Make a Homemade Band Tshirt
Want a T-shirt for your favorite band but you can't find one you want? Make your own unique shirt to showcase your musical love and your DIY talent.
Contents
Steps
- Pick your favorite band.
- Choose a T-shirt that with the color, fit, and material you like best.
- Find some alternate versions of the band's logo. Choose your favorite and print out a full-sized copy of it.
The Free-hand Fabric Paint Method
- Once you choose your band and logo, carefully pin out your T-shirt.
- Carefully outline the band's logo in pencil on the shirt. The pencil will wash out, so don't worry if you make a mistake.
- When you are satisfied with the logo, use fabric paint to go over it. Go slowly and intentionally. If you make a mistake, you will have to start over.
- Let it dry and surprise your friends.
The Stencil Method
- Take your printed image and lay it out over a sheet of cardboard to absorb the blade.
- Using an Exacto knife, cut out the band's logo.
- Carefully pin out your T-shirt and place the T-shirt where you want to logo to be.
- Use the fabric paint to paint the logo over the shirt.
- Let it dry and wow your friends.
The Iron-on Transfer Method
- Purchase a pack of Iron-On Transfers from an office supply shop.
- Reverse your band's logo in photo editing software.
- If you are using Windows, the easiest way to do this is to open the image in Microsoft Paint and select image>rotate>flip horizontal.
- Print the reversed image at the size you want it.
- From the print settings menu, select paper type>iron on before you print it out. If you can't find it, don't worry about it: it should still print out fine.
- Cut your band logo out from the transfer carefully.
- Set your iron to its cotton setting and iron your logo onto your chosen T-shirt.
- Ironing the edges in a circular motion and go over the logo completely to seal in the image.
- Wait for the iron-on transfer paper to cool completely before you peel it off.
- Put it on and wow your friends.
Tips
- A 100% cotton T-shirt works best, and lighter colored T-shirts display printed logos better than darker ones.
- If you are doing an iron-on transfer, try to print your mirrored image on regular paper before you attempt to print it on your expensive transfer paper.
- If using the stencil method, think about painting a little sloppily along the outer edge of the stencil for a cool graffiti effect.
- White fabric paint shows up the best on a black T-shirt. For other color combinations, use your best judgment.
- If using the stencil method, you may want to print the logo on cardstock to make an easier guide.
Warnings
- Too much ironing can cause the image to melt too far into the fabric. Too little ironing can cause the transfer to peel or crack.
- If you cut into the ink on an iron-on transfer, it may bleed into your laundry.
- Iron-on transfer sheets should not be used with a laser printer, as it will melt the transfer.
- Fabric paint is not washable. If choosing a fabric paint option, be careful! You only have one try per T-shirt.
Things You'll Need
- A high-quality T-shirt
- A Pencil
- Fabric paint
- A print-out of your favorite bands' logo
- An X-Acto knife
- Iron-on Transfer paper
- An inkjet printer
- An Iron
