Hello Friends!

This post is sponsored by Circuit with affiliate links which means that if you make any purchases I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The opinions are all mine.

Today we are talking about two of my favorite cutting machines. The Cricut Maker and the Cricut Explore Air 2. I love both machines and use them on a regular basis, but if you can only have one, how do you know which one to buy? Let me break it down for you. Also, let’s talk about how cute this chipboard project is made on the Cricut Maker.

First let’s compare the Cricut Maker to the Explore Air 2

CRICUT MAKER

Adaptive Tool System
Uses a rotary blade, knife blade and scoring wheel along with the regular fine point blade
10X Cutting Force
Cuts 100’s of materials including fabric, leather, chipboard, wood (3/32″), acetate, delicate paper, mat board and more to see a more detailed list click here: Materials List for Cricut Maker
Easily choose your material in Design Space
Three fun colors: champagne, rose and blue
Built in bluetooth
2x Faster Cut Option

CRICUT EXPLORE AIR 2

Wide variety of Colors: black, blue, boysenberry, cherry blossom, cobalt, coral, denim, fuchsia, Lilac, merlot, mint, peacock, periwinkle, persimmon, rapsberry, rose, sky, sunflower, wisteria, white pearl (Martha Stewart), Gold & Ivory (Anna Griffin)
Cuts 100s of materials, some fabric, paper, cardboard, vinyl and more. To see a more detailed list click here: Materials List for Explore
Dial in your materials
Built in BlueTooth
Uses a stylus to score, a pen to write or the fine point blade to cut
Works with Cricut Cartridges
2X faster cut option

WHY DO I LOVE MY CRICUT MAKER?

As you know I sew, a lot! The Maker makes it easy to move between mediums, I don’t have to back fabric and I can easily switch out tools when I change projects. It does everything the Explore Air 2 can do, plus so much more. It gives you so many more cutting options and allows you to make professional looking items.

I created a quilt in one day – all the cutting and sewing. I have never done that. The cuts were so precise that my quilt actually had perfect lines and spacing. Which never happens to me. The more precise you are when cutting the better your quilt top ends up.

You can make dolls, doll clothes, stuffed animals, purses, and 100’s of sewing projects easily. The Maker will mark your projects with sew lines and number each piece. Making it fool proof for the beginning crafter. My kids really love to use it.

You can create custom T-shirts easily in design space.

This fun sleeping doll pillow was a breeze to create and having access to so many Simplicity patterns it amazing!

The cosmetics bags were a breeze to make with my Maker.

CONCLUSION:

Do you know which machine is right for you?

I highly recommend the Maker because it does everything the Explore Air 2 does plus so much more! It really gives you more options for creating and crafting. If you’ve never quilted or sewn you have the opportunity to try these new projects with easy to follow instructions and takes the guess work out of cutting and assembly. If you are an experienced sewist it takes your project to the next level by letting you create and upload your own designs.

PROJECT:

I recently did this chipboard project for my sewing room. The first time I cut I had forgotten to calibrate the knife tool. Make sure you don’t skip this step. It’s easy to do and makes a huge difference. The machine will cut the project several times and if the calibration is off you end up with a hot mess!

After you cut all the letters out you could paint them, but I decided to try the heat transfer vinyl. I used Cricut’s foil and everyday iron on. The foil got a little bubbly in places, I don’t recommend using it if you don’t like the final look. The Everyday Iron on was great. It went on beautifully and still looks smooth. It really is a personal preference.

When Ironing on to chipboard – I used the Easy Press 2 set at 270 degrees for about 5-10 seconds. I liked the look of different colors, but you could totally do them all the same. I actually used white heat transfer vinyl on the backboard. I was a breeze! This design can be found in Design Space Community.

Materials Used:

Iron-on Vinyl: I love the Cricut brand because I know it will last through multiple washings and it comes in a variety of colors and textures.

Cricut Cutting Machine: I love my Cricut Maker

Cricut Easy Press 2: This really takes the guess work out of timing and temperature. I love that I know exactly how how it is and how long to leave it on.

Standard Grip Mat: I recommend 2-4 so you can rotate as needed

Bright Pad: This really helps with weeding the project.

Scissors: Cricut has a great option, but really you can use whatever you have on hand.

Design Space: Click here for the project so you don’t have to figure it out on your own. It also gives you the option to make any changes you want.

Weeding Tools: These really makes weeding a breeze. I used the tweezers a ton on this project to pull the tiny little tail pieces off.

Chipboard: Cricut has a great option, It was easy to work with and I know that it will work well with my Cricut Maker

Free shipping on all order of $99 or more use code FREEOCT.

Thanks for stopping by! I love to see your projects be sure to tag me or shoot me an email monica at sookeedesigns dot com!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Cricut Maker vs. Cricut Explore Air 2