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Make a fun Coloring Shirt with this free Back to School SVG file! Make the cutest DIY back to school shirt ever!

Back to school coloring shirt on a purple background with fabric markers, Cricut Maker 3, and Smart Iron-On

Looking for a cute First Day of School shirt? Use our free Back to School SVG file to make your own DIY coloring shirt! It’s tons of fun for ALL ages!

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How to Make a Back to School Coloring Shirt

Supplies for making a back to school shirt - shirt, Cricut Maker 3, EasyPress 2, tools, and fabric markers

We picked up all of the supplies for this project at our local Michaels store, and there’s an even bigger selection of materials available if you shop online (you can even use their FREE Buy Online Pick Up In Store option!).

Supplies Needed:

NOTE: You can use any machine in the Cricut Maker or Explore family of machines to make this project. We used our new Cricut Maker 3 with Smart Iron-On because it makes crafting faster and easier than ever! When paired with Smart Materials, the Maker 3 cuts up to twice as fast as the “fast mode” on previous machine models!

Software Screenshot - Uploading a New SVG to Cricut Design Space

To begin making your back to school shirt, open up a new canvas in Cricut Design Space. Use the “Upload” option to upload the Back to School Coloring SVG (available below). If you need help uploading an SVG, click here for a step-by-step tutorial on How to Upload an SVG File in Cricut Design Space!

Software Screenshot - Resizing an Image in Cricut Design Space

Insert the image into the new canvas and size the design to fit your garment. Sizing will depend largely upon your own personal preferences, however, we have included a standard guideline below to help you get started!

printable iron on heat transfer vinyl sizing and placement chart

CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD & PRINT the SIZING GUIDE!

Software Screenshot - "Make It" Button in Cricut Design Space

Once your design is appropriately sized, click the green “Make It” button in the upper corner of the screen.

Software Screenshot - Mirroring Canvas in Cricut Design Space

Iron-on is cut with the adhesive side up, so you will need to reverse your image in order for it to appear correctly when you flip it over on to the shirt. Mirror your design by sliding on the green toggle switch, and then click “Continue” in the bottom of the screen.

Software Screenshot - Materials Selection in Cricut Design Space

Select your material from the list – we used Smart Iron-On. Note: if your material doesn’t appear on the list, click “Browse All Materials” for more options!

Hands loading black Smart Iron-On into a Cricut Maker 3 on purple background

Trim a piece of Smart Iron-On to size and insert it directly into the machine. My two favorite things about using Smart Iron-On are 1) It can be cut without a cutting mat! (simply load and go!) and 2) It cuts up to twice as fast when paired with the Maker 3! The faster cutting speed is REALLY noticeable when cutting a detailed file like this back to school SVG! Press the “Go” arrow button to cut the Smart Iron-On.

Note: If you’re using another type of iron-on, you will need to place your material on a cutting mat before cutting.

Cricut BrightPad with weeded back to school svg vinyl on purple background

Use your weeding tools to weed the excess Iron-On from the carrier sheet. I love and prefer my Hooked Weeding Tool for weeding intricate designs. If you have a Cricut BrightPad, you will find that the illuminated surface is extra helpful when weeding detailed images like this one.

Close up of back to school iron-on design on white shirt

Position the Iron-On design on the shirt.

Cricut EasyPress 2 and white shirt with back to school iron-on design on purple background

Heat up the EasyPress 2 following the recommended time and temperature settings in the Cricut EasyPress Heat Guide. Place your shirt on top of an EasyPress Mat to protect your work surface from the heat.

Note: you can also use an iron, however, we HIGHLY recommend using an EasyPress 2. Read all about Why We Love the EasyPress 2 here!

Hand using an EasyPress to apply iron-on to a white t-shirt

For Smart Iron-On on a cotton shirt, we used a temperature of 315 degrees F for 30 seconds with light pressure. Cool for a few minutes, then flip the shirt over, and press again for 15 seconds from the back side.

Hand peeling back heat transfer vinyl backing from shirt

Allow the shirt to cool before peeling off the plastic transfer sheet. Set the transfer sheet aside – we’ll use it again in just a minute!

Heidi Holding Up Back to School Shirt in front of craft room pegboard of colorful supplies

Tada! Isn’t this the cutest back to school shirt you’ve ever seen? 😍

reusing transfer paper to make 100 days brighter svg

Take the plastic transfer sheet that you set aside, and place it inside of the shirt with the sticky side facing the front of the shirt. This will give the fabric a little bit of extra stability while coloring and prevent any bleed through from the fabric markers.

Back to school shirt ready to be colored

You can also place a sheet of cardstock or thick paper inside the shirt as well for extra protection.

Close up of hand with red fabric marker coloring a back to school shirt

Now, it’s time to start coloring! We used Tulip Fabric Markers from Michaels to color our shirt, and they worked really well. The Tulip markers colored solidly, plus, they’re available in a variety of different tips that are perfect for smaller/larger details.

Close up of partially colored coloring shirt design with fabric markers in background

Color and customize your back to school coloring shirt to make it your own!

Close up view of partially colored back to school shirt with fabric markers on a purple background
Partially completed coloring shirt with back to school themed design surrounded by fabric markers on purple background

The Smart Iron-On outlines make it easy for little hands to stay within the lines when coloring.

Back to school coloring shirt on a purple background with fabric markers and Cricut Maker 3

Kids of all ages will love personalizing their own First Day of School shirt – it’s SO much fun!

Back to school coloring shirt on a purple background surrounded by fabric markers and Cricut supplies

This Back to School coloring shirt is such a fun idea that I might need to make more coloring shirt SVG designs for other holidays, too! What do you think?

Get the Back to School Coloring Shirt SVG FILE Here

This file is Crafting File #58 in our Freebie Library! Get the password to our Freebie Library by signing up for our Email Club in the form below! If you are already a club member with the password, hop on over to the Freebie Library to download the file now!

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All free downloads from Happiness is Homemade are for PERSONAL and CLASSROOM USE ONLY. You MAY NOT share, distribute, sell, or use these files for commercial purposes, including print-on-demand. Commercial licenses for SVG and PNG Crafting Files may be purchased in the Happiness is Homemade Shop. Please read our full license terms here.

Can’t find the download form? Having trouble with the file? Check out our Digital Downloads FAQ page for answers to the most common troubleshooting questions!


Partially completed coloring shirt with back to school themed design surrounded by fabric markers on purple background

Back to School Shirt + SVG File

Print Pin Save Rate
Active Time: 20 minutes
Coloring Time May Vary: 1 hour

Equipment:

  • Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Cutting Machine
  • EasyPress 2 or Iron

What You’ll Need:

Instructions:

  • Open up Cricut Design Space (or other software program), and upload the SVG file.
  • Cut the iron-on vinyl using your cutting machine, and use the weeding tools to remove the excess vinyl. 
    Note: When working with iron-on vinyl, always mirror each mat before cutting! 
  • Next, use the EasyPress 2 (or iron) to adhere your design to your shirt following the recommended time and temperature settings in the Interactive Quick Reference Guide
  • Allow the vinyl to cool before peeling.
Did You Make This?Mention @HeidiKundin or tag #hihmakersclub on Instagram to show off your awesome work! ♥

So, what are you waiting for? Hop on over to your local Michaels and pick up the supplies to make your own DIY Back to School shirt! Happy crafting!

Image of text that says Heidi

Don’t Forget to Pin This Back to School SVG + Coloring Shirt for Later!

Graphic of Back to School SVG and Coloring Shirt

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