Can Cricut Joy cut felt? The answer is both yes and no — Cricut Joy can’t cut most fabrics and felt is not on its list of recommended materials. However, there’s a workaround that will allow you to cut felt with your little machine successfully.
So if you’ve ever wanted to cut felt with your Cricut Joy but didn’t know if it was possible, this article is for you!
Keep reading to learn more!
Can Cricut Joy cut felt?
Yes! While felt is not officially listed by the manufacturer as a material that Cricut Joy can cut, it is still possible to cut felt with this little machine!
The trick is to use a thinner and stiffer type of felt, like, for example,thin and stiff felt manufactured by Cricut specifically for its cutting machines.
This kind of felt is similar to bonded fabric can be cut with Cricut’s Fine Point or Cricut Joy blades. Cricut felt is really thin, it’s only 1 mm thick.
How to cut felt with Cricut Joy?
Felt is a fabric that is made from wool or other natural or artificial fibers that have been felted or matted together.
It’a very sturdy and does not fray, making it ideal for projects that require a lot of cutting, especially small ones like keychains or brooches, which are just the right size for cutting using the Joy machine.
What types of felt the Joy can’t cut?
Cricut Joy is the smallest Cricut unit that is great for a variety of materials and is perfect for small projects and on-the-go crafting.
However, some types of felt, especially natural wool felt, are pretty thick and may be difficult to handle for such a tiny and portable cutting machine as Cricut Joy.
The bad news is that Joy isn’t able to cut all the way through regular wool or acrylic felt, or felt blends, since it’s mostly meant for cutting lightweight materials like paper and vinyl.
The good news is that there is a workaround for using felt with this compact and portable unit.
The workaround:
Cricut’s own felt and Artez stiff felt is thinner and stiffer than regular felt and cuts more easily, without the machine struggling.
This makes it a good material to use with Cricut Joy and gives you the ability to create cute and fun things like stuffed animals, appliques, and more.
This type of felt is specifically manufactured to work with cutting tools and is suitable for cutting with the Fine Point and Joy Blades. So your designs will turn out just the way you want them to.
In this article, I’ll show you how to use Cricut Joy to cut felt with ease.
I’ll also share some tips and tricks for getting the perfect cut every time.
Here’s what you’ll need to cut felt with Cricut Joy:
Cricut Joy blade
Normally you would use the Deep Point Blade or the Rotary Blade with an Explore or Maker for cutting felt.
However, Cricut Joy is only compatible with one type of blade, its own Cricut Joy blade, which is similar to the larger machines’ Fine Point Blade.
This blade is designed for the Cricut Joy, and it’s the only blade that will work with the machine.
But how does the Joy blade fare when it comes to cutting Cricut’s own line of felt?
I’ve put it to the test, and here’s what I found:
This blade can cut Cricut brand felt with precision and ease!
I was impressed with how smoothly it cut through the material, and the results were always clean and crisp.
The best cutting mat for the task
With a larger machine like Cricut Explore or Maker, you should cut felt on the pink FabricGrip mat.
However, Cricut doesn’t make this type of mat in Joy’s 4.5-inch width.
But don’t worry, it’s possible to cut felt on Joy’s default green StandardGrip mat too.
It has enough grip to keep your felt in place while you cut and can help to prevent the fabric from shifting or bunching up.
Alternatively, you can buy a Cricut Joy-sized FabricGrip mat made by other manufacturers.
Like Welebar, for example, which is a great replacement.
I’d recommend getting a separate mat for cutting felt anyway because it can leave lint behind. So you’ll have problems with using your mat with other materials.
Cut Cricut felt down to fit the size of the Joy mat
Cricut felt is available in 12″ x 12″ sheets.
The Cricut Joy mat size is 4.5″ x 12″.
You’ll need to cut your sheet of Cricut felt down to the size of the mat to use it with Cricut Joy.
- First measure the mat and mark the felt accordingly.
- Next, use a sharp pair of scissors to cut along the marked lines. If you find it too hard to cut through, you can use a rotary cutter or an X-ACTO knife on a self-healing cutting mat (but don’t do it on the Cricut mat or you’ll ruin it).
- Once the felt is cut to the desired size, place it on the Joy mat and smooth it out.
Use a brayer to help felt stay better on the mat
If you’re using Cricut Joy to cut felt, you may find that the material often shifts when you’re cutting it.
This can be frustrating, but there are a few things you can do to help prevent it.
- First, make sure to use a brayer to help adhere the felt to the cutting mat.
