This tutorial will walk you through how to create a holographic mandala t-shirt using Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV. It’s beginner friendly if you are new to the world of HTV!
I was fortunate enough to receive the Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV from them for free in exchange for an honest review. I always love trying out products that are new to me and letting you guys know which ones are worth investing in.
To test out the Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV, I created a mandala design to cut out of it and heat transfer to a 100% cotton t-shirt. It turned out really cute, if I do say so myself!
Click HERE for the SUPPLY LIST
Please check out the video tutorial below or scroll down for instructions with photos:
What Comes in the Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV Package?
First off, let me tell you what you get in the Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV package.
It comes with six different colors of holographic heat transfer vinyl (aka HTV) in 10″ x 12″ sheets (six sheets total).
The colors were:
- Pearly-pink to pale blue-lavender
- Red-pink to orange-gold
- Yellow-orange to pink-gold
- Bright purple to blue-silver
- Light blue to light purple-silver
- Mauve-y pink to gold
It’s pretty hard to accurately describe the colors because, well, they’re holographic. There’s a bunch of color variation happening in each one to give it that cool, color changing effect.
Each one is beautiful. And, the 10″ x 12″ sheet is a great size for making t-shirt transfers.
ScanNCut DX, Cricut & Silhouette Cameo 4 Cut Settings for Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV
I tested out the Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV on three of my electronic cutting machines. I cut two butterflies and a scrolly M with my Cricut Maker, my Silhouette Cameo 4 and my ScanNCut DX 125.
The HTV cut perfectly the first time on all three machines. The machines were even able to cut out the tiny antennae on the two butterflies without any problems. I was pretty shocked because I rarely have vinyl cut that perfectly right off the bat – especially on all three machines.
Plus, I used the regular AutoBlade with my ScanNCut DX instead of the Vinyl AutoBlade and it was a fantastic cut. That is pretty rare in my experience.
Anyway, here are the cut settings I used:
Cricut Maker (but should work on most Cricut machines): Under Browse All Materials select Holographic Iron-On and leave the Pressure at Default
Silhouette Cameo 4: Under Material, select Heat Transfer Iridescent. This will put the Blade at 2, the Force at 10, the Speed at 6
ScanNCut DX with AutoBlade: Turn Half Cut ON, set the Pressure under Half Cut to 3, set Speed to 2
I can’t guarantee that these settings will work as well for you, but they are a great starting point.
Adjustments to Mandala in Brother Canvas Workspace & Cutting with ScanNCut DX
In the video tutorial above, I don’t show the design adjustments and cutting portions of the project for time’s sake. But, I did use Brother Canvas Workspace to adjust the design and then cut it on my ScanNCut DX 125. If you want to check out the exact steps I used for these sections please refer to the video below:
I made the mandala 8.5″ in diameter before cutting it out.
Weeding Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV
I’ve already raved about how easily the Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV cut so is it possible for it to get better? Yes!
Weeding the mandala design was super, super easy.
I used my weeding pen and the vinyl that I didn’t need came off the backing sheet like magic. It may actually have been the most effortless weeding job I’ve ever had. I’m not kidding. It was that easy.
Weeding took a bit of time because the design was fairly complex. But the large pieces of vinyl weeded with no problem AND the tiny small pieces weeded just as easily. I was so impressed!
Settings and Set Up for Using Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV with Cricut EasyPress 2
Once the design was weeded, I set up my area for heat transferring it to the cotton t-shirt.
For t-shirts, I have an EasyPress 2 which I set off to one side of my work area. I then layer a towel under a Cricut Easy Press mat (the big one) and then the t-shirt.
According to the packaging, the Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV should be pressed with a heat press set to 300 – 320 degrees F using medium pressure for 8 – 12 seconds.
I also consulted the Cricut Heat Settings page and for their holographic htv, they recommend pressing it at 330 degrees f for 30 seconds.
I decided to compromise and set my EasyPress 2 to 320 degrees for 15 seconds.
