Fish Extender DIY

We had so much fun participating in Fish Extenders on our recent Disney Cruise! There’s no cuter fish extender DIY than these. Use your names and your favorite characters to create a Disney Cruise Fish Extender everyone will be talking about! 

grey fish extender hanging in front of a white door

If you have never heard of a fish extender don’t fret, you are not alone! When we instagrammed our recent Disney Cruise some of our most commonly asked questions were about fish extenders! We had so much fun participating in this program. If you are going on a Disney Cruise, I highly recommend it! Of course I had to make a Fish Extender DIY to use while on the ship, and I’m excited to share that tutorial with you today! 

Fish Extender DIY

If you just heard something about fish extenders but have no idea what they are or what I am talking about, check out our recent post Everything You Need to Know About Fish Extenders or check out all our Disney Cruising Tips and Tricks

fish extender hanging next to a stateroom door on disney cruise line

Disney Fish Extender

What if I don’t want to make my own fish extender?! That’s no problem! There are some really cute and affordable options you can buy and customize if you want to. Here are a few of our favorites that you can buy on Amazon and have shipped to  your house in two days! 

*This post contains affiliate links. 

If you are a DIY’er though, making your own can be so fun! Here is a close up look at the one that I made (I made one for Sarah’s family, too). I used each person’s favorite Disney character and their name to make them personal and fun, and I love how they turned out! 

grey and white disney cruise fish extender hanging on a white doorBelle forever ;)! Okay are you ready to learn how to make your own fish extender DIY? 

How to make your own DIY fish extender: 

Materials Needed: 

Design Your Files in Design Space

I started by searching for each person’s favorite characters in design space. Once I had a few that I liked I aimed to find others of the same general shape so that they would look nice and uniform. You can find the images that I used in this design space file.

Once you have your characters on your canvas you can add names underneath, if you’d like! I used the font “Cricut Sans” in all caps. Once you have your name added underneath your character, highlight the character and the name and click “weld.” Repeat for each person’s name and character. 

Once you have this done click “Make It” in the bottom right corner. An image of your files should show up like this. 

designs for fish extenders in cricut design space

Cut Your Iron-On and Weed Your Designs

Make sure that you turn your mirror to on and that it turns green, then click continue! I cut mine on fast mode so it didn’t take as long! Once the images are finished cutting, I used my scissors to cut them apart so I could weed them all one at a time! This makes it easier to weed out small pieces without accidentally pulling up something you don’t want to! 

weeded iron on bb8 on a green cricut cutting mat

Prepare Your Pouches 

If you are using the same pouches I did, make sure that you place the EasyPress Mat or parchment paper or a towel or something in between the two sides of your bag so they don’t melt together! 

easy press mini mat inside fish extender pouch

After you’ve placed something inside your pouch to keep the sides from melting together, preheat it for five seconds with your iron or EasyPress2. Then, place your design where you want it in preparation to iron-on. 

white iron-on bb8 on top of a grey fish extender bag

Find Heat Settings and Iron-On Design

Find your heat guide settings here and adjust your EasyPress or Iron temperature accordingly, then press your design for the designated amount of time. 

easypress2 ironing on bb8 to a fish extender bag

Peel up a small corner first to make sure your design is sticking, and then carefully remove the outer plastic sheet. Repeat process with each individual pouch and voila! You’re done!

close up view of four different fish extender pockets

Which of our four pouches is your favorite? 

close up of two grey and white fish extender pouchesIf you want to print these instructions, use the printable form below! Also, be sure to check out the video there to hear all about our first fish extender experience and to get some ideas for fun fish extender gifts! 

grey and white diy fish extenders against a white background
Print

DIY Fish Extender

One of the best parts of a Disney Cruise is participating in Fish Extenders! There's no cuter fish extender DIY than these. Use your names and your favorite characters to create a Disney Cruise Fish Extender everyone will be talking about! 
Keyword disney cruise, disney cruise fish extender, fish extender, fish extender DIY
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 1
Cost 30.00

Equipment

  • Heat Press or Iron
  • Cutting Machine

Ingredients

  • 1 Fish Extender Pouch Per Person
  • Iron-On Vinyl in Desired Color
  • Scissors
  • Weeding Tool
  • Mat or Towel

Instructions

  • Design Your Files in Design Space
    I started by searching for each person's favorite characters in design space. Once I had a few that I liked I aimed to find others of the same general shape so that they would look nice and uniform. You can find the images that I used in this design space file.
    Once you have your characters on your canvas you can add names underneath, if you'd like! I used the font "Cricut Sans" in all caps. Once you have your name added underneath your character, highlight the character and the name and click "weld." Repeat for each person's name and character. 
    Once you have this done click "Make It" in the bottom right corner. An image of your files should show up like this. 
    designs for fish extenders in cricut design space
  • Cut Your Iron-On and Weed Your Designs
    Make sure that you turn your mirror to on and that it turns green, then click continue! I cut mine on fast mode so it didn't take as long! Once the images are finished cutting, I used my scissors to cut them apart so I could weed them all one at a time! This makes it easier to weed out small pieces without accidentally pulling up something you don't want to! 
    weeded iron on bb8 on a green cricut cutting mat
  • Prepare Your Pouches 
    If you are using the same pouches I did, make sure that you place the EasyPress Mat or parchment paper or a towel or something in between the two sides of your bag so they don't melt together! 
    easy press mini mat inside fish extender pouch
  • After you've placed something inside your pouch to keep the sides from melting together, preheat it for five seconds with your iron or EasyPress2. Then, place your design where you want it in preparation to iron-on. 
    white iron-on bb8 on top of a grey fish extender bag
  • Find Heat Settings and Iron-On Design
    Find your heat guide settings here and adjust your EasyPress or Iron temperature accordingly, then press your design for the designated amount of time. 
  • Peel up a small corner first to make sure your design is sticking, and then carefully remove the outer plastic sheet. Repeat process with each individual pouch and voila! You're done!
    close up of two grey and white fish extender pouches

Video

Notes

See this post for more information about fish extenders. 
Everything You Need to Know about Disney Cruise Fish Extenders

a full fish extender hanging by a stateroom door on a disney cruise

Good luck on your fish extenders friends, and HAPPY CRUISING!!! 

xo, 

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