I’ve gotten to know some pretty great people through Charleston Blog Society and it’s opened up some opportunities as well.  A few weeks ago Aimee, from Aimee Mars and member of CBS, reached out to me to work together on a DIY project she had in mind.  I was immediately intrigued and we started formulating our plan to make it happen.

DIY Fabric Printed Plate

What you’ll need:

• 4 clear appetizer plates
• Cotton fabric
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Cricut Explore Air
• Gold HTV
• Weeding tool
• Iron
• Mod podge
• Sponge brush

First of all – materials…  You can find basic clear, glass plates at most home stores, but Aimee found the ones that we used on Amazon.  I found 2 cute patterns of fabric at Hobby Lobby, and just got 1 yard of each – and now we have lots leftover for future projects!

Once you have all your supplies, it’s time to craft.  Start by tracing out a template on your fabric.  Grab a plate, put it on the fabric where you want it (normal side up), and trace around the outside at an outward angle with your pencil.  This gives you enough fabric  to cover the bottom of the plate with some excess as well.  Next, cut the fabric circles out.

Now you’ll need to get the HTV (heat transfer vinyl) ready.  I created a ‘love’ and ‘merry’ design in Illustrator with Isabella and Jacques & Gilles fonts, exported them as png files, then imported them in Design Space.  Note: This is how I create 90% of my Cricut projects.  Next, I cut out 2 of each design on gold HTV using my Cricut Explore Air – make sure to mirror the design so it works correctly when ironed!

When I was at Aimee’s place, I weeded out the excess HTV from the design and they were ready to transfer onto the fabric.

Pull out your iron, and turn it on the cotton setting (high heat).  Place the HTV on your fabric so that it reads correctly, sticky side down.  Then use your iron to adhere the HTV to the fabric –  applying heat for a few seconds, lifting, and doing again until the design is attached to the fabric and you can remove the clear backing.

Note: Every iron is different, so some might take a little longer than others to heat & adhere.  Test it by slowly pulling away the clear piece and if the design is still attached, put it back down & apply more heat.
Now you’ll add the fabric to the plates.  Use your sponge brush to apply Mod Podge to the top of the fabric circle (where the design & writing is).  Use enough so it’s covered, but not too thick.

Then place the fabric on the bottom of the plate, centered.  Slowly work your way around and make sure the fabric is attached to the plate.  Then use your hand to push out any air pockets so the fabric is flat on the plate.

When the air bubbles are gone and the fabric is staying attached to the plate, let them sit overnight to dry.

Once the plates are dry, trim the excess fabric around the outside of the plate, as close to the edge as you can.  Then apply 1-2 coats of Mod Podge to the bottom of the plates, on top of the fabric.  This will help seal the fabric in and protect it.

Finally, when the last of the Mod Podge is dry, your plates are done!

We got a seasonal fabric, and the more everyday fabric, but used gold lettering on both and they actually look kinda great together.  I can’t get over how much I love how they turned out!  Needless to say, Aimee and I will be collaborating on more projects in the future 🙂

You could seriously make these in whatever color & design you want – themed parties, gifts, etc. All of the ideas will be rolling in now!

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