Cassie Cartmell – Faodail Creation
Make Leather Labels with a Cricut Maker
Essential Tips to Make Leather Labels Successfully
If you sell handmade products, learning how to Make Labels can instantly elevate the look of your items. A beautiful tag adds a professional finish and helps your products stand out. In this tutorial, I’ll show you exactly how I Make Labels using my Cricut Maker, real tooling leather, and a few simple supplies.
I’m Cassie Cartmell from Faodail Creation, and as a sewing educator and maker, I love finding ways to add professional details to handmade items. When you Make Leather Labels, it’s best to create them in batches. There is a 24-hour drying time for the dye and another finishing step afterward, so producing multiple tags at once saves time.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to Make Leather Labels step-by-step with your Cricut Maker, including engraving, cutting, dyeing, and finishing the tags.
Why You Should Make Leather Labels for Handmade Products
Before we start, let’s talk about why you should Make Labels for your sewing or craft projects.
When you Make Leather Labels, you instantly improve the presentation of your work. Handmade products such as bags, quilts, pouches, and accessories look far more professional with a small leather tag attached.
Here are a few benefits :
- Adds a professional handmade look
- Makes your brand feel more premium
- Helps your products stand out at craft markets
- Easy to customize using a Cricut Maker
Once you learn how to them, you’ll want to add them to almost every handmade item you sell or gift.
Materials Needed to Make Leather Labels
To successfully Labels, you’ll need a few tools and materials. The most important tool is the Cricut Maker, which allows you to engrave and cut the leather.
I am supplying my amazon links below if you decide to purchase from these links I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you
Link to my Amazon Store : https://www.amazon.com/shop/faodailcreation
Here’s what I use when I Make Labels:
- Cricut Maker – https://amzn.to/4cwNPXu
- Cricut engraving tool – https://amzn.to/3OKzSLN
- Cricut foil tip – https://amzn.to/4ryUXqh
- Deep point blade – https://amzn.to/4srLiCv
- Cricut cutting mat – https://amzn.to/4srLy4r
- Strong grip transfer tape – https://amzn.to/40eXtGQ
- Painter’s tape – https://amzn.to/3MY17lr
- Tooling leather scraps
- Water spray bottle – https://amzn.to/4bst0eD
- Cloth or rag
- Leather dye – https://amzn.to/4usNWKe
- Leather finish or sealant – https://amzn.to/3OKmbMS
- Leather hole punch – https://amzn.to/3N0Vram
- Thread for sewing labels – https://amzn.to/4rTRQKe
Because the Cricut Maker supports multiple tools, it makes it incredibly easy to engrave and cut leather in one project.
Step 1: Set Up the Project in Cricut Design Space
Here is my circuit maker page link : https://design.cricut.com/landing/profile/61885f9fce8cbd26112567e4
The first step to Make the Labels is opening your project in Cricut Design Space.
Inside my account, I have a project called Handmade Leather Tags. When you’re ready, click Make It to start the cutting and engraving process with your Cricut Maker.
When preparing your layout, make sure the placement matches the leather piece you will put on the mat. The Cricut Maker will follow the exact positioning on the screen, so alignment is important.
Step 2: Choose the Right Leather
When you Make the Labels, the type of leather matters.
I purchase tooling leather scraps from a leather supply shop near me. These often come in mixed bags with different sizes and thicknesses.
From my experience when using the Cricut Maker, the thinner pieces of tooling leather work best.
If the leather is too thick:
- The Cricut Maker may struggle to cut through it
- The engraving may not look as clean
- You may need additional passes
When you Make the Labels, aim for leather that is not too thin but not too thick.
Step 3: Prepare the Cricut Mat
Preparing the mat properly is extremely important when you Make the Labels.
Tooling leather has a fuzzy backing, and that fuzz can damage the adhesive on your cutting mat.
To protect the mat when you Make Leather Labels:
- Apply strong grip transfer tape sticky side up in the center of the mat.
- This acts as a protective layer.
- The leather will stick to the tape instead of ruining the mat adhesive.
This simple trick helps your Cricut Maker mats last much longer.
Step 4: Soften the Leather
Before engraving, you need to soften the leather.
When you Make Labels, the leather should be damp so the engraving tool can create deeper lines.