Prep the T-Shirt for the Holographic HTV
Before you heat set a design on to a 100% cotton shirt (or any blank), there are a couple of steps to take first:
- Heat the area of the t-shirt where you are placing the HTV with the heat press, iron or EasyPress for around 10 seconds. This helps remove any moisture from the fibers in the t-shirt that can interfere with HTV being able to stick properly to a shirt.
- To ease placement of the design, I usually fold the shirt in half by lining up the seams on the side. Then I press the shirt along the fold to press a seam down the middle of the shirt. Now I know where the center of the shirt is when I place the design down.
- Finally, while on the backing sheet, I bend the design in half and match up the design along the sides. Then I pinch the backing plastic at the top and the bottom edge of the design in the middle to create two creases in the backing sheet. Now when I unbend the design, I can line up the creases in the plastic backing sheet with the pressed seam on the shirt to ensure proper placement of the design in the middle of the tee.
Transfer the Holographic HTV Mandala to the Shirt
Now, I line up the creases in the backing sheet on the mandala design with the seam on the shirt about an inch down from the point in the v-neck and press the mandala in place with my hands.
The backing sheet is sticky so it will stick without any trouble.
When my Cricut EasyPress 2 is heated to 320 degrees F, I cover the entire mandala design with the EasyPress 2 and apply medium pressure to it while its counter counts down 15 seconds.
Once the beeper sounds, I remove the EasyPress 2 and place it back on its stand.
Flip the t-shirt over and now press it on the back for 5 – 10 seconds. This helps ensure the HTV sticks to the t-shirt.
Then, according to the instructions on the package, I wait 30 seconds before peeling the backing sheet off (sounds like a warm peel to me).
The first time I peeled off the backing sheet, most of the design was well adhered to the t-shirt but some of the points on the very edges were pulling away just a bit.
To fix this, I replaced the backing sheet and reheated the edges of the design for about 5 more seconds.
Once 30 more seconds had passed, I peeled off the backing sheet and the entire design and triangle tips were now well-adhered to the t-shirt. Beautiful!
What Do I Think of Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV?
I am very impressed with Hippie Crafter’s Holographic HTV. It cut and weeded with incredible ease. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a vinyl cut so well on a ScanNCut machine using the regular AutoBlade and equally well on my Cricut Maker and Silhouette Cameo 4.
Weeding the complicated design was super easy too. It took some time just because there were so many pieces to remove but it was a total breeze to do it. Gotta love that!
The colors are fun too and I like the variety you get in the six sheets of 10″ x 12″ holographic HTV. You get light and dark colors, warm and cool tones – there’s something for everyone and every project.
The trickiest part of working with the Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV was applying it to the shirt with my Cricut EasyPress 2. And, it wasn’t that tricky. I followed the instructions on the package and increased the time to 15 seconds from 8 – 12.
Since the points on the very edges of the mandala didn’t want to stick real well after just one heat setting, I will probably increase the time to 20 seconds next time when applying such detailed designs. Putting a little extra pressure on those outer edges will be something I pay more attention to next time as well.
But, honestly, application of HTV is often the hardest part of any HTV project. Holographic HTV also tends to be a bit tougher to deal with in general, no matter the brand. I’m guessing it’s because of the holographic finish.
Overall, I can easily recommend Hippie Crafter Holographic HTV! They have a ton of other craft supplies (not just vinyl) available too so I will be checking out some of their other items as well in the future.
I really hope you will give them a try too! The Supply List is linked below.
Questions or Comments?
If you have any questions, please leave me a comment below and I will get back to you soon. Want to just tell me how much you loved this tutorial? Please leave me a comment below too – lol!
Suggestions?
I would also appreciate any ideas you may have for topics to cover related to the software for Cricut (Design Space), Silhouette (Studio) or Brother ScanNCut machines (Canvas Workspace) and any suggestions you may have on projects to create with the Cricut Maker, Cricut Joy, Silhouette Cameo 4 or the Brother Scan N Cut DX. Please leave any requests you have in the comments. I appreciate you taking the time to visit and read my blog. Thanks!
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Mandala SVG, PNG, EPS & DXF Files available for purchase here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackSheep303
Use Coupon Code YOUTUBE303 to receive 50% off the design through May 31, 2022
