Easy DIY Cork Coasters Using Heat Transfer Vinyl And Free Templates -

These DIY cork coasters would make a beautiful wedding gift, Valentine’s Day gift or neutral home decor. They are easy to make and you can personalize them. Add a monogram to them, Mr. and Mrs. with marriage date or cut them into the shape of the state you call home. I originally created these for Valentine’s Day, but with the neutral color and texture I now plan to keep them out most of the year.

How to make a set of cork coasters for your home decor.

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SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR DIY CORK COASTERS

I chose to make the hearts from cork tiles. However, if you would like to skip this step, the coaster hearts and rounds are available to purchase.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE TEMPLATES OR SVG FILES

The free heart templates are available to download from the library as a PDF file to print or as an SVG file to cut on your Silhouette Cameo or Cricut. The free word files are only available as an SVG file to cut your heat transfer vinyl on a cutting machine.

To receive instant access to my free library, just subscribe at the top sidebar or at the bottom of this post. You will be sent a welcome letter with the password to the library. Go to the library page and enter the password, then download any of the designs you would like.

TRACE AND CUT YOUR CORK SHAPE

Cork is an ideal option for coasters because it is light weight, impermeable to liquids, heat resistant and durable. It’s also fairly easy to cut by hand. I had some extra cork left over from another project and decided to use it for these coasters.

Step by step tutorial for making DIY cork coasters using heat transfer vinyl.

Trace the heart template onto the cork tile. I used a micron pen, but you can use any fine tip marker. Don’t make your line too dark or it will be difficult to remove in the sanding process.

Next, using your large handle shears cut out the heart shape. These scissors will help to make an accurate cut in this thick material without hurting your hand.

Cut in small sections. Start at the tip of the heart and work your way around until it begins to curve. Then remove that section. Cut a little further and remove the section. This will help you stay on your guide line and keep your cut smooth and accurate.

When you finish cutting the cork, use a fine grit sanding block to remove any loose particles and smooth the edges. Sometimes a piece of the cork will crumble on the edge. I just rounded those sections over with the sanding block. It’s not perfect, but as you can see in the image above, they came out pretty uniform and smooth. I made 15 of these hearts and was very satisfied with the way they cut and sanded.

CUT YOUR HEAT TRANSFER VINYL ON YOUR SILHOUETTE OR CRICUT CUTTING MACHINE

How to make DIY cork coasters with your Silhouette Cameo 4.

PLEASE NOTE: It’s worth mentioning that there are many different brands of HTV and cutting machines. I am giving you the settings for the HTV that I used and recommend under the supply list. If you are using a different manufacturer, refer to the instructions that came with your HTV and always do a test cut before you send your entire project to cut.

Place your HTV on a cutting mat and load it into your cutting machine. When cutting words on HTV, always mirror your image. This file has been saved to the library in reverse already.

The Silhouette Cameo cut settings for this file are Blade: 3, Speed: 8, Force: 4, Passes: 2, and Material: Heat Transfer, Smooth. If you are working with a dull blade, you may need to increase your settings.

The Cricut cut settings for this vinyl are Blade: Standard and Setting: Iron-On.

After cutting your project, you will need to weed out the extra vinyl. I created boxes around the words to make the weeding easier. The first step is to pull off the extra vinyl until it looks like the image above.

Then working on one word at a time, weed out the box and then the other small details. You will need a pin or other sharp tipped item to weed out the smaller areas in the letters. I like this craft tools set for weeding and working with vinyl.

When you are done weeding, cut the carrier sheet so the words are all separate like in the image above.

POSITION THE HTV ON YOUR COASTER

Place each saying on a coaster, sticky side down. I used a ruler to keep them all the same distance from the top. I centered them left to right by eye.

USE A HEAT PRESS, CRICUT EASY PRESS OR IRON TO TRANSFER THE VINYL

Preheat your Cricut Easy Press to 305 degrees. Then cover your project with the Teflon sheet that came with your HTV. If you do not have a Teflon sheet, you can cover it with a piece of parchment paper. Be sure you are working on a heat resistant mat or surface.

How to make DIY cork coasters with your Cricut Easy Press.

Next, press your image at 305 degrees for 15 seconds. Pressing down on your Cricut Easy Press with two hands and medium pressure.

NOTE: You can use an iron for this part of the project. All irons are different. Be sure there is no water/steam in your iron. You will want to start just below the cotton setting, try it, and slowly increase your heat until the vinyl sticks. Once cooled, your carrier sheet should remove easily.

If you are having any difficulty, press it again. I used an iron with HTV for many years, but in my honest opinion, the Cricut Easy Press is a good investment. It’s small enough to store away and it takes all of the guesswork out of heat transfer vinyl. I also use it to smooth out my tablecloths, table runners and napkins.

Let the coaster cool and then peel off the carrier sheet. At this point, I usually cover the words again with the Teflon sheet and press it once more without the carrier sheet. This just helps it bond to your project a little better.

I am so happy with the way the coasters turned out. They make a great conversation piece, have a positive message and protect my furniture.

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