15 Must Have Cricut Maker Accessories and Tools That You Need

So, you got a Cricut Maker and you aren’t sure what to do next.  Don’t worry, I can help!

This list of the best must have Cricut Maker accessories and tools will unlock loads of creative possibilities and make crafting a lot more fun!

Want to remember this? Post this list of must have Cricut Maker accessories to your favorite DIY Pinterest board!

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The Cricut Maker has so many amazing possibilities, but most of them require some additional accessories to unlock.  

You can cut so many materials and do other amazing things like engraving, embossing and perforating with the click of your mouse.  

The Maker is a revolutionary craft machine that will change your crafting life!  I know it has changed mine.  

As amazing as it is on it’s own, with the right accessories, it’s downright awesome. But which add-ons and tools do you really need, and which ones should you maybe wait on?

First, let’s take a look at what comes with the Cricut Maker when you first purchase it:

• Cricut Maker machine
• Rotary Blade + Drive Housing
• Premium Fine-Point Blade + Housing
• Fine-Point Pen
• 12″ x 12″ FabricGrip Mat
• 12″ x 12″ LightGrip Mat
• Welcome book
• Quick Start Guide
• USB cable
• Power adapter
• Materials for your first project

So that’s a pretty good start, but what if you want to try cutting balsa wood? Or give foil transfer a go? Or do the hundreds of other things the Cricut Maker can do?

It’s time to grab some extra tools and accessories!

Before we dive into the list, Cricut usually has some awesome bundle deals going on all the time with loads of materials (like adhesive vinyl, heat transfer vinyl, cardstock, etc.) that will help you out.

So if you still need Cricut supplies, those are great, especially as a beginner when you aren’t sure what to buy.

Let’s take a look at the best Cricut accessories and tools to make the most of your Cricut Maker!

#1. Knife Blade & Housing

I honestly am not sure why this blade isn’t included with the Maker.  It’s definitely a must-have if you want to cut thicker materials like leather, chipboard, or basswood.

The blades are long-lasting and you can extend the life of them with the aluminum foil ball trick. 

Just in case, it’s not a bad idea to pick up a replacement knife blade. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a project and realizing you have a dull blade that needs to be replaced!

#2. Replacement Rotary Blade

The Rotary Blade comes with the Cricut Maker, and it’s totally awesome! You can use it to cut all kinds of fabrics (without stabilizer on the back!), felt, and even quilt batting. 

The Rotary Blades stay sharp for a long time, but if you use it to cut a lot of fabric and felt it’s going to need to be replaced eventually. 

It’s better to have a backup blade so you don’t have to stop in the middle of your project and run to the store!

#3. Quick Swap Housing & Tips Bundle

The QuickSwap Housing is how you use all the must have blades for the Cricut Maker, and it opens up a whole new world of possibilities! 

With the press of a button, you can swap out any of the compatible QuickSwap tips to use with your Maker.

There are several options available, and Cricut has many more they are working on behind the scenes. 

The great thing about the QuickSwap housing is you just need to buy one and you can use it with all the tips! It makes buying new tools much more affordable.

This bundle comes with the QuickSwap housing and all six tips currently available. (Sometimes it’s out of stock though, the individual links are down below.)

Here’s a rundown of all the tips it comes with.

Engraving Tip

With the Engraving tip, you can engrave intricate designs on paper, wood, acrylic, leather, and many other materials.  

Debossing Tip

Use the Debossing Tip to create recessed relief images on paper, cardstock, poster board, leather, and other materials.

Scoring Wheel

The single Scoring Wheel is perfect for scoring crisp lines in crepe paper, cardstock, acetate, and other light materials.

Double Scoring Wheel

The Double Scoring Wheel creates two parallel score lines and is perfect for scoring poster board, cardboard, craft board, and other heavier materials.

Perforating Blade

With the Perforation Blade, you can perforate cardstock, poster board, craft board, and more to create projects that can be easily torn off like raffle tickets, tear out coloring pages, or gift boxes.

Wavy Blade

With the Wavy Blade, you can easily make decorative wavy edges on your projects. 

It’s perfect for paper flowers, gift tags, cards, and more! The Wavy Blade is a rotary blade, so you can use it on fabric as well.

#4. Extra Mats

Cricut mats are great, but the stickiness does wear off after a while. 

This is especially true with the FabricGrip mat if you cut felt or other linty fabrics.

If you cut leather with the StrongGrip mat without using contact paper on the back, it can quickly become a hot mess too. 

While it is possible to clean the mats and re-stick them, sometimes it’s just easier to buy a new one.

Keep an eye out for sales, sometimes you can get them pretty cheap.

#5. Cricut Pens

Have you tried using Cricut Pens to write with your Maker? 

You can do this with the Cricut Explore machines as well, and it’s a really neat feature. 

If you want to write words that look like handwriting, you’ll need to use certain fonts that are a single line. 

