For Silhouette crafters, the trick to applying adhesive vinyl to yoga mats is to warm the vinyl with a hair dryer. But let's back up a little first...
For this design, I placed the two designs in Silhouette Studio right over the corners of the mat. Not only did this create a lot less vinyl waste, but it gave me a perfect corner that I could use to line up on my yoga mat, as well.
You definitely want to cut on permanent adhesive vinyl. If you're using a solid color vinyl, you'll want to use Oracal 651. I cut on a patterned Sparkle Berry Ink vinyl. Either way you want to use permanent vinyl since this type of vinyl has a strong adhesive and will help keep the vinyl on the mat, even when rolled.
After you cut and weed your design, use a piece of clear transfer tape to remove the vinyl from the backing. My favorite is Oracal transfer tape which comes on a gridded backing.
You want to place the vinyl on the side of the mat that faces out when rolled. This will also help the vinyl stay on the mat. Placing it on the underside can cause it to crease and lift off the mat.
TIP: Use the vinyl backing - with the waxy side up - to prevent the majority of the adhesive part of the vinyl from touching the mat while you get the edge or corner into the correct position. Once you have the vinyl in the right spot, remove the backing completely and lay down the design.
Once you have the vinyl on your mat, burnish it with a Silhouette scraper and then carefully peel aware the clear transfer tape.
Now...use your hairdryer to help melt the vinyl into the mat. Again use the Silhouette scraper while you hit the vinyl with heat to encourage the edges - especially - to firmly adhere to the mat.
Ideally, you want to be able to see the texture of the mat through the vinyl.
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