- Run the Cricut Brayer over the felt placed on the mat before cutting.
This will help the material stay in place while you’re cutting and you won’t end up with any unwanted gaps or uneven cuts.
- If you’re still having trouble, you may need to use a stronger grip mat.
This type of mat will hold the felt more securely, preventing it from shifting.
Settings for cutting felt with Cricut Joy
Use the “Faux Leather” setting to cut felt with your Cricut Joy.
This is necessary because there is no specific Cricut Joy setting for felt.
And the special faux leather for Joy has similar characteristics to Cricut felt.
Keep in mind that you may need to adjust the pressure setting to get the best results.
Designs your Cricut Joy can cut from felt
When it comes to cutting felt with a Cricut machine, it is best to keep the designs simple.
Cricut machines are not able to cut intricate designs from felt very well and you may end up with some wonky cuts.
This is because felt is a very dense material and the blade can get stuck.
The Joy can handle simple designs just fine, but anything too complicated is likely to cause problems.
How to cut felt with Cricut Joy step by step
Cutting felt with Cricut Joy is a relatively simple process!
Follow these few steps to get the perfect cut every time:
- First, load your felt onto the cutting mat and feed it into the machine. Make sure that the material is positioned correctly on the mat before cutting and that the mat is positioned correctly in the machine so that the blade will where needed.
- Select your design in the Design Space app.
- Next, select the appropriate cutting setting for felt. The Joy does not have a dedicated setting for this material, so I recommend using the “Faux leather” option.
- Now it’s time to cut! To do it, follow the onscreen instructions. The Joy machine will do the rest, cutting the felt into your desired shape or design.
- If you are cutting felt with Cricut Joy, you may need to make multiple passes for it to cut through all the layers.
- Again, this is because felt is a thick material, and the Joy blade may not cut all the way through in one pass, so you’ll need to make a second or even third pass.
- After that, carefully remove the felt piece from the cutting mat. The best way to do it is by bending the mat a bit to loosen the adhesive and carefully lifting your project off the mat with tweezers or a scraper.
- Enjoy your new creation!
How to deal with felt lint when cutting it with Cricut Joy?
If you’ve ever used a Cricut for cutting felt you know that one of the most annoying things about it is the amount of lint and debris it leaves behind.
Cricut’s own line of felt that the Joy can cut is a high-quality material that’s very smooth and cuts cleanly, leaving behind very little or even zero lint or debris.
Still, don’t let dirt accumulate on your cutting mat, because this makes it harder and harder to do clean cuts.
One solution to preventing this problem is to dedicate an old cutting mat that still has some adhesion to cutting felt, instead of using a fresh mat.
This way, you don’t have to worry about ruining your good or brand-new mat.
However, as I’ve already mentioned, I recommend investing in a separate mat just for cutting felt.
That way you’ll have a clean mat with a good grip. So the finished cutouts will have smooth surface and precisely cut edges.
How to clean the Cricut Joy mat from felt lint
Here are a few tips on how to clean your Cricut Joy mat from Cricut felt lint and debris quickly and easily.
With just a few household items, you can keep your mat in pristine condition for optimal cutting performance.
- To remove felt lint from your Cricut mat, start by pulling every scrap of your design from its surface.
- Next, use a lint roller or a piece of masking tape to gently get rid of any loose lint.
- If there is stubborn lint or chunks of felt that won’t come off with a lint roller or tape, try using tweezers to pick them up.
- If the mat is still linty, use a damp cloth with soap or baby wipes to wipe it down. Then dry it off with a clean paper towel.
- Finally, you can use a scraper to gently scrape away any remaining lint. However, be careful and avoid damaging the mat or its adhesive layer.
Cricut Joy felt project ideas
Felt is a great material to work with when you want to create small craft projects. You can use Cricut Joy to cut felt into a variety of shapes and sizes.
For example, you could create a unique and stylish felt flower arrangement, fun and festive holiday decorations, or to make a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry.
Some project ideas include:
- Cut out felt shapes to create a Holiday garland.
- Cut out felt circles and stitch them together to create a beautiful felt wreath.
- Use Cricut Joy to cut out felt letters or numbers to create a personalized felt banner or sign.
- Create a small felt stuffed animal or puppet.
- Cut out felt shapes and use them to decorate a plain notebook or journal.
Here are more ideas you could try using:
- Felt coasters
- Ornaments
- Felt pendants or earrings
- A felt letterboard
- Felt gift wrap
- Felt appliques
So if you’re looking for a new craft project to try, consider cutting some felt with your Cricut Joy.