With most fonts, you’ll get bubble letters. Sometimes they look kind of neat, so if that’s the look your after, go for it! 

Otherwise, make sure to use the filter in Design Space to find “Writing” fonts.

You can also use the Cricut Pens to draw pictures. 

Intricate drawings like mandalas come out looking amazing! 

Now, you can even get Infusible Ink markers and use your Cricut to draw custom designs that will last a lifetime!

#6. Cricut Fabric Pens

Speaking of Cricut Pens, did you know they have Fabric Pens, too? 

If you use your Cricut to cut out sewing patterns, it can cut and mark your pieces for you all in one run! 

That takes care of some of the most boring and annoying parts of sewing and lets you get to the fun part. Game changer!

#7. Foil Transfer Kit

The Foil Transfer Kit is Cricut’s answer to the foil quill kits you’ve probably seen in stores.

While using those off brand accessories can potentially damage your machine (and void your warranty), these ones are specifically made to work with the Cricut Maker (by Cricut!)

The Foil Transfer Kit Includes:

• 1 Foil Transfer Tool Housing
• 3 Foil Transfer Tips – fine, medium, bold
• 12 Foil Transfer Sheets 4″ x 6″ (10.1 cm x 15.2 cm) 4 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 White
• Tape 

With this awesome tool, you can add beautiful foil accents to your projects and it’s super simple to do. Be sure to check this one out!

#8. Brayer & Remover Tools

If you plan on cutting fabric with your Cricut Maker, these tools will make your life way easier. 

The brayer helps you smooth the fabric down on the mat to remove any wrinkles or air bubbles. You can use it to help smooth down other materials to your mat too, like cardstock or vinyl.

The broad tipped tweezers are handy to remove little pieces of fabric and threads that are stuck to the mat. Very handy!

#9. Basic Tool Kit

This Basic Tool Kit is a must for weeding vinyl and carefully removing paper or cardstock from your mats. 

It comes with tweezers, a spatula, a weeder, a burnisher, and a nice sharp pair of scissors with a protective cover.  

I find myself using these tools for just about everything, even when I’m not using my Cricut Maker!

#10. XL Scraper

The XL Scraper may not seem like a big deal, but it totally is.

This bad boy will make transferring vinyl (and getting it to stick properly) a breeze!

The smaller scraper included in the kit above is handy for many things, but sometimes it just doesn’t cut it.

When you’re working with larger vinyl projects, or even the smaller ones, this XL scraper will make the whole transfer process much faster.

Also, you can clear your mats off a lot faster, too! In this case, bigger is definitely better.

#11. Sewing Kit

The Cricut Sewing Kit includes seven must-have tools for sewing and quilting. 

It comes with fabric sheers, a tape measure, a leather thimble, a cute Cricut-shaped pin cushion, pins, thread snips, and a seam ripper.  

#12. Cricut Machine Tote

If you ever need to take your Cricut Maker with you when you’re out and about, this handy tote is the way to go! 

It’s perfectly sized for your Maker (and also the Explore machines) and will keep your Cricut safe and secure when you travel. 

They also make matching Rolling Craft Totes to hold all your materials and accessories that go with your Cricut.

The two totes are stackable, too.  How great is that?!

#13. Easy Press 2

For projects that use iron-on vinyl, the Easy Press 2 is SUCH a time (and sanity) saver. 

It takes all the guesswork out of transferring your designs. Easily set the exact temperature and time you need depending on your material type, it’s so simple! 

The Easy Press 2 comes in four sizes for all your needs, and there are several bundled options that include the Heat Proof Mat, plus iron-on supplies and materials.

If you plan on using Infusible Ink for any of your projects, the Easy Press is a must. Your regular iron just won’t cut it. The Easy Press 2 will make Cricut crafting way less frustrating and more fun!

#14. BrightPad

Speaking of sanity savers, the Cricut BrightPad makes weeding vinyl a cinch! 

Especially when you’re weeding a super intricate design, the BrightPad helps make the cuts easy to see so you won’t be searching for tiny pieces to weed out. 

You can use it like a regular light pad for tracing designs as well.  

#15. Fabulous Storage Cart

This rolling storage cart with drawers is perfect to hold your Cricut Maker and it’ll store all your accessories as well!

It’s got locking wheels and plenty of handy drawers to hold all those crafty goodies.

Be sure to get this specific model, it’s nice and sturdy and sized just perfect for your Cricut Maker and accessories!

In Conclusion

These must have Cricut Maker accessories will make your Cricut crafting adventures much more convenient and enjoyable!

There are so many amazing projects you can create with your Cricut. Who knows what fun tools and add-ons they’ll come up with next?

I hope this list helped you out!  What is your favorite must-have Cricut accessory?  Let us know in the comments!

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15 Amazing Cricut Maker Accessories and Tools That You Need