Booklover Library Tote Bag
If you’re tired of carrying dozens of books in your arms when walking through the bookstore or library, make a booklover library tote bag to hold all your book picks instead! Download this free cut file and use it on tote bags, t-shirts, pillows and more!
Whether you’re heading to the library or your local bookstore, you need a bag to carry all of the books you want in!
You can make your own library tote bag with heat transfer vinyl and a medium sized tote bag that you can order on Amazon.
All you need now is a free svg cut file to use, and you can download our Booklover cut file here!
I was gifted the Expressions Vinyl February Mystery Box in February. The vinyl used in this project is from that box. You can learn more about the Mystery Box subscription here.
I bought black tote bags for this project off of Amazon, these are my favorite kind and I’ve used them for a lot of other projects. They also come in a variety of colors too!
For a black bag I pulled out my Gold Confetti HTV from the Expressions Vinyl mystery box because I thought it would look really good against a dark color!
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Materials
Everything you need to make this booklover library tote bag:
- Silhouette Cameo
- StrongGrip Cutting Mat
- Heat Transfer Vinyl – I used the Gold Confetti Glitter from the February 2022 Mystery Box
- Weeding Tools
- Heat Press
- Pressing Pillow
- Tote Bags
- Booklover SVG
How to cut glitter htv to make this booklover library tote bag
Where can you buy glittered heat transfer vinyl?
You can find glittered htv anywhere they sell vinyl!
I’ve seen it at Michaels, Hobby Lobby and Target but I like buying mine from Expressions Vinyl.
It’s usually cheaper to buy it online and the vinyl quality is better.
Siser Glitter is my favorite because it’s easy to weed and it’s good quality vinyl. You can find it here.
If you’re in a pinch, Michaels sells Siser Vinyl (though it’s expensive!).
Do you need a new Silhouette Cameo Autoblade to cut glitter heat transfer vinyl?
You really should have a blade that is only used for glitter htv if you can.
Blades dull over time and it’ll take many tries to get a clean cut with a dull blade.
If you use a new blade or have one that is dedicated to a specific material then it’ll be easier for you to cut out your projects. Which saves time and lots of frustration.
What are the cut settings for glitter htv vinyl?
In the Silhouette Software the glitter htv settings are:
- BLADE: 3
- FORCE: 33
- SPEED: 5
- PASS: 1
These settings work well if you are using a brand new blade. However, if your blade is older you may have to tweak the settings a bit.
My blade was older so these are the settings I used:
BLADE: 5
FORCE: 33
SPEED: 5
PASS: 2
What type of cutting mat do you need for glitter htv?
You’ll need a stronggrip cutting mat for glitter heat transfer vinyl!
The cutting mat will need to be very sticky to keep the vinyl in place while it is cut.
If your cutting mat isn’t sticky you can use painters tape to hold the glitter htv on the mat.
FAQ’S ABOUT USING HEAT TRANSFER VINYL ON A TOTE BAG
What type of heat transfer vinyl should you use on tote bags?
I love Siser Heat Transfer Vinyl for any type of project. It is easy to weed and is great vinyl for beginners. And Siser is a great brand!
Do you need to mirror the cut file in the Silhouette Software?
Yes! Anytime you use heat transfer vinyl you must mirror your design in the software.
Mirroring is when you flip you image horizontally so that it looks backwards.
You do this when you cut heat transfer vinyl because you have to put the carrier sheet side (which is the front of the vinyl) on the cutting mat. It’ll cut backwards but when you flip it over after weeding the design will be facing the right way.
How do you make sure your design is in the center of the tote bag?
I learned a while ago to fold my fabric in half and use my heat press to press the crease.
You can see how we used this trick for this Valentine’s Day shirt!
You can also fold your vinyl in half (make sure the sticky sides are facing out) to find the center of your vinyl design.
Do you need to use a pressing pillow with a tote bag?
Yes you should!
Pressing pillows help you get an even press when there are seams or zippers on your tote bag.
If you don’t use one you’ll find that you won’t get an even press and parts of your design will come up with your carrier sheet when you try to pull it up.
Use a pressing pillow to make things easier on yourself!
Need some book ideas?
I read a lot of fantasy (I’m a sucker for a good young adult series!) but I also love historical fiction, thrillers, general fiction and more! If you need some book recommendations you can head to our Amazon store or click the books below!
More book crafts to make!
Booklover Library Tote Bag
Make your own booklover library tote bag to carry all of your book picks home!
Instructions
How to prep your cut file:
- Download the Booklover cut file.
- Open the file in the Silhouette Software and resize it to fit on your tote bag.
- Mirror your image (see notes).
- Go to the SEND tab, click Heat Transfer Vinyl, Glitter and then check your cut settings.
- Do a test cut to make sure your cut settings are correct and will cut through the glitter htv.
- Once your cut settings are correct, hit cut.
- Weed your design.
- Fold the carrier sheet in half (sticky sides facing out) to find the center of your design.
- Set the vinyl svg aside.
How to press your cut file onto a tote bag:
- Turn on your heat press. The Expressions Vinyl Mystery Box sends a cheat sheet for cut settings and heat press settings. Refer to that to see how hot your heat press should be.
- Fold the tote bag in half and press it with your heat press for 10 seconds. When you open the tote bag you'll see a crease straight down the center of the bag.
- Place a pressing pillow inside the tote bag.
- Line up the crease lines on your vinyl carrier sheet with the ones on the tote bag.
- Press your design for 10-15 seconds.
- Remove the carrier sheet from the tote bag. If parts of your design come up with the carrier sheet, lay it back down and press for another 10 seconds. Then try to remove it again.
- Once your entire design is adhered to the tote bag, remove the carrier sheet.
- Your bag is ready to use!
Notes
What does mirror your image mean?
Mirroring is when you flip your image in the Silhouette Software (called Flip Horizontally) before you cut it out. You have to do this with heat transfer vinyl because it has a carrier sheet on the top - so you will load your vinyl with the carrier sheet side touching the cutting mat.
Mirroring your image means that once you cut it and flip the vinyl over, your design will no longer be backwards.
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