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Home ยป How to Use Cricut SportFlex Iron-Onโ„ข + Project Ideas

How to Use Cricut SportFlex Iron-Onโ„ข + Project Ideas

Updated on December 31, 2020 | Published on March 28, 2018

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Jump to How-To
SportFlex is a unique iron-on material released by Cricut that was specifically designed to work well on stretchy materials. In this post, you'll learn how to use it, tips and tricks for usage, and some project ideas! sportflex iron-on / iron-on projects / athletic shirts / cricut made / cricut maker / cricut explore air 2 / cricut crafts #cricut #cricutcrafts #cricutdiy via @clarkscondensed

SportFlex is a unique iron-on material released by Cricut that was specifically designed to work well on stretchy materials. In this post, you’ll learn how to use it, tips and tricks for usage, and some project ideas!

Cricut SportFlex Iron On

Cricut has released various types of iron on materials in the recent years.

SportFlex Iron-On™ has been one of the most popular – and for good reason.

Although it works fairly similarly to regular iron-on, there are a few things to keep in mind, so today I thought I would share a little bit more about how to work with SportFlex Iron-On™ for amazing results.

In this post, I will share the basic instructions for using it, what you can use it on, some tips and tricks, and a few project ideas.

As always, feel free to ask questions below if you have them!

Table of contents

  1. What is SportFlex Iron On?
  2. How to Work with SportFlex Iron-on
  3. SportFlex Heating Instructions
  4. Tips for Using SportFlex Iron On
  5. Can You Use Cricut Sportflex on cotton?
  6. What Other Materials Can You Use with SportFlex?
  7. SportFlex Projects

What is SportFlex Iron On?

In case you aren’t familiar with what SportFlex Iron-On™ is, it is an iron-on material that is designed to stretch – for that reason, it’s ideal for sports shirts, spandex, swimming suits, and maternity clothes. It’s also quite thin.

It also features the Cricut StrongBond™ Guarantee, which makes it ideal for lasting on your material for a long time.

It comes in a variety of colors and styles, which is really fun. Currently I just have black and blue, but I want to place an order for ALL the colors soon.

Working with the SportFlex Iron-on™ is pretty similar to working with regular Iron-on – so make sure you read my tutorial on how to use iron-on vinyl for more details on iron-on vinyl and projects.

In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about working with SportFlex!

Make sure to shop our Cricut store on Amazon for all your Cricutting needs. If you are shopping on Cricut.com, you can use the code CC2021 for 10% off and free shipping materials and supplies on Cricut.com on orders of $50 or more.

How to Use SportFlex Iron-on

Here are the basic instructions for using SportFlex™ Iron-on

  1. Make your design in Cricut Design Space
  2. Place your material on to a StandardGrip mat
  3. Select “SportFlex™ Iron-On” as your material in Design Space
  4. Cut
  5. Carefully weed away excess
  6. Preheat shirt for about 10 seconds
  7. Place material with plastic side up on the garment
  8. Iron on
  9. Use the cool peel technique

But now I’ll give you some more in-depth “secrets” to help you make your SportFlex Iron-On™projects even better!

1
Create your design in Design Space
2
Place SportFlex – shiny side down – on to a sticky StandardGrip mat
3
Send your design to cut – make sure you’ve mirrored your image and selected the SportFlex material.
4
Weed out the excess material
5
If it’s a large design, cut it down and work in small pieces
6
Place shirt on EP mat and preheat for ten seconds – place design on shirt
7
Press for 30 seconds at 305 degrees.
8
Flip shirt over and press for about 15 seconds
9
Once plastic has completely cooled, carefully remove from shirt
10
For more tips and full instructions, head to ClarksCondensed.com
Check out my other content @clarkscondensed on Jumprope.
Continue to Content
How to use SportFlex Iron On

How to use SportFlex Iron On

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Active Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Materials

  • SportFlex Iron on
  • Compatible Material

Tools

  • EasyPress 2 or Iron
  • Cricut Machine
  • Cricut StandardGrip Mat
  • Weeding Tool

Instructions

  1. Make your design in Cricut Design Space
  2. Place your material on to a StandardGrip mat
  3. Select "SportFlex™ Iron-On" as your material in Design Space
  4. Cut
  5. Carefully weed away excess
  6. Preheat shirt for about 10 seconds
  7. Place material with plastic side up on the garment
  8. Iron on
  9. Use the cool peel technique
© Katie
Category: Cricut

SportFlex Heating Instructions

You need to be pretty careful with what settings you use on your garment – because of the specific heat requirements, you will need to make sure you pick a material that is compatible with the heating instructions below.

