This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
Let's talk laundry.
I'll be honest - it is one of my most hated chores. And I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone.
But I will admit, there are a few hacks that I've learned over the years to make laundry more manageable. One of my favorites is sorting clothes as you go: having one hamper for darks, one for lights, one for towels, etc.
The only problem is those awesome laundry sorting hampers take up so much space. I would love to have one but just don't know where it would go.
Then it hit me to go vertical instead, and use my Cricut EasyPress 2 to create space saving hanging laundry bags with simple DIY labels. My laundry is sorted, my floor is clear, and I have everything you need to make these for your home too.
Creating with the Cricut EasyPress
You know how much I love using my Cricut Explore Air 2 for home organizing projects. And when I combine it with the EasyPress 2 I can make iron on projects quickly and easily for a whole new world of possibilities!
The first time I tried an iron-on project with my Cricut, I used a regular household iron. It did not go so well. My design was beautiful, but the iron made the transfer process cumbersome. You see, a regular iron does not have even heat. And it generates steam, which is not a good thing when you are working with iron-ons. I decided that to really create beautiful, lasting iron-on projects I needed an EasyPress.
Creating iron-on projects with the EasyPress is a no-brainer. It works so much better than an iron, as you can easily control the temperature setting, and it delivers even heating across the entire plate.
It's also easier to use with safety features like an insulated safety base and auto shutoff. See all the EasyPress features here.
With the EasyPress, my DIY laundry bags were a cinch to create. I'll walk you through the entire process and show you how you can even customize the bags to fit your needs.
Ready? Let's create!
How to Make Hanging Laundry Bags with Cricut
Hanging laundry bags are easy to find. But I could never find any that helped us to sort our laundry. So I decided to use my Cricut Explore Air and EasyPress 2 to create my own.
This is a super simple project for Cricut beginners, and a great way to get started with iron-on material. You can find this project ready to make in Design Space, and I'll also show you how to customize it for your decor and your family's needs.
To make your own DIY Hanging Laundry Bags you'll need:
- Cricut Explore Air 2
- Light Grip Mat
- Everyday Iron-On Material (I used white, but you can use any color you like)
- Weeding tool
- Trimmer (or scissors)
- EasyPress 2
- EasyPress Mat
- Hanging laundry bags
- Hooks (I prefer to use removable adhesive hooks)
Start by determining how you need to sort your laundry. I used two bags labeled "Lights" and "Darks" for mine.
If you'd like to create this project as shown, simply click here to access the project in Design Space, then click Make It to open it in your own dashboard.
From here, make sure that you toggle the mirror button to ON. This is an important step for any iron-on project, to make sure that your design cuts correctly. Once the mirror button is on, you can click continue.
You can also create these bags with your choice of font and wording! Watch the video below for a step-by-step tutorial:
Once your design is finished cutting, you'll need to weed the design from the material. This is a bit different from weeding vinyl, as you are removing the top layer only and leaving the transparent base intact.
You can use your fingers to pull away the large parts of the design, but you will need a weeding tool for the smaller pieces (ie, inside letters).
You'll see that your design is backwards on the mat - that is correct for iron-on projects.
Now, carefully remove the iron-on material from the grip mat. It should have a transparent backing still attached. Separate the two words with a trimmer and you're ready to use your EasyPress.
The EasyPress is super simple to use. Set it up on a flat, level surface. Press the power button to turn it on, then use the temperature button to set the proper temperature for your material. My bags are 100% cotton so I set mine to 315 degrees.
Click here to find the perfect heat setting for your material with the Cricut Heat Guide.
Once your EasyPress beeps to let you know it is heated and ready, place your bag onto your EasyPress mat or a folded towel.
Start by preheating your bag by pressing the EasyPress onto the spot where you'll add your design for 5 seconds. This helps to remove moisture and wrinkles for a clean transfer.
Then, place your design on top of your material, with the transparent backing facing up (so that the design looks correct).
Now press your EasyPress on top of the design for the time indicated on the heat guide (30 seconds for cotton). The EasyPress has a timer so you'll know when it's done.
Once the time is up, flip your bag over and press for an additional 15 seconds. This helps set your design.
Place your EasyPress back into the safety base and allow your bag to cool slightly. Then gently pull the transparent backing away and your laundry bag is done! Repeat for your second (or any additional) bags to complete your project.
Once your bags are finished it's time to hang them. I put mine in our master bathroom, where space is at a premium. I stacked them vertically, but you can also hang them horizontally for kids to reach easily.
These bags are awesome because they have a zipper on the bottom, so as soon as they are full I can just unzip the clothes right into the laundry basket to go to the wash. And everything is pre-sorted thanks to the iron-on labels. These might not make you love doing laundry but at least your dirty clothes will look good in between washes.
Want more Cricut projects and tips? Join the Cricut Mamas group on Facebook!
Love this? Pin it here!