To prepare the leather:
- Spray it with water.
- Saturate the surface lightly.
- Wipe away excess moisture with a cloth.
Once damp, the leather becomes softer and perfect for engraving with the Cricut Maker.
Step 5: Secure the Leather to the Mat
Next, place the leather onto the mat.
When I Make the Labels, I always secure the leather with painter’s tape around the edges. This prevents movement while the Cricut Maker engraves and cuts.
Use a brayer to press the leather firmly onto the mat. Proper adhesion ensures the Cricut Maker can engrave accurately.
Step 6: Move the Cricut Maker Rollers
Before loading the mat into the Cricut Maker, move the white roller grips to the side.
These rollers can interfere with thicker materials. Adjusting them prevents the leather from shifting while the Cricut Maker works.
Step 7: Engrave the Leather Labels
Now it’s time to start engraving.
When you Make Labels, the Cricut Maker first uses the engraving tool.
Insert the engraving tip into the machine and press the C button to begin.
Watching the Cricut Maker engrave the leather is quite satisfying. The machine carefully engraves the word Handmade into the leather surface.
Important tip when you Make Labels:
Do not unload the mat between steps.
If you unload the mat, the alignment may shift, and the next tool won’t match the engraved design.
Step 8: Use the Foil Tip for Detailing
Next, the Cricut Maker will ask for the foil tip with two lines.
Insert the correct tip and press C again. Even though the machine thinks it’s doing foil work, this step adds extra detail to the leather.
This extra pass helps make the lettering more defined when you Make Labels.
Step 9: Cut the Leather Tag
The final machine step when you Make Labels is cutting the shape.
Load the deep point blade into the Cricut Maker.
Press C, and the machine will cut the tag shape from the leather.
Sometimes thicker leather may not cut completely. If that happens when you Make Labels, gently lift the piece using a spatula tool.
Step 10: Remove the Leather Tag Carefully
When removing the leather, never pull it directly from the mat.
Instead, use a spatula tool to carefully lift the leather. This prevents curling or damaging the tag.
Once removed, your engraved tag is ready for the finishing process.
Step 11: Apply Leather Dye
This step is where the magic happens when you Make Labels.
Applying dye enhances the engraved lettering and makes it stand out.
To dye the tag:
- Wear gloves.
- Use a rag or cloth.
- Apply dye across the surface.
- Make sure the dye goes into the engraved letters.
When you Make Labels, wipe off excess dye gently. Do not scrub the leather.
Step 12: Apply a Second Coat of Dye
For deeper color, apply a second coat of dye.
When you Make Labels, the second coat helps highlight the engraved letters even more.
After applying the dye, wipe the excess again and let the tag sit.
You’ll notice the word Handmade becomes far more visible after the dye settles into the grooves.
Step 13: Allow 24 Hours Drying Time
After dyeing, let the leather dry completely.
When you Make Labels, this drying step is extremely important. The dye needs about 24 hours to fully absorb.
This is why I recommend making batches of 50 or more tags at once.
Step 14: Apply Leather Finish
Once the dye has dried, apply a leather finishing product.
This sealant protects the dye and ensures your Make Labels project lasts longer.
The finish gives the leather a polished look and prevents dye from rubbing off.
Step 15: Punch Sewing Holes
To attach the tag to your handmade product, punch holes in the corners.
Use a leather hole punch and create one hole on each side.
When you Make Labels, these holes allow you to sew the tag directly onto your project.
Step 16: Sew the Leather Label Onto Your Project
Finally, sew the tag onto your handmade item.
You can use:
- Thick polyester thread
- Upholstery thread
- Crochet thread
These thicker threads look beautiful when attaching leather tags. When you Make Labels, the right thread helps the tag stand out even more.
Final Thoughts on How to Make Leather Labels
Learning how to Make Labels with a Cricut Maker is a fantastic way to elevate your handmade products.
The Cricut Maker makes the entire process easy by handling engraving, detailing, and cutting. Once you Make Labels a few times, the process becomes quick and efficient.
Creating batches ensures you always have professional tags ready for your handmade work.
If you enjoyed learning how to Make Labels, be sure to explore more tutorials. I have over 600 sewing and crafting videos filled with helpful tips.
This is the Link to the You Tube Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YxXBgH0sjc&t=11s
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