Today on HEAT TRANSFER VINYL

Hello hello – I’m still obsessed with t-shirts here. Maybe it has something to do with me teaching so many of my T-shirt fitting workshops at the moment.
It’s funny – I have taught this workshop more than 30 times. And still. I taught one on Saturday, and there was a new kind of alteration. Isn’t it amazing?

Well, I’ll get back to that on a later time (I’m sort of thinking about how I could turn this workshop into a book or an on line course..) for today is about getting my t-shirt to be cool enough, using heat transfer vinyl, that my non-sewing friends would want to steal it from me!

Heat transfer MariaDenmark.com

What you need: A t-shirt, a motife, heat transfer, scissors and a pencil

What are heat transfers, you ask?

Well, it’s the kind of vinyl-thing, that t-shirt printers use with a heat press to add designs to t-shirts for the industry and for companies who want prints on t-shirts.

In the last couple of years it’s been a trend among some bloggers to buy this vinyl wholesale and use it and even sometimes resell it for all of our benefit. And recently it’s also hit the fabric stores (here in Denmark, anyway) and you can also get it on Amazon.

Let’s get going:

First: Gather you supplies.

You need the heat transfer vinyl, something to print on (I’m using an old, ragged Birgitte Basic Tee, that could do with a touch-up), a design (I’m using the same cat outline that I used for the stencilling a few posts back), pen and scissors.

Now: Get your heat transfer ready.

Designing and cutting the heat transfer - MariaDenmark.com

Trace and cut your design from the heat transfer

Cut out the design, trace it onto the wrong side (the glue side) of the heat transfer (remember to mirror the design – especially if you are making letters) – and cut the heat transfer.

Pre-heat your t-shirt by ironing it for about 10 seconds (check the heat settings on your iron!), then place the heat transfer on the t-shirt.

Cover the t-shirt with a pressing cloth (I’m using silk organza, but it could also be thin cotton), and press the heat transfer on by pressing for 30 seconds (check the package, it might vary). If it’s a large design, you might have to move the iron and press each segment for 30 seconds.

applying heat transfer

Place the design on the t-shirt and press it on (covering with a pressing cloth)

Carefully turn the t-shirt right side out, and press the heat transfer from the wrong side another 30 seconds.

Leave the t-shirt to cool completely, then carefully peel off the plastic cover.

heat transfer how to Mariadenmark.com

Carefully peel off the plastic cover!

And you are done!

heat transfer tee

All done! Except I think I want to add some paw prints on the back!

P.S. You could totally create a design in more parts – for instance, if I wanted  the cat to be pawing a ball, I could have added that…