How to Reuse Materials to Screenprint a Tshirt.
I have been screenprinting my own dorky T-shirts for a couple of years now and have a ton of fun thinking of new designs and funny sayings on a daily basis. A few folks have asked me to write a tutorial on how I make my upcycled t-shirts. So, here you go.
Before we get started, I will tell you that I have tried the traditional means of creating a screen for screenprinting t-shirts. So, I bought a pre-fab screen, put UV sensitive emulsion on it, placed my photo transfer on it, stuck it in the sun forever and then rinsed it off. What I gained from this experience is that it is expensive, super time consuming, and, for me, not worth it. Bearing that in mind, I moved on to making my own screens from reused materials and using glue to make my designs. It is much cheaper, still time consuming, and does not come out the way a pre-fab screen would. It is much more organic, painterly and much less graphic-like. So, keep that in mind when you read this tutorial.
How to Reuse Materials to Screenprint a T-shirt:
Materials:
Old Photo Frame
Curtain Liner (the sheer stuff you put behind the heavy stuff when you hang curtains)
Staple Gun and staples
Mod Podge
Paint Brush
Permanent Marker
Screenprint ink
Ink Applicator (Cardboard)
Old Tshirt
1. Find an old photo frame. Place it on top of a piece of drawing paper. Trace along the inside of the photo frame. Remove the photo frame.
2. Draw some 1 inch arrows towards the center of the square/rectangle you just drew on the peice of paper. This will remind you to stay away from the edges of your screen. You don’t want your drawing close to the edge because it is really hard to slide you ink applicator evenly along the edges.
3. Draw your t-shirt design! Don’t worry if you goof (you can see that I could not decide where to put the work RUN!) you can make your final decisions when you draw on your screen.
4. Staple your curtain liner to your photo frame. Pull the liner snuggly against the frame, then staple it. Cut away any excess curtain liner.
5. Place your screen on top of your drawing, flat side down. Your screen should be touching the piece of paper. Trace your drawing. Make sure you use a permanent marker. I made the mistake of using a regular one and it bled a ton and got into my screenprinting ink while I printed. Just so you know, the permanent marker will bleed just a touch, so if you don’t want that, use a pencil. I find pencil very hard to see so I use permanent marker.
6. When your drawing is complete, flip your screen and begin applying Mod Podge. So, here’s the deal with the glue. Place glue in the places where you DO NOT want ink to flow through when you are printing. Where ever there is glue, there will be tshirt when you print. Where ever there is NO glue, there will be ink when you print. You will need to let your screen dry for about a day.
7. Time for a test print! Place your screen onto a test piece of paper. Place screenprinting ink along one of the sides of your screen. Use your cardboard applicator and slide it along your screen. Do this until your whole screen has ink. Lift your screen and see your creation! You might see some spaces that need more glue. Rinse off your screen, let it dry, then add more glue. Text seems to always need two or three layers of glue.
8. Now you are ready to print on a T-shirt! Place something in the middle of your shirt so that the ink does not get on the backside. Make sure it is as large as your screen so that your print comes out evenly. Slightly pull the sides of your shirt and tape them to the table. The shirt should not have any wrinkles; you want your screen to be placed on as flat a shirt as possible. Print the same way you did for your test print.
9. Check out your brand new tshirt! Remove the middle piece that was protecting the other side of the shirt and hang up your shirt and let it dry. When the ink dries, place a piece of fabric or a towel over the screenprint. Heat up an iron on low and iron over the towel/fabric. This will help seal the ink to the shirt.
10. Wear your shirt with pride!
How to Reuse an Old Tshirt to Make a Baby Bib.
I don’t have any babies yet (except my dear pups Neko), but I do know a lot of people who do. This is a really fun way to reuse and upcycle your old worn down tshirts.
Here’s How to Reuse an Old Tshirt to Make a Baby Bib:
1. Pick out a fun tshirt.
2. Iron it.
3. Cut out (starting at the collar) a bib shape. Make sure you cut both the front and the back of your tshirt.
4. Turn your shirt wrong side out.
5. Sew the sides and bottom of the bib. Leave a bit of fabric unsewn at the top of both sides (by the collar).
6. Grab the bottom of the bib through the collar (that you have not sewn yet) and turn your bib right side out.
7. Cut the back side of the tshirt away from the collar.
8. Fold the extra fabric in towards the wrong side of your fabric. Iron it to keep it folded down. Sew the top of your bib.
9. Cut your collar at the half way point. Either just tie this around your baby’s neck or attach some velcro with a hot glue gun.
There you have it. A bib that is easy to make, fun, and unique!
The next time you clean out your tshirt drawer make some upcycled baby bibs!
How to make a purse from an old t-shirt
My mom is awesome and is always buying super cute and funny t-shirts. I love the imagery on them and figured I might as well keep them even when they don’t fit or are falling apart. One option for an old t-shirt is to make a purse out of it.
Here’s how I took one t-shirt and made a small handbag.
Note: Everything on the purse comes from one t-shirt (except the thread)
Instructions on How to Make a Purse from an Old T-shirt:
1. Cut the t-shirt into a rectangle. (Remove collar and sleeves).
2. Iron fabric.
3. Turn the front side of the t-shirt over and line it up with the fabric on the bottom. Sew the long sides of the rectangle together as well as the top (where the collar used to be).
4. Turn your fabric correct side out.
5. Fold the two bottoms in on themselves and sew bottom together.
6. Fold your rectangle in half. The fold will be the bottom of your purse.
7. Remove the collar from the t-shirt. That will be your handle.
Note: ***My t-shirt has cuffs around the arm sleeves. For those of you who have t-shirts that do not have these, no worries. Use the fabric left over from the sleeves to create a handle or any decoration you would like.***
8. Sew sleeve caps to sides of purse. If you don’t have sleeve caps, just sew the sides together.
9. Add your “collar handle” to the inside of the purse on opposite ends.
Enjoy your new purse!
Find purses like this and other bags made from reused materials at The Print Studio on Etsy. CLICK HERE.