I must admit, Valentine’s Day makes me a bit giddy! To celebrate this year’s most romantic holiday, I’ve designed a Valentine’s patterned HTV shirt with Cameo and included a FREE SVG file you can download.

This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. For more information, please see my disclosures.

DIY Valentine’s Shirt: Supplies

• Plain cotton/cotton-blend t-shirt
• Silhouette Cameo or Cricut cutting machine
• Buffalo plaid heat transfer vinyl
• Heat transfer tape
• Silhouette cutting mat (preferred)
• Heat press or iron with ironing board

I found a buffalo plaid print that worked very well with both my Cameo machine and my t-shirt heat press machine.

If you’re considering investing in a machine to press t-shirts, I absolutely love this model I purchased on Amazon!

SVG Cut Files with Heart and Love Design

Note: For the Silhouette Cameo, you’ll need the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition or Business Edition to import SVG files. With the Cricut, you’ll want to import your files as a vector upload.

You can download your free Heart SVG by completing the form below. In doing so, you’ll receive…

• Access to the First Day of Home library of free printables and other downloads
• Monthly newsletters with more freebies

You’ll also get access to my latest Love SVG design (shown below), which you can use to make more t-shirts, mugs, artwork, etc.

Simply enter your details below and confirm your e-mail. (Be sure to check your Promotions or Spam folder.)

You’ll also get access to my free Mother’s Day t-shirt and St. Patrick’s Day t-shirt designs as well as countless other printables and free art.

Already a subscriber? You’ll receive the file downloads immediately after entering your info. (You won’t be subscribed twice.)

Instructions for Cutting Valentine’s Heart Design

This download works with both Cricut Design Space and Silhouette Studio (Designer Edition and above). Since I own a handy Cameo, I’ll walk you through those steps in this tutorial.

1. Prepare the file for cutting

Open the Valentine’s heart file and resize the image as desired.

2. Cut the heat-transfer vinyl (HTV)

If using the buffalo plaid patterned HTV or a similar patterned design, follow the manufacturer’s recommended cut settings. Typically, you will cut with the pattern facing up and a mat underneath.

If your blade does not adjust automatically, use the settings below. I always recommend performing a test cut before diving in with the full design.

These settings should work well with light to medium weight materials including patterned vinyl.

Cameo Cut Settings: Blade = 3, Speed = 8, Force = 3

Have you ever finished cutting your vinyl for a t-shirt only to realize you were supposed to mirror the image (raises hand)? Well, luckily you don’t have to reverse the image with patterned vinyl like this one. Hooray!

3. Weed the pattern

Tip: Cut around the heart design with scissors before weeding, so you can salvage any remaining vinyl for a future project.

Using a weeding tool, remove the excess vinyl around the heart as well as the word “love” in the middle.

I can’t explain why I love this part so much. Maybe it’s therapeutic, or maybe it’s just exciting to see your final design start to emerge.

4. Transfer design to tape

With most patterned vinyl, you need to transfer the design using transfer paper or adhesive tape before adhering it to the shirt.

Note: this tape is SUPER sticky. Your best bet is to start with one corner/edge and gently smooth it down. Brush out any air bubbles with a credit card or squeegee of your choice.

5. Press the Valentine’s heart design onto the shirt.

I use this heat press (which I LOVE) for my iron-on vinyl adventures. However, you can definitely use a regular iron. I suggest testing a vinyl sample on an old tee before diving in.

• Heat press directions (buffalo plaid HTV): Heat the press to 295° F/146° C. Press the shirt without the pattern for 5 seconds to iron out wrinkles. Then, place your design on the shirt and press on medium pressure for 15-20 seconds.
• Ironing directions: Turn off the steam setting and press 15-20 seconds in sections, one time only.

In either case, peel off the cover tape right away (while hot).

Washing and Care Instructions for DIY Valentine’s Day shirt

First, you should wear your shirt as much as possible leading up to Valentine’s Day! 😉 Second, you should follow these instructions to properly care for your Valentine’s heart shirt.

• Wait 24 hours before washing the shirt.
• Machine wash warm or cold with mild detergent.
• Dry on normal setting.
• No bleaching or dry cleaning!

Please share your designs with me if you use this file. You can tag @firstdayofhome on Instagram or Twitter.

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Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends!