Re-usable make up wipes- In collaboration with Cricut

Like most people these days we’ve been more conscious about single use items in our household. One of the projects I’ve seen pop up a lot on my Instagram is reusable make up wipes- it’s a perfect way to stash bust as well as cut down on cotton pad use. But if I’m honest… I’m lazy, and the idea of cutting out little circles put me off…until I got my Cricut Maker!

As I’ve mentioned before, this machine comes with a rotary blade which cuts a huge range of fabrics. The main limitation to using the Cricut to cut fabric is the size of the mats- the fabric needs to be mounted on these to feed through the machine to be cut, so you can only cut fabric as big as the mat (or on a fold-with it temporarily spray basted). But for things like this (repetitive small shape cutting), it is perfect! More than perfect. It’s a dream. It cuts all the pieces out perfectly with zero effort. The SnapGrid function (on the App) is particularly good and helps you make the most of those awkward shaped scraps.

I whipped these up in no time and I’ve saved the project on the Design Space for you to use too!

A thing to note- I tested a loooot of different finishes for these. Lessons I learnt:

Circles

They look pretty and all but (in my humble opinion) are not worth the hassle. Pre-Cricut I wouldn’t even attempt to cut out tens of circles by hand for the sake of my sanity. I don’t really have that excuse anymore…BUT the sewing of them takes a lot more effort to get looking decent and it takes a lot longer. Maybe I’m a perfectionist but if you’re happy with slightly skewed circles, or have the patience of a saint then go for it. But I can’t think of any actual benefit of it being circular. In fact, it creates more waste than a square! So it’s up to you, but I would steer clear, especially if you’re not super confident with sewing or are looking for a speedy project.

Finishing

This kind of links back to the circle thing. There’s a few different ways to finish the edges but the main thing to remember is that needs to be secure enough to handle being washed frequently. You can:

Overlock/serge on a overlocker
- Pros: quick and secure (especially if you do squares). A one-step process.
- Cons: a real pain if doing circles unless you go very very slowly and pin lots. Leaves overlocking stitch on show- which is fine if you’re neat and even.
Zig-zag or overlock stitch on the sewing machine
- Pros: a one-step process.
- Cons: same issues as above- real pain if doing circles unless you go very very slowly and pin lots. Leaves overlocking stitch on show. Needs an overlock foot if you use this stitch
Bagging out (this is the method used below)Pros: clean finish and uses a regular straight stitch, so the actual stitching is very quick. Seams are securely hidden.Cons: two step process- stitching them the right sides together, turning them inside out and topstitching close. Needs clipping/care when doing circles.

Now on to the actual tutorial!

Cricut Reusable Make Up Wipes and Bag

Here’s the link to the project on the design space (click here)

I’ve included circles if you really want them, but chosen a rounded edged square as I think these made the neatest wipes using my method below. Duplicate the shapes for as many as you need.

Materials:

Cricut Maker including rotary blade (optional: washable fabric pen)
Scrap cotton fabric (fat quarters also work well). I’m using fabric from this Cricut set (Garden Girl Sampler)
Fabric for the backing material- I used some Japanese waffle knit (100% cotton), but you can use a thick cotton jersey, towelling or even an actual towel! Something soft but textured to use against the skin
For extra fluffiness I added an extra layer of 100% cotton wadding
Iron for pressing (or EasyPress 2 which I used because I was too lazy to get my iron out!)
Sewing machine.
Ribbon/cotton rope for the bag
Heat Transfer Vinyl if you add the design to the bag

Cut out all your fabric pieces using the Cricut rotary blade and use the fabric pen if you have it to mark the stitch line on the bag (not essential). Switch to the normal blade for the vinyl.
Layer your pieces, right sides together and pin. If you’re using wadding or an extra layer for thickness then add this to the bottom of your layers.
Stitch around the shape using a 0.5cm seam allowance and leaving a 1-2cm gap

Leave a gap in the stitching (seen between the two dots)
Clip any corners
Turn inside out, poke out the corners using a pointer/knitting needle/chopstick. Press
Topstitch as close to the edge as you can, securing the open end.
Repeat for all the other pads!

On to the bag:

Fold over the top edge by 0.5cm (towards the wrong side of your fabric) and press.
Fold the fabric in half to match the notches, right sides together and secure with pins
Stitch along the stitch line as shown in the picture. Backstitch/secure the end of the stitching with a lock stitch on your machine. (Note the stitching doesn’t go all the way to the top)
Still working from the wrong side of the fabric: fold your seam allowance at the top to meet the stitch line (approx 0.5cm). Press
Fold it again along the same amount. Press
Stitch a U shape to secure this in place, coming down to the where the side seam starts (approx. 1.5cm down)
Fold the rest of the top edge down by 1.5cm and press.
Clip your corners/finish any raw edges
Turn the bag right side out and top stitch the channel all the way around the top to secure it in place. (I’ve used pink topstitching to make it stand out.)
Heat transfer the vinyl to the bag following the instructions for your vinyl.
Cut your ribbon/rope to length and insert into the channel using a safety pin. Tie a knot to secure.