patterns without the hassle of coordinating. This Sweet Prairie designer fabric by Riley Blake for Cricut is so beautiful! I'm sure I'll be using the leftovers for other projects!
Cricut Sweet Prairie fabric
With my pink fabric cutting mat and the rotary blade, the Cricut Maker sliced through the cotton fabric like butter. It also cut my wool felt that I used for one of the flowers beautifully.
Cricut Maker cutting fabric
After I cut out all of the pieces of the design (a process that is simple but just requires some patience with the many different colors), I started adhering it all. I worked pretty close to the middle of the 16" by 36" fabric strip. I started with the big pieces, and then worked down to the smaller ones. This process went so fast with my Cricut Easy Press 2!
Cricut Easy Press Eiffel Tower pillow
Getting the leaves positioned is a bit tricky since they are kind of floating in the middle of space and their placement needs to be accurate. I positioned them in place with the flowers to get the whole design right, and then lifted the flowers off and pressed them in place.
Positioning Iron-On to Apply
Next I ironed on the center elements of each flower. When they cooled down, I sewed them down using buttons to hold them in place. I could have sewed all around the outside edge to attache them. But by pinning them down in the centers, the outside edges pop up off the surface, giving them some realistic dimension.
After the flowers were attached, I used invisible thread to sew down a few sequins around them. This step is optional but I like the detail it creates!
Close up of finished flowers
With everything attached, it's time to sew up the pillow! On each short end of the fabric, I rolled the fabric over twice towards the backside and then stitched close to the turned over edge.
side hems on pillow case
When I started laying out my design, I made small marks near the edge of my fabric to mark the maximum width of my design. As you can see below, I accidentally started my design outside the mark on the right. So I found the center of my design, and made new marks on each side to show where to fold the sides so the design would be centered. For this 16" pillow, I made my marks about 15.75" apart.
Marking the fold for pillow
Once you have your marks, fold first one side in over the design, and then the other side. (If you look real hard, you can see the word Paris inside my pillow.) Pin the raw edges together. Stitch 3/8" from the edge along both of those raw edges.
Pinning Envelope Pillow Cover
And that's it! I turned my pillow cover right side out and stuffed it with my pillow form. (Tip: Don't forget to get your form all the way down into the corners!) Now thanks to my Cricut Maker we have a beautiful addition to our bedroom!
Paris Pillow Cricut Maker FAQ
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut . The opinions and text are all mine.
