5 Reasons I Love My Cricut Maker

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

There are so many things I love about my Cricut Maker (versatility, ease of use, etc.), but here are my top 5 reasons that the Maker is the perfect crafting companion for me.


Every crafter has different needs when it comes to deciding which Cricut cutting machine is best for them, but for me the choice is clear: the Cricut Maker is the perfect machine for me!

Why i love my cricut maker

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The Top 5 Reasons I Love My Cricut Maker

There are just so many reasons to love the Cricut Maker, but here are my absolute top five favorite things about it.

1. It keeps getting better and better

The Adaptive Tool System is the most amazing part of the Cricut Maker. It allows for intricate professional-level cuts by controlling not only the position of the blade or tool you are using on top of your material, but it also controls the force and rotation of the tool for clean, exact cuts every time.

And the best part is, the Adaptive Tool System is designed for expandability. Unlike the Explore machines which are limited to a few specific blades and tools, the Maker is compatible with every tool and blade Cricut makes, plus any new tools they design in the future! There are already 8 amazing tools and blades that are compatible with the Adaptive Tool System, and I’m sure more are on the way.

5 reasons i love my cricut maker reason 1 expandability

2. It’s like a second set of hands, but better

I have intention tremors in my hands, which means my hands shake whenever I try to “do” anything with them. Basically I can hold my hands out and they’re steady as a rock, but as soon as I pick up a glass of water they start shaking (usually resulting in water spilling everywhere!) They make crafting (and everything else) a little difficult, but I’ve learned how to live with them.

When I got my Cricut Maker, it was like a whole new world of crafting opened up to me! I can barely cut out basic shapes with a pair of scissors without getting wobbly edges, but the Maker can cut everything from circles and squares to intricate lace without any trouble. I use my Maker to cut out even the simplest shapes because, at least for me, it’s faster, easier, and way more “pretty” that way. And don’t even get me started on my handwriting…my Maker is like my personal assistant when it comes to cards, thank you notes, and addressing envelopes; I never have to worry about the post office not being able to read my chicken scratch again!

5 reasons i love my cricut maker reason 2 cuts simple and intricate shapes with precision

3. It cuts fabric without rips, tears, or fraying (and no backing fabric needed!)

This one is a game-changer if you are a quilter or sewist! Actually, it’s a game-changer for anyone who loves to use fabric for projects, regardless of whether you end up sewing it later…I do a lot of projects with fabric that are “no-sew” because my sewing skills are pretty basic.

I had a Cricut Explore Air before I got my Maker, and I used it to cut fabric and felt for the projects I did. It worked fine and I made some pretty cool things, but the first time I cut fabric with my Maker I was amazed! The Rotary blade (which is designed to work with the Adaptive Tool System) cuts through pretty much any fabric like butter; it glides right over even rough or textured fabric making crisp, clean cuts that don’t fray.

And you don’t need to add a backer to stiffen your fabric before cutting! Many quilting projects require that your fabric have a backer anyway, so it’s not a huge problem for quilting, but for sewing or craft projects requiring fabric, it’s really awesome to be able to cut fabric directly without a backer!

5 reasons i love my cricut maker reason 3 cuts fabric without a backer

4. It’s an all-in-one crafting machine for any type of creating

The Cricut Maker is SUPER versatile; it can help you make virtually any craft or DIY project you can imagine. I’ve made everything from home decor to baby onesies, jewelry, toys for my kids, 3D projects, cards, and so much more. Right out of the box it can cut hundreds of materials quickly and accurately, from delicate paper and fabric to thick materials like matboard, leather, and basswood. And there are tons of other tools and blades that are compatible with the machine if you want to expand into new types of projects later.

It’s perfect for crafters, DIYers, quilters, sewers, woodworkers, jewelry makers, Etsy shop owners, designers, and more. Even if you only consider yourself one of the above types of creators (or none of the above!), the Maker is the perfect companion to help you create awesome things.

5 reasons i love my cricut maker reason 4 versatility

5. Simple enough for a toddler, precise enough for a professional

The Cricut Maker is definitely a complex machine that can do a TON of different things, but at the end of the day, it’s easy enough to use that my toddler can do it! Obviously she still needs a little supervision, but I LOVE that we can work on projects together. Regardless of your experience level (or your age), you can make amazing projects with the Cricut Maker! It comes with the tools you need to cut hundreds of materials right out of the box. Plus there are 50 ready-to-make projects (and 25 additional sewing patterns) that you can make with just the push of a button; no crafting or design experience necessary.

On the other hand, if you are an experienced crafter or you like creating your own designs and projects, the Maker can handle that as well! You can design your own projects inside of the Design Space software using hundreds of thousands of images and graphics in the Cricut library. Or you can upload your own designs that you made in third party software like Illustrator or Inkscape.

This past weekend my daughter and I made foam stamps with my Maker, and she was able to help with the whole project from start to finish! (If you want to make your own foam stamps with the Cricut Maker, the tutorial is at the bottom of this post, and you can find our foam stamps project in Design Space.)

We started by choosing shapes and images from the Cricut library to use for her stamps.

The top 5 reasons i love my cricut maker

Then she helped me attach the materials to the mat, and loaded it into the machine all by herself.

5 reasons i love my cricut maker reason 5 simple enough for a toddler precise enough for a professional

When it was done cutting she helped me attach the foam shapes to the basswood and attach handles to make it easier to hold.

5 reasons i love my cricut maker practically functional 1

Then she had a blast using her own homemade foam stamps!

5 reasons i love my cricut maker family project

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Below is a printable version of this project; click the large “Print” button to print out the instructions. (It defaults to just printing the text in the instructions, no photos, to save you paper and printer ink!)

If you like this project, leave a review by clicking the stars or by clicking the Review button! That way I know which types of projects you guys like and which I should do more of!

5 reasons i love my cricut maker practically functional 1

How To Make Foam Stamps With A Cricut Maker

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Make your own custom stamps in any shape you want! You just need craft foam for the stamps and basswood to make the base, plus some chunky wooden beads to use as a handle.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Active Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Materials

  • craft foam
  • basswood
  • glue
  • chunky wooden beads
  • masking tape
  • washable stamp ink pads

Instructions
 

  • Add or remove shapes and modify sizes as needed.
  • Click the green Make It button when you’re ready to make your project.
  • Set the material type to "Craft Foam" for the foam shapes and "Basswood 1/16"" for the square base shapes.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions for loading the mats and blades into the machine.
  • Be sure to tape down your craft foam and your basswood onto the StrongGrip mat before loading the mat into the machine.
  • When the cuts are complete, carefully weed away the background foam and then glue the foam shapes onto a square piece of basswood.
  • Glue a chunky wooden bead onto the back of the basswood to create a handle.
  • Once the glue dries, gently roll the foam stamp into an ink pad, and stamp it on a piece of paper!

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Disclosure: I received compensation from Cricut in exchange for my participation in this campaign, and my honest discussion of their products. But the Cricut Maker and, really, all Cricut products are seriously amazing and all opinions in this post are 100% my own. I would never write a post about something I didn’t think was useful or interesting for you guys, and Practically Functional will only publish sponsored posts for companies or products I love and believe in!

Jessi Wohlwend

I believe that anyone can do crafts and DIY projects, regardless of skill or experience. I love sharing simple craft ideas, step by step DIY project tutorials, cleaning hacks, and other tips and tricks all with one goal in mind: giving you the tools you need to “do it yourself”, complete fun projects, and make awesome things!

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Design Space Cheat Sheets spiral bound
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  • Get familiar with the Canvas screen to design projects that look the way you want.
  • Tips & tricks to avoid the mistakes I made when I started out.

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