These are directly from Cricut on the temperatures to use with SportFlex Iron-On™:

USING THE EASYPRESS

  • Heat the EasyPress to 305 F
  • Preheat the area of the material in which you will be applying your cut image for 5-10 seconds
  • Place your cut image on your garment (plastic side up) for 30 seconds on the front of the garment and  15 seconds on the back of the garment, using medium pressure.
  • Use Warm Peel technique – essentially, allow the transfer material to cool about 15-20 seconds before peeling.
  • For an even better press, make sure you are using the EasyPress mat. 

USING AN IRON 

Iron Heat – Preheat the area of the material in which you will be applying your cut image for 5-10 seconds. Wool setting for 50 seconds on the front of the garment. 15 seconds on the back of the garment, medium pressure. Warm Peel.

Tips for Using SportFlex Iron On

Face the bubbly side up

Typically when working with iron-on, I will tell people to put the pretty/shiny side facing the mat, because it’s typically pretty easy to tell what that is. However, with the SportFlex Iron-On™, it’s a little trickier, especially if you aren’t familiar with it. Both sides are shiny!

There is one side of it that seems “bubblier” than the other, so that is the side that should be facing up. If you can tell which side the clear plastic is on, that should be facing down.

Do a Test Cut

Cricut has added SportFlex Iron-On™ as one of it’s custom materials in Design Space. Make sure you select this instead of regular iron-on. If you have the Explore Air 1 or 2, make sure you put the dial to “custom” before you go to cut. However, I still recommend doing a test cut.

Here’s why.

When I went to use it for the first time, I used the pre-set settings for SportFlex Iron-On™, and it actually cut through the back on several of the numbers. It is supposed to do a “kiss cut” (where it cuts through just the first layer), but a few times, this failed to happen.

If you do a small test cut and see that it cuts all the way through, I would just decrease the pressure (which you can do in Design Space before you start the cut). I just do this by default now when I cut with it.

I’m not sure this happens to everyone – I’ve seen others say it has, but then other people say they haven’t had any issues. So just save yourself sometime and cut through just one layer!

Mirror!

Okay this is important for ANY iron-on project, but I almost always forget to mirror (thank goodness Design Space always reminds me!) Always mirror!

You Don’t Need Teflon or Iron-on Protective Sheet

For many iron-on projects, it’s recommended to use Teflon or a Cricut Iron-on Protective sheet. However, that is not required with the SportFlex™ Iron-On.

Cut in Sections

I just find this easier with iron-on projects in general to cut the iron-on into smaller pieces if you are putting a large design on. It makes it easier to peel up the plastic, and if something didn’t stick, you don’t have to compromise the entire design for just a small part.

Can You Use Cricut Sportflex on cotton?

This is a very popular question, because when you use the heat guide for the EasyPress 2 on Cricut.com, it says “options not compatible.”

So Cricut does not suggest you use 100% cotton with SportFlex. With that said, I have done it. I don’t feel like the results last as long, but it can be done.

I would test some SportFlex out on a small piece of 100% cotton first before doing a big design, just to ensure you are okay with the results. I have had great results using cotton-poly and modal blends with SportFlex.

I use 305 degrees for about 30 seconds. You may need to experiment a little bit!

What Other Materials Can You Use with SportFlex?

SportFlex Iron-On™ is designed to work best with tech fabrics like polyester and nylon, therefore, if you are going to be using their heat guide, those are the only ones where instructions will actually come up.

Here are a few blanks you could consider:

  • Cricut Infusible Ink T-Shirts
  • Cricut Infusible Ink Baby Bodysuits

You can certainly try other materials, though, and see what happens!

