Design Your Own Vinyl Fabric

Have you ever thought about creating a custom pattern vinyl fabric?! Well, I haven’t until now! LOL! I love clear makeup bags and pouches and I see them all the time when I’m shopping, but I always felt like I wouldn’t be able to create my own. Well, ladies and gents…the time has come! I finally figured out how to create my own vinyl fabric and I’m going to show you how.

To design my own custom vinyl fabric, I used a Silhouette Cameo 4. (pictured below) I included the information about the machine so that you get an understanding of what it does. Your creativity is what takes this machine to the next level. Today, I’m showing how you to create your own vinyl fabric and very soon, I’ll how you how to design your own cotton fabric. This machine does unbelievable things!

MATERIALS

Silhouette Cameo 4
20 Gauge Vinyl Fabric
Clear Transfer Tape (Be sure to use THIS one. Do not grab anything with a strong bond. It will leave a tacky residue on the vinyl fabric.)
Craft Vinyl (Any color)

HERE’S HOW

Using Adobe Illustrator or whatever design app you are comfortable with, create a repetitive design and save as an svg file. If you are unsure of how to create a particular shape, the Silhouette Designer Store has already made designs that you can use and create a repeat effect.
If your design has layers, save each layer as a separate file. Be sure not to move or disturb the layers in your design or once you transfer it onto your fabric, it will not match perfectly, For example, for the strawberry print that I designed, you’ll see that it requires three separate files: The leaves, strawberry, and seeds. The more layers, the more realistic the print is.

3. Once each file is created, it’s time to cut. Cut each file separately according to the appropriate color.

4. Now, paying attention to how each layer should be arranged, use the transfer tape to to layer each part of your vinyl. Once each layer is stacked on top of one another with the transfer tape, carefully lay it on your vinyl fabric.

5. Tada! You have officially created your own custom vinyl fabric! Easy right?!

6. Tip: To eliminate waste, maybe cut out the pattern/ project you want to create and then apply your design onto your fabric. It may be a great idea to arrange your design in silhouette in the shape of your pattern/ project if you desire.

And TADA!!!! You have your very own custom designed by YOU vinyl fabric. You can sew whatever you want.