Free Summer Mermaid SVG and HTV Tutorial

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My sweet niece, my summer mermaid, is really missing all the normal summer activities right now. The weather in southern California is brutal in the summer (hello 100 degrees every day!) and that little girl absolutely loves the beach. I was always a summer mermaid when I was her age too.

I knew I was going to need a super cute Summer Mermaid SVG to decorate a t-shirt for her since she is such a little fish and I am sharing the FREE cut file with you too!

Estimated Time: 20 Minutes

Skill Level: Advanced

Supplies Needed:

Silhouette CAMEO®
Silhouette Cutting Mat
Weeding Hook
Silhouette Studio – use the Business Edition to make importing SVGs easy
Heat Transfer Vinyl
Blank t-shirt (be sure to wash and dry before crafting)
Iron or heat press
Free Summer Mermaid SVG

Step One: Creating Your Summer Mermaid Knockout Method Design:

Open Silhouette Studio®.

Select the Page Setup Window and adjust your cutting mat size to 12×12 (or the sized mat you are using).

First, you need to download your design from The Polka Dotted Blue Jay Freebie Library and then open it in Silhouette Studio. Click File>Open>Select your downloaded file.

Using the Business Edition of Silhouette Studio will make part seamless but you can also trace your design if you have the free edition. Ungroup your design by right-clicking and selecting “ungroup”.

Use the fill option in Silhouette Studio® to color each element of your design. Click a part of the design and then select the color you want from the fill menu in the toolbar. I like to coordinate the fill color with the color of my vinyl so I can “see” what my design will look like.

Measure your t-shirt and re-size your design to the correct space on your 12×12 template – be sure to click and drag to select the whole design, right-click, and select “group” to re-group your design to move it as one design and keep everything lined up.

You will need to flip your design, so it appears backward for Heat Transfer Vinyl – this is called “mirroring” your design. Highlight your design, click “object” from the toolbar, “mirror” from the menu, and then “horizontally” to mirror it.

Now You’re Ready to Cut:

Select “Send” to prepare to cut.

Follow the prompts in the Design Studio for Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl (or the type you are using for your project) and double-check to make sure your design has been selected to cut.

Select the fill option instead of “simple” from the cutting menu. You can select each color and your Silhouette Cameo will only cut out the elements in your design that are that color. This is why it is helpful to change the design colors in step 5.

Load your heat transfer vinyl into your Cameo 4 with the glitter side face down on the mat.

Click “Send”

Press the down-arrow when your machine has finished cutting your design to remove the cutting mat from the machine.

Repeat for the next color of heat transfer vinyl.

Step Two: Preparing Your Summer Mermaid Knockout Method Design:

Remove your sheet of Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl from the cutting mat – go slow so it doesn’t curl up or tear.

Use your fingers or a weeding tool to remove the excess vinyl from each color. Be sure to leave your design on the clear carrier sheet.

Step Three: Creating Your Summer Mermaid Knockout Method T-shirt:

Pre-heat your t-shirt – use your iron or heat press to warm up the fabric for a better transfer.

Place the first color of your design on your t-shirt right side up (this is the reason you mirror your design for cutting).

Heat the larger part of your design for the recommended time for the HTV you’re using. Apply steady pressure.

Peel back the clear carrier sheet. Some Heat Transfer Vinyl requires a hot or cold peel – always follow the recommended peel for your heat transfer vinyl. Tip: pull from a corner and not the side to make sure each part of the design transfers completely to your t-shirt while holding the shirt down.