Infusible Ink + Glitter HTV + Brown Sweatshirt = AWESOME

 

I really like infusible ink because it becomes one with the fabric and the final product feels like it was screen printed. The only problem is that infusible ink is translucent, so if you apply it to a dark colored item, the dark color will show through making the image difficult to see. The standard color of choice to apply infusible ink to is white. It will work on most pastel colors, but it won't show up very well on anything darker. 

But what if you want to use it on a dark item? There is a little trick, which I used for my dragon rampant: apply white glitter HTV to the area and then apply the infusible ink on top. This works because most white glitter HTV has a lot of polyester (for the glitter) to which the infusible ink adheres. 

I cut the dragon using purple infusible ink, and cut an offset outline shape from white HTV. 

To replicate, import an image into Silhouette Studio and size it appropriately for your garment. Since my sweatshirt is unisex XL, I made it 11" tall by about 11.5" wide. Select the design and open the Offset panel. 

Click on Offset, then adjust the width of the offset to a value that looks appropriate for the design. 

I left it at the default of 0.1", but some designs may work better with a larger or smaller offset. Click "Apply" to apply the offset. 

Once the offset has been applied, move the original image off to the side.

Since the Offset function included parts of the wings, tummy, and eyes that I didn't want cut away, I edited it to clean it up. Right-click on the design and select "Release compound path". 

This transforms the image into a bunch of separate items. Deselect everything, then click on the main outline and drag it off of the canvas. You will be left with all the unneeded internal cuts.

 Select them all and delete.

Move the original image back onto the canvas. With the image selected, right-click on it and select "flip horizontally" to reverse the image. Infusible ink is cut with colored side up, but applied with the colored side down, so the image has to be cut reversed so it turns out correctly when applied. 

Attach the infusible ink to the mat with colored side up and load into the machine. Hit "Send" then 

change the Material to "Heat transfer, Smooth".  Adjust the autoblade depth to 6, set force to 26, and speed to 4.

Click on send to cut the infusible ink. 

After it's cut, weed away the extra infusible ink. The infusible ink feels like paper when you pull it off, and the backing is clear (with some gridlines on it). I weeded the dragon so that all that remained was the parts originally colored in black. Having the image on screen near you while weeding help ensure that you weed out the correct parts.

Once the infusible ink has been weeded, move the outline onto the canvas and remove the image that was just cut. Flip horizontal as above. Apply white glitter HTV (I used Cricut White Glitter HTV) to the mat and hit "SEND". 

The Cameo 4 has a Glitter HTV setting that usually works fine. I like to raise the cut depth one number higher than the default. Hit sent to cut the Glitter HTV.  After it's cut, weed away the excess glitter HTV. 

Place the garment on your ironing board and smooth it out. Pre-press it with your heat press to remove moisture and to smooth it out better. Lay the glitter HTV design on the garment ensuring that it's centered left to right and the top of the design is about 5" below the neckline (on the back). You can measure it or simply eyeball the location. Some people fold the shirt in half and press the fold so that they can use the crease to help center the design, while others measure the distances from the design edge to the side seams to center the design. Either method will work satisfactorily. 

Press the glitter HTV in place using a heat press. I have the Cricut EasyPress 2 and set it at 340F for 10 seconds since it would be pressed again to apply the infusible ink. Peel off the backing while it's still warm. 

Next, place the infusible ink on top of the glitter HTV so that it's centered within the offset design. There is some wiggle room because the offset was 0.1" on each side. Once it's in place, you can use heat resistant tape to help hold the design in place, or if it appears to be sticking fine on its own, simply place the butcher paper over the top of everything and the press with heat press. I set my Cricut EasyPress 2 to 385F for 40 seconds.

Once the pressing is done, remove the butcher paper and peel back the infusible ink carrier sheet. Your masterpiece is ready to wear. 

HAPPY CRAFTING!!