I Make Due An introduction to the Cricut Maker

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

You need to have a certain kind of personality in order to create an environment that’s truly expressive of who you are. Have you ever been pushed away from gardening because you believe you don’t have a green thumb? Perhaps you never picked up painting because you believe you aren’t very artistic. It’s easier to just buy things that other people made and let that be reflective of who you are.

To that I say: pish posh! Equipped with the right tools, every person regardless of natural talent or skill can become a lauded “Maker.” Some will design their own living space, others will convert their creations into a little extra cash. Technology now exists to turn anyone into a Maker from the comfort of their own home with zero experience required. All you need is a vision, the right tool and some materials to get you started.

A Cricut Maker smart cutting machine is the perfect beginner tool for entering the Maker space. This device looks like an unassuming desktop printer; but, hidden inside is a powerful tool for cutting intricate designs or even drawing them out with pens using infusible ink. A Cricut Maker acts like a printer in reverse — rather than adding material, it cuts away material in patterns far more precise than our clumsy hands. This device is modular, meaning you can switch out the standard blade with things like markers or rotary cutting tools as easily as you swap the batteries in your TV remote.

The Cricut Maker is capable of working with a huge variety of materials, from paper to vinyl, and even cardstock, cereal board, felt and leather. This gives you tremendous creative freedom in designing everything from custom greeting cards to leather vambraces, if you’re into cosplay.

Enough with the sales pitch, what can a totally inexperienced person make with this thing in five minutes or less?

For instance, I found myself with an abundance of unlabeled storage containers for my unpainted miniatures. These poor figurines are languishing in a bin to be used as spare parts at some point in the future, but I don’t want to dig through them to find out what they are. This gives me two options.

I can cut out tiny letters from vinyl and apply them to the bins, or I can slap on an icon for that miniature’s faction that I found online. The Cricut Maker can do either, but the icon will be easier to work with. All I have to do is load up the Cricut Design Space software, import a network graphics, or PNG file, and send it to the Cricut. Once I load my material, it does the hard work of cutting out a picture-perfect pattern. I’ll weed out the bits that I don’t want to transfer with the transfer tape and I’m done. Five minutes or less.

If I’m feeling a bit more adventurous, I could instead use the machine to carve out a stencil, then blast that image onto my bin with my handy airbrush, but vinyl fits the aesthetic — especially when it shifts color in the light.

The Cricut Maker can even create custom patterns on clothing using infusible ink and an iron, or the optional heat press that can be purchased separately.

Curious to see one in action? Both library branches have a Cricut Maker, and several staff — including myself — have been trained on how to operate it and answer basic questions about the machine. If you want to unleash your inner maker, stop by the library or send me an email at brenden@ebonnerlibrary.org.