Make A Table Runner with Heat Transfer Vinyl
My favorite thing about DIY is getting to make things that I want. I’ll have a specific color scheme in mind and go to the store hoping to buy all of my pieces. Every single time, I come home empty handed and disappointed. It’s not just colors, but patterns or motifs as well.
When it came time to plan my Halloween tablescape, an idea popped into my head and wouldn’t go away: skeleton cameo silhouettes. My vision was a little bit creepy mixed with classic. So I did what all DIYers do and I made my own! Learn how to make a table runner with heat transfer vinyl. Plus, learn my tips for weeding intricate designs.
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Make a Table Runner with Heat Transfer Vinyl
The Design Process
I normally make my own cut files, but when I saw these skull cameos in the Silhouette shop, I knew that I would never be able to top them. These cut files are so gorgeous.
Wife | Husband | Man | Woman | Rose | Skull with Roses
Maybe skulls aren’t your thing. Luckily, there are tons of other designs that would look lovely on a table runner. How pretty would those roses be in gold all over a runner?
These are the designs I used for the runner and glasses. For my runner, I placed each skull on a different page set to 9.875″ wide x 12″ tall. The center of my runner was roughly 9.5″ wide, so I needed my skulls to be a bit smaller than that. Then I sent each page to be cut.
My cut settings for the Silhouette are 2,8,9 for the perfect kiss cut. Don’t forget to place the htv shiny side down! If you use words in your design or care about the direction your design faces, don’t forget to mirror the design!
(I have detailed instructions on how to use HTV in this post about vintage pennants if you need more direction.)
Weeding
I thought that the HTV was easy to work with. The back of the HTV was a shiny color that helped me see where the cut lines were. I’ll admit that sometimes I have a hard time seeing every little cut line, but something about the reflective qualities on this vinyl made it easier for me to see all of the details. These were very intricate cuts, so I’m sharing some weeding tips at the bottom of this post.
Ironing
I wanted the table runner to have 2 skull cameos on each end with a rose in the center. Place the designs face down with the clear film on top. I use a piece of freezer paper to protect my vinyl. (When you use a new piece, iron it onto a towel a few times to remove the stickiness from the paper.)
As with all vinyl, iron it for 12-15 seconds on high. You can pull back the plastic a bit to see if it sticks. If it doesn’t, iron it a bit longer.
The instructions say to leave the plastic on for 20 seconds before removing. I forgot because I’ve never done that, and it pulled off just fine. If you have any areas that are a little loose, you can place the freezer paper over the design and iron for a few more seconds.
When I first started using HTV, I was very concerned about ironing for too long or ironing in places that I had already ironed. It’s not that delicate, so don’t worry too much! Just don’t iron the HTV without the plastic film or it will melt. Heat transfer vinyl feels very intimidating until you use it!
Tips for Weeding Intricate Cuts
- Work from the center out. Some of my cuts were tiny, so as I weeded, removing the center pieces first prevented them from getting stuck to the clear film.
- Work small to big. Those tiny pieces get stuck to the clear film more easily than the large ones.
- Weed the giant areas last. I left the centers of the cameo and background for last. It goes against my normal inclinations to remove the easy parts first, but it helped to keep those smaller pieces off.
Showing Off My Table Runner
Tomorrow I will be sharing tips for using HTV on glasses!
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Emy is a vintage obsessed mama of 2 DIYer who loves sharing affordable solutions for common home problems. You don’t need a giant budget to create a lovely home. Read more…