Cricut Patterns – How to Upload and Use Patterns

Learn how to use Cricut Patterns to fill fonts or images. Also find out how to upload your own patterns.

Cricut patterns aren’t really used much and no one really asks about how to use them. I think this is because they don’t realize how adorable they can be and how versatile they are.

Let’s take a closer look at Cricut Patterns.

Cricut Patterns – How to Upload and Use Patterns Video Tutorial

Watch what I can create using Cricut Patterns you already have downloaded in your software.

How to Upload and Use Patterns in Cricut Design Space

The Cricut Pattern tool is within your canvas and it is really easy to use and the sky is the limit of creativity.

Let’s start by adding a circle to the canvas. Click the Shapes icon on the left hand side, then click on the Circle. It is automatically set to Cut, but to use the Cricut Pattern tool we need to change it to Print. We do that by having the circle selected, then looking on the top tool bar. See where it says No Fill? Click on that and select Print.

Now your circle is a Print object, which means you can print this instead of cutting it. Well, you can still cut it. It is called a Print and Cut then.

Now click on the black box next to Print. See it on the top? Click on the Color drop down and select Pattern. This is where you find the Cricut Pattern Tool.

Now instead of selecting what color you want, you will be selecting what pattern you want to use. There are lots and lots of patterns, so take a few minutes and scroll through them. It’s ok to click on one you like because it’s just as easy to click another if you don’t like what you chose first. Just play with it.

Ok….back to learning. When you select a pattern and it automatically fills your object. Pretty cool…right.

Now, write out some text and use the font Impact if you have it. If you don’t, choose a bold font. I like to use capital letters too.

Go through the same steps as when we did the circle. Click on the No Fill and choose Print. Click on the black box next to the word Print and then click on the Color drop down and choose Pattern. Now choose any pattern and it will automatically fill your text.

It took me a few tries before I found the pattern I liked for the word Love. I really like this one and I did edit the pattern to make it bigger and I rotated it a bit for the image sits on its side instead of straight up and down.

How to Edit Cricut Patterns

Click the word Filter first. This allows you to choose a color family and then it will only show you that family. It’s nice when you are only looking for one color.

Now click Edit Pattern to the left of the word Filter. This is what you will see.

Use the slide bar to scale your image up or down. I don’t use the Horizontal or Vertical much, but I do use the rotate and flip. You can rotate your Cricut pattern so it looks a bit different.

It edits the pattern in real time, so once you are happy with it just click the X in the top right corner to get out of there. You can go back and edit it as much as you want.

How to Upload Patterns to Cricut

Uploading Patterns to Cricut is just like uploading images, but we need to push one different button.

Click the Upload icon on the canvas and when it sends you to the next page, instead of clicking Upload Image, you will click the Upload Pattern icon just to the right of the Upload Image icon. It looks like this…..

Once you click that, click browse and go to where you saved the pattern on your computer. Click on the pattern you want to upload and when it brings you to the correct window you have the option to name it. Then click Save.

It will now be loaded into your Patterns Tool box. So go back to your canvas, highlight an image or text and go find your uploaded pattern in the Cricut Pattern tool. If it isn’t there at first, go out of the Cricut Pattern tool and come back in. It should be there now.

How you can play with the edit pattern feature to get it exactly like you want.

How to Use Pictures as Cricut Patterns

We are going to upload a pattern just like we did before, but this time we will choose a picture. Name it and save it and then go back to the Cricut Pattern tool and your picture should be there. Choose it and edit it till its perfect for you.

As you can see, I did edit the pattern and it makes it look like one long creek instead of what the original picture looked like.

Try this with people pictures too, you might like the result.

Ok…that’s it! You now know how to upload and use Cricut patterns.

Happy Crafting!