Bengals Super Bowl Potholder with Iron-on-Ink

HelloI I am Adam and I am a paper crafting guru. I love making cards for all occasions and have done so for the past 8 years. I have since progressed to mixed media using stamping and other paper and metal pieces. I am now branching out again into the world of sublimation ink crafts.

Now that the holidays are behind us and football is nearing its end I am once again attempting a new media upon which to color. I am making a personalized pot holder using the Artesprix pot holder blank. I did not want an ordinary pot holder, but one I can use when serving up snacks at game day gatherings. Since I live in Cincinnati it is only natural that the team I follow is the Bengals.

What are Artesprix Sublimation Supplies?

You ask “what is sublimation ink or crafting,” well for me I see it as an extension of what I currently use. Artesprix Iron-on Ink offers a complete line of sublimation products that allow artists and crafters to personalize polyester-coated blanks with their own designs. 

Materials:

Sublimation Markers

Polyester Pot Holder

Heat Tape 

Protective Paper Roll 

Copy Paper

Heat Press

Pencil

Tiger Stencil

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Start by tracing the pot holder on white printer paper with a pencil. Set your pot holder aside after you have created your template.

Step 2: I chose a Tiger Stencil for the Cincinnati Bengals, but you can personalize this blank for any team. Position your stencil as desired in your template and trace with a pencil. 

Step 3: Remove the stencil and add your color. Start by using the sublimation orange marker color in the bengal tiger head. Here is where your own preference comes into play. I chose to color the eyes in blue and only part of the face in orange.  Depending on stencil and image used the amount of coloring is up to the creator.

Pro Tip: I usually turn on the heat press during this stage of my creating. This allows plenty of time to get the press to the proper temperature. The Pot Holder Blank calls for 400℉. 

Step 4: Once you are finished creating. Center the colored design onto the blank and using heat resistant tape and secure. The heat resistant tape is important because it resists the heat and does not transfer adhesive onto the finished product.

Step 5: This set referred to as a "sublimation sandwich". Cut two pieces of the protective paper larger then the project being heated. The blank with the colored image taped to it is placed between the two sheets. This protects the heating surface from the sublimation ink being transferred. 

Step 6: Transfer according to the specifications for the specific blank. In our case we are transferring the design at 400℉ for 50 seconds.

Step 7: The most important step of the project is the Peek Test! Do not remove the tape from the blank until you lift a corner of the paper with the design to verify transfer was successful.

Pro Tip: If you think the transfer could have been better, simply close heat press and re-press. This could mean the press was not fully heated and just needs a bit more time, or item not sandwiched and placed correctly onto the heat press. Either way it is an easy fix by simply adding more time to the heating process. 

Step 8: Wait enough time to allow for cooling of the project before handling. Once your pot holder is cool enough to touch, reveal your transferred design. 

I hope you enjoyed my Bengal Pot Holder creation with Iron-on-Ink project. I am looking forward to creating more fun projects this term with Iron-on-Ink. If you liked this Blog, check out other projects from previous months at Artesprix Blog. You can find more of my work over on my Instagram for more crafty inspiration.

Go Bengals! 

Adam Karle