Cricut: The Making of a Hobby

I had never been into crafts before. I had always considered myself not a crafty person. I couldn't draw, paint, and lacked the imagination to create such amazing things like I'd seen online and those around me.

When this pandemic hit, I knew things had to change. Like everyone else, I was confined to the house whenever I wasn't working. With nothing to do but sit around and mope, I knew I had to try something. I knew I needed a hobby. That's when my mother introduced me to her Janome Artistic Edge.

It's similar to a cricut, but a lot less known. It can do everything a cricut can, and more, though it appears to be a little more complex. I was intrigued, and excited to give it a try. I wasn't sure how I was going to like it, but what the hey- why not give it a try!

This was the first thing I tried to make: a mug. It went exactly as expected. I ruined a little bit of vinyl (okay, quite a bit of vinyl actually!), but I had a great time doing it- time flew! Before I knew it, an entire day had passed by; and I hadn't had one negative thought.

I have dealt with mental health issues for a long time. Trying to find ways to cope has been an obvious struggle of mine. Finding a hobby, something to help take my mind off of the negative and toxic thoughts that sometimes plagued my brain day after day. Finding out I could make these crafts, spending afternoons just cutting and creating away, came as a relief. It helped as well it was an activity I shared with my mother; it was something we could do together.

I soon discovered a whole new world. I was buying vinyl (best prices are on amazon, by the way!), blank mugs, canvases, mats, you name it. If I could put something on it or make something, I bought the materials and was going to try.

T-shirts were my first order of business. I find that heat transfer vinyl (HTV) is easier for me to work with; though I have wrecked my fair share of it! It's easier for me because it doesn't stick immediately to the surface I'm trying. Permanent vinyl is a little bit harder- once you place it, I hope you got it right, because there's no going back!

I now had a way I could make gifts unlimitedly. No longer did I have to think hard on what to get for someone’s birthday, Christmas, or Mother’s/Father’s day. I had the perfect chance to make anything I wanted.

I made shirts:

I made socks:

I made mugs:

And now I have a few other projects on the go. As you can see below, I definitely need another work space!

It’s become a hobby of mine, and some bonding time with my mother. We’ve got a few projects on the go, and you bet I’m excited to see how they’re going to turn out.

As far as supplies go to get started should you decide to attempt to try this, other than the obvious machine and program, are vinyl, measuring tape, weeding tools and of course, you cannot forget the scissors! If there’s one thing I always lose, it’s the scissors.

Going to give it a try? Here’s a link to an article where I list where to find the best designs (or SVG files), to use! Click here.