DIY Nintendo Shirts

Use your Cricut and some HTV to create DIY Nintendo Shirts for the whole family!

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My husband and I have always been huge Nintendo fans since we were young, and my daughter is being raised with a love for Nintendo as well. We love to play video games together as a family, especially Mario Party! Needless to say, my family was so excited to be invited to an event to meet up with Nintendo to talk about the new Nintendo 2DS XL. To get ready for the big night, we decided to make some Nintendo-themed shirts to wear to show just how nerdy we are about Nintendo!

To make these shirts, use your favorite cutting tool like the Cricut Explore or Cricut Maker machine. You'll also need some heat transfer (iron-on) vinyl. For all three of our shirts, I used EasyWeed HTV, EasyWeed Stretch HTV, and Glitter HTV.

In case you are new to iron-on/HTV, it comes with a heat-activated adhesive vinyl on one side, and a clear carrier sheet on the other. The clear carrier sheet provides a way to keep your design intact until application. ALL cuts will need to be mirrored, since you need to cut the vinyl with the carrier sheet facing down.

Upload the cut files into Design Space and size the images to fit your shirts. Don't forget to mirror the images before cutting!!

*Here's a great tutorial on how to upload your own images into Cricut Design Space.

Weed the vinyl by removing all of the parts you don't need. For smaller spaces like inside the letters, weeding tools are a life saver!

Plug the EasyPress in push the power button. Adjust the temperature and timer using the icon and +/- buttons. When it has completely heated up, the EasyPress will beep and the button with the Cricut logo will change from red to green.

Place your shirt on the EasyPress Mat and pre-heat the area for 5 seconds. The EasyPress Mat is the perfect partner to the EasyPress, and is convenient for projects like this. Instead of getting the ironing board out, this mat is easy to use and protects your surfaces from heat and moisture. It's definitely an accessory I recommend!

My daughter adores Princess Peach, so we put together a design that describes my daughter perfectly!

Center the design on the front of your shirt and press it down. The back of the carrier sheet is tacky, so it will help to keep the vinyl in place if you need to move the shirt around at all before heating it up.

I used white Glitter HTV for my daughter's Princess Peach shirt. Adjust the EasyPress temperature to 325º and timer to 20 seconds. Take the EasyPress out of the base and place it over the vinyl and carrier sheet. Press the green Cricut button to start the timer, and add medium pressure while you hold the EasyPress in place until the timer goes off. Turn the shirt over and press the area for 15 seconds.

While the vinyl is still hot, carefully peel away the carrier sheet.

Once the shirt has cooled, it's ready to wear! Glitter HTV is one of my favorites to use because the colors stay brilliant and the glitter sparkles wash after wash. For best results, wash the shirt inside out and hang to dry.

Download the Princess Peach Cut File

*Cut file images are free for personal use only

Super Mario Bros. is one of my favorite Nintendo games, so I decided to put together a #SquadGoals shirt with a mushroom, star, and flower from the game. Since I need a little extra... give... in the chest area of my shirts, I decided to go with a gold HTV with extra stretch. It's one of my favorite vinyls to use on my shirts and activewear. Place your shirt on the EasyPress Mat and pre-heat the area for 5 seconds. Lay the design down on the shirt and use the EasyPress.

For EasyWeed Stretch HTV, adjust the EasyPress temperature to 305º and timer to 20 seconds. Turn the shirt over and press again. Peel the liner off when the vinyl has cooled. Wait 24 hours before washing the shirt in cold water. Dry at normal setting.

Download the Nintendo Mario Squad Goals Cut File

*Cut file images are free for personal use only

For my husband's shirt, I used both red and black EasyWeed HTV to create the classic Nintendo controller design that is both simple and funny. Place the shirt on the EasyPress Mat and pre-heat the area for 5 seconds. Lay the design down on the shirt and use the EasyPress.

For EasyWeed HTV, adjust the EasyPress temperature to 305º and timer to 15 seconds. Turn the shirt over and press again. Peel the liner off when the vinyl has cooled. For best results, wash the shirt inside out and hang to dry.

Download the Nintendo Controller Cut File

*Cut file images are free for personal use only

The event with Nintendo was held at Discovery Gateway, a fun children's museum in Salt Lake City. We were able to go into the museum after hours, and it was so fun for my daughter to be able to play with other "blogger kids" and check out the exhibits without the public!

We were greeted by the Nintendo staff and the amazing Family Forward team who put on the event. Before talking Nintendo, we were treated with pizza, salad, and sandwiches from California Pizza Kitchen and dessert from Sweet Tooth Fairy. It was a lot of fun to sit and catch up with fellow influencers and get to know their families. 

After dinner, we learned all about the new Nintendo 2DS XL! It's SO much fun. Find out all about it in this post and download a Free Printable Nintendo Bingo!

Everyone was able to test out the new device and a bunch of games. My daughter was having a blast and loved every minute of it. Mario Kart is definitely at the top of her list of favorite games.

As a surprise at the end of the event, we were graciously given a swag bag full of amazing Nintendo loot, including our very own shiny Nintendo 2DS XL! We've also got a couple of new games to play and a gift card to the Nintendo eShop!

We had a blast at the event, and I love that I could easily make my family some shirts to wear just for the occasion using my Cricut and HTV.

What's your favorite Nintendo game?