This post may contain links to affiliate websites, such as Amazon as well as others. Through those links, at no additional cost to you we may receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you using these links. We appreciate your support!

Sharing is caring!

Do you want to make designs that pop and stand out from the rest? Excellent, because I will show you how to layer HTV on a shirt today! 

Now, you might be wondering why you would want to layer HTV. 

blue shirt with the words begin with happiness svg design

For starters, when you layer HTV together, you can use various colors and finishes. For example, you could layer a flat blue with glittery silver on top. 

You can also layer different fonts, shapes, and sizes to create unique designs.

Repeat the previous steps, layering on each HTV layer until your design is completed.

That’s why I like layering HTV so much. You can create unique, multi-color designs you wouldn’t see anywhere else. 

But how does layering HTV work? Are there any special techniques you need to follow? 

I will answer all your burning questions in this guide on how to layer HTV on a shirt. 

First and foremost, what supplies and tools do you need? 

blue shirt with the words begin with happiness svg design sitting next to an ipad, cricut and easypress

The Supplies and Tools You Need To Layer HTV On A Shirt

Stating the obvious, but the first thing you will need is your own blank T-shirts. 

When I am buying mine, I like to get ones in different colors to see how the layered HTV looks in various colors. You can read my guide here if you need help deciding what blank shirts to buy. 

You will also need a good quality heat transfer vinyl (HTV). If you are putting multiple layers on, make sure that the colors of HTV coordinate with each other. You can also use glitter heat transfer vinyl. 

You will also need a good quality heat transfer vinyl (HTV). HTV is a special type of vinyl that is a heat-sensitive adhesive. 

If you are putting multiple layers on, make sure that the colors of HTV coordinate with each other. You can also use glitter heat transfer vinyl. 

To layer HTV on a shirt, you’ll also need: 

  • Cricut True Control Knife 
  • Pen Pin 
  • Siser Easyweed 
  • HTV Ront Auto Press 
  • HTV Ront Sticky Mat 
  • Cricut Machine (I used the Cricut Maker 3)
  • Cutting Mat 
  • Brayer Tool 
  • Ipad Pro or another device you can use with Cricut Design Space
Here are the supplies you will need to layer HTV on a shirt to make a unique design.

How To Make Your Design In Cricut Design Space

For Cricut users, the first step is to make your design in Cricut Design Space. 

If you’re not sure what custom design you want to make, I recommend looking for t-shirt design ideas and inspiration. A couple of good places to do this are Pinterest or Instagram. 

If you’re going to use shirt blanks that have color, I also recommend looking at what color the design has that looks good. Doing this can make sure you choose colors that don’t clash or blend together. 

Once you’ve got an idea, it’s just a matter of making the design in Cricut Design Space. 

Layer your cutout designs together so you can see what the final design will look like.

You can use the shapes and text tools and upload images to make your design. 

You’ll also want to ensure you’re using different layers for each part of your final design. 

Trust me – I learned this the hard way! 

When your design is finished, it’s time to cut it out. 

blue shirt with the words begin with happiness svg design

How To Layer HTV On A Shirt

Once you’ve used your cutting machine to cut out your design, it’s time to layer HTV on the shirt. 

This is the fun part! I love having a design and watching it come to life on a shirt. 

Place the materials on your Cricut cutting mat, lining it up as straight as possible.

Because there are a lot of instructions and pictures you need to follow in this step-by-step tutorial, I’ve put the entire process into a printable card for you. 

Scroll down to the end of the blog post, where you’ll find that card. 

Then, you can print it, save it to your computer, or open it in your browser and follow the step-by-step instructions. 

Easy peasy! 

7 Tips For Layer HTV On A Shirt For The First Time

Now, if this is your first time layering HTV on a shirt, you should be aware of a couple of things. 

Unfortunately, I made several mistakes when I first started layering HTV. I want to help you avoid those mistakes, so here are some helpful tips! 

  1. It’s a good idea to layer the design before you finalize the placement on the shirt. Where your center line is will change once all the layers are in place, and you don’t want your design to look lopsided! 
  2. Make sure to preheat your heat press machine before putting your shirt in. Doing this will help ensure every part of the design transfers to the shirt fully. 
  3. Don’t take any shortcuts! Add the design to your shirt one layer at a time, starting with the base layer. You risk ruining the design if you try to do them all at once.
  4. Keep the order of the layers straight so you don’t layer the wrong things on top of each other. 
  5. Also, make sure you start with your bottom layer and work your way up to your top layer. 
  6. If you’re using any glitter layers with glitter HTV, you may need to press it on longer to get the adhesive to stick. 
  7. Sometimes using a piece of parchment paper can improve your heat transfer vinyl designs work better. 
Remove all the layers except the bottom layer once you have it lined up on your shirt.

Other SVG Designs You Can Use To Layer HTV

Once you try layering HTV once, I think you’ll quickly get addicted to it! I know I did. 

So, you’re going to want some extra designs to experiment with. Well, lucky for you, I’ve got plenty of designs you can try. 

Here are links to some of the best ones! 

How To Layer HTV On A Shirt Instruction Card

Here are the instructions on how to layer HTV on a shirt. Feel free to print or save these instructions to your computer for later! 

FREE SVG Cut Files Download

If you don’t want to make your own design, I’ve included a FREE SVG file download you can use to follow along with this tutorial. 

To get your copy of the SVG file, simply enter your name and email address in the form below. 

Then, my system will send it straight to your inbox so you can download and save it to your computer. 

Then, all you have to do is open the file in whatever design software you’re using and follow the rest of the steps in my tutorial below! 

blue shirt with the words begin with happiness svg design

Grab the free SVG!

Go to file #114 in the free resource library.

Where can I send the resource library files?

    Repeat the previous steps, layering on each HTV layer until your design is completed.
    Yield: 1

    How To Layer HTV On A Shirt

    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Active Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Difficulty: Intermediate
    Estimated Cost: $5

    Learn how to layer HTV on a t-shirt step-by-step to create unique and layered designs for your custom t-shirts.

    Materials

    • District DT564 Medal Tee
    • Siser Easyweed 
    • Cricut Iron On 
    • HTV Ront Auto Press 
    • HTV Ront Sticky Mat 

    Tools

    • Cricut True Control Knife 
    • Pen Pin 
    • Cricut Maker 3 
    • Brayer Tool 
    • Ipad Pro 

    Instructions

    1. Gather your supplies. Here are the supplies you will need to layer HTV on a shirt to make a unique design.
    2. Upload the design into Cricut Design Space, resize, and adjust the colors.
    3. Go through and mirror each layer. You will want to do this any time you are working with HTV. Mirror the design in Cricut Design Space, which you should do anytime you work with HTV.
    4. Place your first color onto your cutting mat and load it into the machine. Choose your cut settings in Cricut Design Space. I use the vinyl setting.Place the materials on your Cricut cutting mat, lining it up as straight as possible.
    5. Cut out all of the layers of your vinyl, weeding each in between to save time.
    6. Layer the design so that you can see what the finished product will look like. Layer your cutout designs together so you can see what the final design will look like.
    7. Preheat your press to 320. Preheat your press to 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
    8. Center the entire design onto the shirt.
    9. Remove all layers but the bottommost layer. Remove all the layers except the bottom layer once you have it lined up on your shirt.
    10. Press for just a few seconds and then remove the transfer backing. Remove the backing from the cutout design.
    11. Repeat steps 8-10 for all remaining layers. Repeat the previous steps, layering on each HTV layer until your design is completed.
    12. The final press should be pressed for the full 20 seconds.

    Sharing is caring!

    Similar Posts

    4 Comments

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *