All About the Cricut Maker - For Newbies

I craft almost daily.

Yep, I have to be creative almost every single day or my mental health is in jeopardy.

I'm not exaggerating. You probably are similar.

When you see something at Hobby Lobby or a cute tshirt on Facebook, you tell yourself, "I can make that".

And in reality, you totally CAN!!

Get your questions about the Cricut Maker machine answered in this review of the Maker and its products. Great for beginners and advanced users alike.

This post contains affiliate links to products I recommend. I do make a portion off any you may purchase. See full disclosure here.

I have had my Cricut Maker for over 2 years now. I LOVE IT!!

Before my Maker I didn't realize how much I was missing out on. Not only does it help me cut fabric for sewing projects, but I can customize everything.

It also has allowed me to help make gifts for others, put together projects for classrooms and even make silly socks.

So why would you choose the Cricut Maker over other cutting machines. Let me share what you can do with a Cricut.

And full disclosure, this is not a sponsored post. I guess you could say this is a bit of a Cricut Maker review. I just really want to share what I know about the Maker so you can decide if it is right for you.

Get your questions about the Cricut Maker machine answered in this review of the Maker and its products.

What is the Cricut Maker?

The Cricut Maker is the newest cutting machine released from Cricut. This machine not only can cut through vinyl and paper, but can cut through a variety of materials including fabric, leather, woods, acetate and more.

The Cricut Maker is designed with an Adaptive Tool Set. This means that the cartridge inside the Maker has a slot for a pen and a slot for various Cricut cutting tools.

The Cricut Maker has a 360° spin that allows all the blades attached to cut corners, curves and sharp points more accurately.

Not sure whether to go with the Maker or a Silhouette. Check out our Cricut Vs. Silhouette post that compares the two machines.

What's in the Cricut Maker box?

Each Cricut Maker comes with:

Cricut Maker Machine
Rotary Blade and Housing - learn about the Rotary Blade
Fine Point Blade and Housing
Fine Point Pen
2 Cutting Mats
50 Free Ready-to-Make Projects, including sewing projects

When you open the box you'll also get a free project to try. That means you can start learning to use your Cricut Maker right from the beginning.

What Cricut Maker accessories do I need?

To start using your Cricut Maker, you might want to invest in a few extra supplies that can help you be more successful from the start.

Here are some of the other items I use regularly with my Cricut Maker.

12 x 12" Pink Grip Mat - if you plan to cut out fabric
12 x 12" Purple Grip Mat - for using with leather crafts and chipboard
12 x 24" Cricut Mats - Learn more about all the Cricut Mats with our Guide to Cricut Cutting Mats
Weeding Kit
Sewing Kit
Knife Blade
Deep Cut Blade
Cricut Pens
Scoring Wheel

Engraving Tip
Perforation Blade
Wavy Blade
Debossing Tip

None of these products are required, but as you start learn to use your Maker, you'll want to try new materials and new products.

What can the Cricut Maker Cut?

The Cricut Maker can cut lots of different materials.

Vinyl
Paper
Acetate
Fabric
Balsa wood
Basswood
Chipboard
Leathers

Check out our GIANT list of items that the Cricut Maker can cut.

Can the Cricut Maker sew?

Sad to say, but no. The Cricut Maker cannot sew. It does help make sewing and especially quilting a much faster process.

Cutting fabric on the Maker is fast, accurate and much easier than you might think.

Check out how I pieced together a quilt with the help of my Cricut Maker.

Can the Cricut Maker Emboss or Engrave?

Many people want to know if the Cricut Maker can emboss or engrave. The answer now is YES!!!!

With the new engraving and depossing tips you can do so many amazing projects with your Cricut Maker.

How does the Cricut Maker work?

Using the Cricut Maker is super simple. In fact, Cricut makes it pretty dummy proof. Which is especially good for someone crafting late into the night.

To start your project, you'll need an SVG cut file. An SVG file stands for Scalable Vector Graphic.

Basically and SVG allows you to change it's size without altering the image quality. Which is a good thing.

Simply open the SVG file or select and image or font on Design Space.

When it is how you want it, follow the prompts that are given and you'll have your project cut out in no time.

Here are some simple steps to get you started.

Step 1
Open Design Space and load your design or project.

Step 2
Connect your Maker to either your computer or through bluetooth on your mobile device.

Step 3
Select the appropriate material for your project.

Step 4
Follow the prompts on your computer or mobile device. You may need to change out your blade or tip based on the project you are doing.

Check out the video below to learn how to change your blades.

Step 5
Cut out your project.

What can the Cricut Maker Do?

The Cricut Maker can do SO MANY different projects. Whether you are a paper crafter, vinyl creator or sewing enthusiast. There is something for everyone with the Cricut Maker.

You can create oversized projects in Cricut Design Space and cut them out with your Cricut.

Don't just paper craft. Learn to use the Print Then Cut feature and you'll be creating loads of projects with the help of your printer and Cricut Maker.

You can also make amazing stickers with the Print Then Cut feature.

Cut out simple sewing projects with your Cricut Maker and Rotary Blade like this easy Baby Burp Cloth Pattern.

Make beautiful leather and faux leather crafts with the Knife Blade. I personally love to make leather earrings.

Draw beautiful calligraphy or fun kid projects using the Cricut Pens.

My favorite projects right now are using iron-on vinyl to create t-shirts, fabric projects or to make reverse canvas projects as gifts.

Where Can I Find SVG Files?

SVG cut files are pretty easy to come by. Cricut Design Space has loads of images you can use. But you can find lots of free cut files all over Pinterest.

We have a lot of free SVG cut files from sewing patterns to vinyl cut images.

Free fonts are available at Dafont and 1001font. Just be careful what fonts are for personal or commercial use. And always take caution when downloading to your computer.

If you don't mind paying for cut files and fonts. You can also find them on The Hungry Jpeg and Craft Bundles. Both of these are great places to get font bundles or image bundles and a great price. Just make sure to check if they are for personal use or commercial use.

Another great place to look for SVG cut files in on Etsy. They are usually a good price and you can buy one file or a bundle of files.

I hope this has helped answer a lot of your questions about how to use the Cricut Maker.