If you’ve been wondering how to use the Cricut washable fabric pen, I thought I’d share a few photos and tips! I wrote a full Cricut Maker review and wanted to include these thoughts about the fabric pen, but thought it deserved its own post since this pen can be used in the Explore Air 2 as well.
(this post contains affiliate links, marked with a *, which means I get a small % back if you purchase through it, at no cost to you. Refer to ‘legal stuff’ in the menu for more info.)
The Cricut Washable Fabric Pen* writes blue, and then washes away with hot water. This makes it ideal for transferring markings on to fabric like seam allowances, snap placements, or notches. You can also use it to transfer embroidery patterns (with some limitations).
Tips for the Cricut Maker Washable Fabric Pen
- This is a no brainer, but I have forgotten to push it all the way down more than once and not realized until it was “done” (with nothing drawn!). You need to open the clamp, push it down until it clicks until you can’t see the arrow, and then close the clamp. Be sure to take it back out and keep the cap on if you aren’t using it again quickly.
- It is a blunt tip marker, not a fine point. This means that markings that are very tight or small will end up being blurred (see below), so you need to plan accordingly.
- You’ll want to make sure after you upload your image to set the function to ‘write’, and not cut.
- After you set it to ‘write’ you need to select the fabric pen option:
- You need to be extra diligent in smoothing fabric out on the fabric mat; since the pen is pulling up and down, and dragging, the fabric seemed to get caught more easily than any other time I’ve used the machine. I wished I had a brayer* to smooth it out!
- Once you’ve drawn your design/markings, stitched them, you just use warm water to wash away the markings!
I’m going to be working on a simple embroidery design that works well with the Cricut Washable Fabric Pen and sharing in the future; please let me know how else you have used this tool or if I missed any tips that you think would be helpful!
Pin this post for later, here!
Melinda
Friday 1st of May 2020
Is there a way to have it both draw marks and cut the fabric in the same round, or have it go through twice, but line up perfectly? I have a pattern that I need to cut out - about 40 pieces total, and they need to have fold marks made so I don't have to go back in and do that. Thanks!
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Sunday 10th of May 2020
Yes, it can do it at the same time!