How to Layer Vinyl The Easy Way

Save time, stress, and vinyl with this one simple trick that I use to learn how to layer vinyl the easy way.

Layered vinyl designs have always confused me.  I look at other people’s projects and have never understood how they can line up layered vinyl and have no imperfections.  Because let me tell you, I never could do it myself.

I’m not one of those people who can eyeball it. Honestly, all the designs I’ve done that too are incredibly crocked and off center.

So…yea. I needed a better way to do things.

And once I figured out that there’s actually a really simple trick for how to layer vinyl correctly it all clicked. And my designs have started to look so much better!

Layered vinyl designs can be a lot of fun to do, but if you don’t know how to layer properly they can go horribly wrong.  I’ve been a little too intimidated to try intricate designs and to be honest I’m still a little scared of them.

For now, the most I’ve done is layer two colors.  I know, I need to just go for a more complicated design. But today I’m going to keep it simple and show you how to perfectly line up two pieces of layered vinyl!

I am absolutely obsessed with mandala monograms on coffee mugs so I went off to Etsy and bought this mandala to do my monogram with!

This how to layer vinyl trick is:

• simple,
• easy to do, and
• saves you time!

Ready to find out how to layer vinyl?  Let’s do it!

I’m using a 30 ounce Feti tumbler, which means my mandala was 3.5 x 3.5 inches around.

I downloaded the Monogram font from here.

Materials:

• Silhouette Cameo
• Silhouette Software Designer Edition
• Silhouette Weeding Tools
• Permanent Vinyl
• Contact Paper (you can pick some up at Target!)
• Mandala File

Follow the instructions in the video to make your own circle monogram!

Use this simple trick to layer multiple pieces of vinyl perfectly. Every time.Click To Tweet

Tutorial:

PRO TIP:  Make two small boxes to put on either side of your design (you can see them in the video and in the picture below).  Make sure to cut the boxes out with each layer of vinyl that you have, for me that meant cutting out two sets of the boxes; one with my mandala design and the other with my monogram design.  When you go to put all your pieces together, line up the boxes from each design.  Lining up the boxes will give you perfectly aligned pieces of vinyl, every single time!

+ Cut a piece of contact paper that is a little bigger than your design, and then place it over one piece (I did the mandala first).  Rub the contact paper with your finger (or one of the weeding tools) so that it adheres to the vinyl.

+ Pull the contact paper up and make sure that your design comes up with it.  If it doesn’t, put the contact paper back down and continue rubbing your finger (or weeding tool) over the vinyl until it comes up with the contact paper.

+ Line up the boxes that are on the contact paper and the ones that are on your second piece of the design (for me, that’s the monogram) and press the contact paper down onto the initials.  Once again, rub your finger along the contact paper so that the vinyl sticks to it.  Then pull it up, all while making sure the vinyl comes up with it!

+ Now, remove the boxes!  Since it’s permanent vinyl you don’t want to accidentally stick them onto your mug.  Trying to get them off after the fact will be a pain in the butt.

+ Next, line up your design on the mug and press down.  Use your weeding tools and rub the design gently so that it sticks to the mug.

A good rule of thumb is to make sure your design is one inch below the top of the mug.  I didn’t have to measure because I just used the color as a guide.  If you’re mug isn’t colored though, you’ll want to measure!

Also, my design is a tad too big.  I have the 30 oz mug, and I should have made my design a 3 x 3 inch instead of the 3.5 x 3×5 inch.

+ When you wash your mug hand wash it only.  Putting it in the dishwasher will pull the vinyl up.  And since this design is so intricate (it took me at least half an hour to weed it) you won’t want to have to re-do it!

+ Also, do not use Cricut or Silhouette vinyl for this project!  Unfortunately it was all I had in white and you can see that the letters pulled weird and the edges aren’t perfectly straight.  It’s not the best vinyl to work with!  Buying the permanent vinyl from Amazon (this is my favorite kind!) will save you a lot of time and will always give you great results!  Plus, it cuts and weeds easier than the Silhouette and/or Cricut brand.

I know monograms are huge in the South (and rightly so, we like putting our initials on everything!) so I’m really loving my mug.  And I really love how the white monogram stands out against the green mug and the multi-colored vinyl.  If you’re not big into monograms you could always put your full name or even just leave it blank.  So many options!

Check out more tips on how to use vinyl!

• How to Use Printed Heat Transfer Vinyl on Leather,
• The Best Places to Buy Patterned Vinyl, and
• 15 Beginner Vinyl Crafts

As of September 29, 2018 this vinyl decal is still going strong on my tumbler!

More Silhouette Fun!