My new Cricut Maker: unboxing and first impressions

This week, my obsession with Cricut reached new heights… because I’m now the proud owner of the new Cricut Maker! OMG OMG OMG. Still freaking out about it!

If you read my blog regularly, you’ll no doubt be aware that I love Cricut. I’ve been chatting about them for months, ever since getting my first Cricut Explore Air last year. (If you’re wondering what the heck I’m chatting about, then a Cricut is an electronic cutting machine that’s specialised for crafts.).

The team at Cricut recently invited me to a special press event, along with a few other blogger pals. It was SUCH as good day! We got to play with their latest tech, eat some delicious food and generally geek out about crafting. To make it eeeeven better, they ended the day with the news that a brand new Cricut Maker will be in the post to each of us soon! The Cricut Maker is like the holy grail of craft gadgets; Cricut themselves even describe it as their “flagship” model. Before I go into detail about my unboxing and first impressions, lets back up a little and talk about what makes the Maker so freaking cool…

What is a Cricut Maker?

As the name suggests, the Cricut Maker is basically the ultimate machine for making things. It does everything: it cuts, draws, scores, and makes my crafting dreams come true! The big difference between the new Cricut Maker and previous models is that the Maker can cut fabric. I’m just gonna repeat that… it can cut fabric! Just think of the possibilities this opens! I can cut patterns for clothes making, or create intricate fabric shapes with absolute accuracy. I love sewing (as evidenced by my partnership with Singer), but I kinda hate cutting fabric. It’s just so messy, fiddly and easy to get wrong… but the Cricut Maker takes the hassle out of it. Dream come true!

The Cricut Maker can also cut a whole lot more than just fabric. Like the previous models, it can cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, foil, thin plastic and similar weight materials. However, thanks to the new mechanism and deep-cut blade, the Maker can also cut the likes of balsa wood, denim and heavier card. I’ll basically never need to use scissors again!

What can you make with a Cricut Maker?

Not gonna lie: when I got my first Cricut last year, I was overwhelmed with choice! I’m kinda feeling that same way again, now I’ve got a new one. There’s just so much you can make! From holiday decor to clothing, illustrations to greetings cards… the possibilities are absolutely endless! I’m especially excited about the prospect of crafting with balsa wood – I’ve got a zillion makes in mind already. I can’t wait to share them with you!

My first makes with my Cricut Maker

My swanky new gadget arrived in the post last week. I posted an unboxing video over on my Facebook, here. (It took a LOT of willpower to wait and set up my camera before ripping into the box!). Once I’d opened it, the first thing I did* with my new Cricut was to load up some balsa wood and get cutting. *Actually, the very first thing I did was spend ten minutes admiring it… it’s just so darn beautiful!

I kept it simple and cut a few basic shapes, just to see how it cuts and what level of detail I can achieve. I fired up the Cricut Design Space software and loaded in a flat image of a plane. After editing and resizing it slightly, I had created a simple template for a wooden airplane. How cool! Then came the scary moment of cutting it in balsa wood… and the Cricut sliced through it with absolute ease. It was honestly the most mesmerising thing to watch. I’m fully hooked now. 🙂 

I’ve also been playing around with cutting fabrics! I’ve not made anything just yet, but I can confirm that the Maker cuts through cotton like an absolute dream. No tugging or pulling, no fraying, no loss of intricate detail. It’s SO FREAKING COOL.

Before ending this post, I want to say a big thank you to the team at Cricut. They’re such a brilliant bunch, and I pinch myself everyday at how lucky I am to work with such a cool brand. I can’t wait to explore my new Cricut Maker further and share my makes with you! Keep your eyes peeled on my blog and Instagram to see what I make. 🙂 – Mike.

Disclaimer: My Cricut Maker was gifted to me free of charge by Cricut, but all opinions shared are my own. I only ever work with brands I genuinely love and that are a good fit for The Crafty Gentleman.

UPDATE: You can learn more about the Cricut Maker in my guide to which Cricut machine you should buy.