SportFlex Project Ideas

If you are looking for some ideas of what you can make with SportFlex, here are a few things for inspiration:

  • DIY Funny Pregnancy Shirt – Free Cricut File
  • Workout Leggings
  • Baby Onesies
  • Stretchy Shirts
  • Will Run for Donuts Tank
  • Custom Workout Shirt
  • Baby Onesies and Bow
  • Swim Shirts
  • Gymnastic Shirts
  • Cycling Clothes
  • Mermaid Rashguard
  • This post has five project ideas – custom bathing suit, headbands, socks, activewear, and soccer shorts
  • Fun Fitness Shirt
  • Yoga Shirt
  • Here for the Snacks Onesie
  • Monogrammed Bag
  • Practice Jersey
  • Headband
  • Workout Buddies T-Shirt/Tank
  • Sorority Letter T-Shirt
  • Ballet Warmups
  • School Gym Clothes
  • B.U.M.P. Pregnancy Shirt
  • Personalized Easter Bag
 
sportflex iron on

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WELCOME TO CLARKS CONDENSED

Clarks Condensed provides uplifting and motivating information to share the joys of home and family living through parenting and pregnancy advice, easy DIY tutorials, recipes, and more โ€“ all with a frugal twist. Read more...

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March 28, 2018Katie

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Audrey says

    December 12, 2019 at 3:34 pm

    What if u do not have a mat to put it on to weed out? My daughter was able to do designs @ work but I have to iron on T-shirt myself.Im hoping I donโ€™t ruin anything

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 28, 2019 at 9:55 pm

      I’m not sure if I know exactly what you are saying – you don’t need a mat in order to weed ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • Audrey says

        December 29, 2019 at 3:55 pm

        Thanks

        Reply
        • Alicia A Vacchiano says

          February 2, 2020 at 7:53 pm

          I tried this on 100% cotton baby onesie but it would not stick. Is it because it is pure cotton?

          Reply
          • Katie says

            February 3, 2020 at 8:42 am

            I actually had this problem recently, as well! I eventually got it to stick, but I had to do a higher temperature, and I left the plastic sheet on for a day before taking it off.

  2. Libbi Shockley says

    September 4, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    Any idea where to get a good deal on kids shirts to use with the sport vinyl. I have a couple places I use for cotton but have never used poly or nylon

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 28, 2019 at 10:05 pm

      I have heard good things about Jiffy Shirts!

      Reply
  3. Kat C. says

    August 4, 2019 at 6:23 pm

    I used the light purple mat – Strong Grip. And the sport flex vinyl will not stick this one either. Had to use masking tape to hold it down and cut.

    Reply
    • Nancy J Yasuoka says

      March 3, 2020 at 5:43 pm

      I also just used a bit of the sport flex on a 100% cotton onsie. It seems to be sticking, but is there any concerns with it sticking after washing? I made this as a gift for a new baby this weekend and don’t want to give it to them if it won’t stay down. Right now it seems pretty well adheared. Thanks

      Reply
      • Katie says

        March 5, 2020 at 10:04 am

        I haven’t had any issues with it coming up!

        Reply
        • Nancy J Yasuoka says

          March 5, 2020 at 11:49 am

          Thank you. I think I will just press it once more for peace of mind.

          Reply
          • Katie says

            March 5, 2020 at 3:12 pm

            I don’t think that ever hurts ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Mariangel says

    July 26, 2019 at 4:23 pm

    Would there be problem after if I put the sportflex material on a 100% cotton t-shirt? I check under the heat guide and it says they wont match. I try it an its stays, but im not sure what wuld happen after.

    Reply
  5. Pamela McCrossan says

    May 5, 2019 at 5:55 pm

    I bought this because I needed orange and it was the only material that came in orange at my store. It looks great on a black t-shirt but after 1 washing it looks wrinkly. Any thoughts?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 8, 2019 at 4:51 pm

      Hmm, that is typically because there either wasn’t enough heat or pressure applied.

      Reply
      • Tim says

        July 3, 2019 at 9:56 pm

        I have had trouble with that if my shirt is not prewashed. After washing it the first time, it can shrink and cause the vinyl to wrinkle.

