Written by Sticky Vinyl Australia customer, Jennifer R.
If you’ve been crafting for as many years as I have, you’ll know how quickly the scrap pile grows. I keep every little off-cut “just in case”, and while my intentions are always good… the pile certainly grows faster than the ideas do!
This week, I finally decided to do something about it.
I asked the lovely team at Sticky Vinyl Australia if there was a way to turn my leftover HTV bits into something special. They suggested I try TeckWrap Versa Tape, and said it would help me turn all those scraps into a proper, usable sheet.
So I gave it a go – and I have to say, I’m quite chuffed with the result.
The Finished Project
This is the final result: a bright, happy “Live a Colourful Life” design made entirely from leftover HTV pieces. It’s amazing what we can create from the bits we usually throw away.
Step 1: Sorting and Cutting the Scraps
My first job was to gather all those colourful curls and slivers of HTV and start cutting them into strips.
Lesson 1: It’s much easier when your strips are all roughly the same width. If your project cuts straight across, mismatched strips won’t matter quite as much, but having them consistent definitely helped me.
Once everything was trimmed, I had a lovely rainbow of pieces ready to go. I was already excited to see how it would come together.
Step 2: Setting Up the Versa Tape
This part felt a little unusual at first. I placed the TeckWrap Versa Tape sticky-side up on my mat and taped the edges down so nothing would shift while I worked.
Then I began laying all my HTV strips down, side by side, across the Versa Tape.
Lesson 2: Make sure your strips touch but do not overlap. Any overlap can cause the edges to lift when it cuts.
Once I got into a rhythm, it became quite relaxing – almost like quilting, but with vinyl instead of fabric.
Step 3: Into the Cricut It Goes
With my patchwork vinyl sheet ready, I loaded it into my Cricut. Because I used so many different finishes – glitter, matte, holographic and more – I chose to let the machine do two passes to be sure everything cut cleanly.
Step 4: The Weeding Magic
Once the cutting was finished, I weeded the design directly on the mat. I must say – even the negative pieces looked quite pretty! Seeing the words and shapes appear in all those colours and textures was very satisfying.
When the weeding was done, I lifted the whole design using the Versa Tape. Everything stayed exactly where it needed to be, ready to press.
Step 5: Pressing the Design
I pressed the design as usual, but chose a cold peel because there were so many different HTV types in the one project.
Almost everything adhered beautifully. The only pieces that gave me a little trouble were the metallic scraps – a couple of them lifted slightly at the edges.
Lesson 3: Next time I try this, I’ll probably leave the metallic pieces out, or test them separately first.
My Final Thoughts
I absolutely recommend giving this a try – especially if you’ve collected years’ worth of scraps like I have.
Here are a few things to remember:
- TeckWrap Versa Tape is single use, unlike some other transfer tapes.
- It’s perfect for holding lots of tiny pieces together while you cut and press.
- The finished design looks wonderfully detailed, even though it’s made from leftovers.
- Best of all, it’s thrifty, creative and very satisfying.
It felt good to use pieces that would normally go straight into the bin, and even better to turn them into something so bright and cheerful.
Thank you again to the team at Sticky Vinyl Australia for the suggestion – and for keeping my crafting ideas (and my scrap pile) under control!
