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Make this awesome DIY wooden ruler growth chart using our free SVG file and your Cricut machine!

diy wooden ruler growth chart in living room

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March is National Craft Month, so I’m teaming up with some of my favorite blogger friends for CRAFTWEEK, March 8-14, to bring you some incredible craft ideas along with a killer giveaway that you do NOT want to miss!

DIY Wooden Ruler Growth Chart

Today, I’m sharing a free growth chart SVG file and a complete step-by-step tutorial to walk you through the process of creating your own DIY wooden ruler growth chart with your Cricut machine.

This over-sized project may look complicated at first glance (because I included photos of EVERY single step!), but rest assured, this ruler growth chart is a fantastic DIY project for all skill levels!

cricut machine in craft room

I will be using my Cricut Joy for this project because I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show you just how amazing the Joy is with super LONG cuts of vinyl! With the new mat-free Smart Vinyl, you can now cut up to 20 FEET LONG!

(Maker and Explore Air users, don’t fret – this file will work for you, too!)

If you’re new to Cricut Joy, check out these tutorials to learn more!

LEARN ALL ABOUT CRICUT JOY:

craft table with cricut machine and long wooden board inside of craft room

Supplies Used for Ruler Growth Chart:

growth ruler svg in cricut design space

To begin making your ruler growth chart, open up Cricut Design Space and upload the SVG file (available at the bottom of this post).

If you need help uploading the SVG, you can follow our step-by-step tutorial for How to Upload an SVG File.

inserting image into cricut design space

Select the file from the uploaded images and insert it into the Design Space canvas.

(You can find those other cute designs in our Happiness is Homemade SVG Shop!)

file in cricut design space

You will see that the ruler growth chart design is broken up into 7 different foot-long sections. This allows this SVG file to be used with all different types of Cricut cutting machines (Maker, Explore family, and Joy).

Cricut Joy can only cut a single image up to 4 feet in length, and since this design is nearly 7 feet long, we’re going to break it up into two sections that can be cut at the same time in one single pass.

Note: If you want to cut this file with your Explore Air or your Maker, simply cut the file as-is. It will cut with two foot-long sections on each mat, and you will need to cut and piece the sections together to fit the wood board.

welding layers selections in cricut design space

For Cricut Joy, we are going to turn these seven layers into two. Select layers 1-4 (to select multiple layers, hold down the shift key while clicking on the layer with your mouse) and use the Weld tool from the bottom right corner to combine them into one.

weld result  in cricut design space

Repeat the process with layers 5-7. When finished, click the green Make It button in the upper right corner.

circle showing choose joy svg file too close to edge  in cricut design space

Choose the mat option that says you will be cutting Smart Materials without a mat. The Material Size will initially show up as 80″ long, but as you can see, the two sections of the design are way too close together.

adjusting mat size  in cricut design space

Change the Material Size to 82 inches, and use your mouse to move the sections further apart for cutting.

Note: If desired, you may opt to rearrange the image order in the material screen above so that the numbers are in order. This will allow you to work with one large 7-foot-long piece of vinyl for the remainder of this tutorial. Personally, I think it’s a lot easier to work with two smaller (but still really long!) pieces when you are working with really large amounts of vinyl/transfer tape like we are here…but you’re welcome to do whatever works best for you!

selecting materials to cut  in cricut design space

Select your material from the list – we used Permanent Smart Vinyl.

loading materials screen  in cricut design space

Next, Design Space will prompt you to load the materials into Cricut Joy.

cricut joy with hand feeding smart vinyl into machine

Simply feed the Smart Vinyl between the rollers, and Cricut Joy will automatically pull it in and straighten the material for you. 

cricut joy and smart vinyl materials

Cricut Joy will pull the entire length of vinyl required for the cut through the machine before it begins the cut. This is done to ensure that you have enough vinyl for your cut and also to straighten the material for precise cuts.

cricut long vinyl printing inside of craft room

When the materials are loaded and ready, click “Go” in Cricut Design Space to begin the cutting process.

super long vinyl cuts made with cricut joy in craft room

You may be surprised at how quickly it cuts this whole BIG design! When the machine is done cutting, click the “Unload” button in Design Space.

scissors and materials with long wooden board

Use scissors to cut the Smart Vinyl design into two separate pieces.

weeding the cricut smart vinyl

Weed the excess vinyl. All of the pieces of this design are large enough that you should be able to weed it all by hand – no special tools needed!

design with transfer tape onto vinyl

Cut a piece of Cricut Joy Transfer Tape to the same size as your longest piece of vinyl.

peeling transfer tape off of cut file

Peel back around 4″ of Transfer Tape and bend the backing paper back underneath the length of the tape.

applying transfer tape to the long vinyl

Place the Transfer Tape on top of the Smart Vinyl.

applying pressure while applying transfer tape to long vinyl cuts made with cricut

Working in small sections, slowly remove the transfer tape backing, and use your hand to smooth the transfer tape onto the vinyl.

hand using XL scraper tool on vinyl

Use an XL Scraper to burnish the top of the transfer tape and make sure it’s completely adhered to the Smart Vinyl design.

using hinge method to the vinyl transfer for signs

To apply the vinyl to the board, I am going to use the “hinge method” of application. The hinge method helps to ensure that your vinyl stays in the right place as you apply it and is especially helpful when working with large pieces of vinyl such as this.

Start by lining up your design in position on the board. I chose to line up the edge of my Smart Vinyl with the edge of my board. Place a piece of painter’s tape in the center of the design to hold it in place.

applying smart vinyl to the sign

Peel back the transfer tape and vinyl from the left side of the painter’s tape and carefully fold the piece back on the opposite side of the board.

cutting the smart vinyl backing for the hinge method transfer

Use scissors to cut away the left half of the backing paper.

laying smart vinyl on the long ruler sign with inches shown on one side that is completed

Carefully place the transfer tape and vinyl back down on the board in position.

using XL cricut scraper tool to smooth out vinyl on wood growth chart

Use the scraper to burnish the surface to ensure that the vinyl has securely adhered to the wood.

supplies for making Iiy growth chart on table

Remove the painter’s tape from the design, and repeat the process for the other side of the vinyl.

peeling and revealing vinyl on growth chart

Peel back and remove the transfer tape, leaving the vinyl design on the wood surface.

marking the spacing with a pencil and foot ruler on the growth chart

Use a ruler to mark where the second piece of vinyl should be positioned.

vinyl taped down on top of the growth chart using the hinge method again

Repeat the hinge method process with the second piece of vinyl and transfer tape.

finished notches revealed on growth chart with supplies for project surrounding
finished DIY growth chart made into shape of giant wooden ruler

Easy peasy! This is one LONG design and a whole lot of vinyl, but the methods in this tutorial make it super simple to create!

If desired, you can add a sealer to finish your ruler growth chart, but the Permanent Smart Vinyl is super strong and designed to last, so it’s not really necessary. If you do want to seal it, I recommend using a satin polyurethane.

wooden ruler growth chart next to fireplace

How cute is that?

You can also personalize your ruler growth chart with your child’s name, your family’s last name, or anything else you desire!

I’m still deciding where I want to hang our wooden ruler growth chart in our house, so for now, I just have it leaning against the wall temporarily, but it will eventually hang 6″ off the floor so that the measurements are accurate.

child measured next to ruler growth chart in living space

This kiddo couldn’t help but jump next to the growth chart and pose for a picture while it’s not-so-accurate! He was hoping to convince his friends that he’s 5 feet tall already! 😂

DIY ruler growth chart in living room

This wooden ruler growth chart is a great addition to your home, and it would make a fantastic gift idea, too!

Get the Ruler Growth Chart SVG File Here

This file is Crafting File #37 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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11 Comments

  1. I’m trying to cut this right now, but my Joy is telling me the vinyl isn’t long enough. It’s only 48.25″ and needs to be 48.75″ according to the program. I’m using a brand new roll of the smart vinyl. Any idea what I may be doing wrong? Or any settings I should change?

    Thank you so much for giving us this file!!

    1. Hi Amanda, for your Joy Smart Vinyl, which roll length are you using? Some of the colors come in 48″ long rolls, so that would not be long enough.

  2. Is it possible for me to purchase the cut vinyl for this project from you? I would like to have the lines and numbers in black and will be using a seven foot board. I would like to make one for my grandchildren but do not have a cricuit. Thank you.

  3. Super cute! Can’t wait to make this for my little. What width wood do you recommend for customizing with a name? Thanks for the free svg!!

    1. We used a 1″ x 8″ board which is actually 7.5″ wide. You can use a wider or taller piece of wood to customize to your liking! Thanks! 🙂

  4. I love your cute little model! Also so sad that we will definitely need the 6-foot marker with these darn growing kids!