        Reply
  6. Mavis roy says

    April 24, 2019 at 6:04 am

    I used sportflex on a tank top and during first use it started peeling off, whathe I got I have did wrong

    Reply
    • Katie says

      April 24, 2019 at 7:41 am

      Most likely you didn’t apply enough pressure or heat.

      Reply
      • Katherine says

        May 2, 2019 at 5:12 pm

        Can you reheat it again to try to readhere it?

        Reply
        • Katie says

          May 3, 2019 at 4:36 pm

          Yes, you can try that.

          Reply
          • Liz says

            August 21, 2019 at 10:20 pm

            Can you use a heat press machine for sportflex iron on?

      • Michele Johnson says

        July 22, 2019 at 3:45 pm

        I canโ€™t get the sport vinyl to stick to any of my mats! My mats are pretty much new!

        Reply
        • Katie says

          July 22, 2019 at 5:15 pm

          It can be really hard to keep down. I usually have to use masking tape myself to get it to stick ๐Ÿ™

          Reply
        • Catherine says

          July 24, 2019 at 5:26 pm

          Make sure you’re using the STANDARD GRIP mat (the green one) it won’t stick to the light grip (blue one).

          Reply
          • Surek says

            October 30, 2019 at 8:20 am

            I canโ€™t even get it to stick to my Purple mat!!

  7. Amber Spigelmyer says

    March 26, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    thaaank you! i could NOT figure out which side went up!! no other website was helpful!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 26, 2019 at 4:16 pm

      I’m so glad this helped you!!

      Reply
  8. Marlyce Bruning says

    January 26, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    Hi Katie, I do not have a cricut machine but do have the silhouette cutter. Do you have any recommendation for the proper cutting settings? Also I have a heat machine and am wondering the heat temp and time settings I should use for the Sport Flex products? Thank you so much for your help! Marly

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 8, 2019 at 4:56 pm

      I’m so sorry – I am not familiar with the settings for a Silhouette and sportflex ๐Ÿ™

      Reply
    • Sarah K says

      May 13, 2019 at 10:36 pm

      Hi! I have a silhouette. I am using this vinyl for the first time. The smooth strongbond should be a blade setting of 2!

      Reply
      • Katie says

        May 14, 2019 at 8:25 am

        Thank you for sharing!!

        Reply
    • eva says

      August 6, 2019 at 4:14 am

      cut 2 speed 1 pressure 20 pass 1

      Reply
  9. Lauren Ivey-Muniz says

    December 8, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    I am truly thankful for your simple, but detailed, post on the SportFlex. Your recommendation to look for the side with more bubbles was a fantastic piece of advice since both sides are so shiny. Thanks for the steps, the video, and the photos – what a wonderful combination! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Katie says

      December 10, 2018 at 7:56 am

      I’m so glad that you found this helpful, and I’m grateful for you saying so ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  10. Frances says

    November 6, 2018 at 5:02 am

    I would like to use this vinyl to put monograms on linen cushion covers. Would it stick to linen? Also I don’t have a Cricut cutter so could I cut it by hand with a scalpel?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      November 6, 2018 at 7:56 am

      Yes, I’m sure you could use this vinyl with a scalpel. As far as the monograms, I have never used vinyl on linen, but I’m sure with the correct settings you could ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  11. Billie says

    October 6, 2018 at 12:09 am

    So my daughter just bought a criquet machine and she is having problems getting it to cut all the way through. IS there any tips/tricks to using the black vinyl? She doesnโ€™t have this problem with any other color.

    Reply
    • Katie says

      November 5, 2018 at 10:28 pm

      Hmm, that is really strange that it’s just the black vinyl. Is it a different brand or type of vinyl than the other colors?

      Reply
  12. Chelsea+@+Life+With+My+Littles says

    March 28, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    That SportFlex one sounds so cool! If I do another Disney Run I am for sure going to use it to make my own shirt!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 28, 2018 at 8:55 pm

      That would be so fun!

      Reply
    • Ginger Knight says

      May 8, 2019 at 4:36 pm

      This helped me more than the Cricut website. Successfully completed two shirts. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Katie says

        May 8, 2019 at 4:50 pm

        So happy to hear that!

        Reply

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