Monday, February 10, 2014

{DIY Monogrammed T-shirts with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material}

Hey, y'all!  I have such a cute project to share with you today!  As a Southerner, I LOVE monograms.  I'm not the only one because I've seen lots of people in my small town recently wearing monogrammed scarves, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and even boots.  I have been in a few stores that sell monogrammed t-shirts, and the price for the shirts was just too much for me.  When Silhouette had a big sale around Christmastime, I ordered some glitter heat transfer material.  I've been itching to use it, and it dawned on me recently that I more than likely could put it to use to make an inexpensive monogrammed t-shirt.  I tried it, it worked, and I want to show you how to make your own.  Stick around until the end of the post to see links to some other awesome Silhouette projects.
Create a Monogrammed T-shirt with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material: A Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
You only need two supplies to create your own monogrammed shirt.  You'll need a t-shirt (if you use a new shirt, be sure to wash and dry it) and heat transfer material.  The first step to creating the shirt is to create a monogram with your Silhouette program.  It's really easy to do.  You need to download a monogram font if you don't already have one.  I used Monogram KK, which I downloaded for free from dafont.com.  Then follow these steps.
Create a Monogrammed T-shirt with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material: A Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
  1. Open your Silhouette program and type your monogram.  Remember that it goes in this order: first name initial, last name initial, middle name initial.  If you type all this in the same text box and capitalize the middle initial, the font will automatically size the letters for you. 
  2. Ungroup the letters and move them around and/or resize them until you like the way they look.  Then weld them together. 
  3. Offset the welded monogram.  (Why?  Because sometimes the little thin "squiggles" are hard for the machine to cut.)  Delete the original monogram so that you're left with the offset one. 
  4. Mirror the monogram so that it won't be backward when you iron it on your shirt.  
After you've created the monogram, cut it from the heat transfer material (shiny side down) with your Silhouette.  When cutting the Silhouette brand glitter heat transfer material, I used a speed of 5, thickness of 10, and my blade set at 4.  (I was using a fairly new blade.)  To make sure those settings are correct for your machine and material, always do a test cut.

Create a Monogrammed T-shirt with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material: A Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
Then you'll need to weed.  What's weeding?  Just removing the excess heat transfer material.  Silhouette makes a weeding tool.  I don't have one, so I just used a straight pin for the tiny pieces.
Create a Monogrammed T-shirt with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material: A Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
Once the piece is weeded, you'll be left with something that looks like the above pic.  (I hate wasting material, so I filled up the area around my monograms with names that I can use for a project later.)
Create a Monogrammed T-shirt with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material: A Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
Cut the monograms apart if you cut more than one like I did.
Create a Monogrammed T-shirt with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material: A Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
Iron your shirt.  Lay the monogram on your shirt shiny side up and use a ruler to center it.  Then follow the heat transfer material directions to iron the design on your shirt.  (Here is a link to online directions in case you need them.)
Create a Monogrammed T-shirt with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material: A Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
After you've ironed on the monogram, peel of the clear film, and your shirt is complete.
Create a Monogrammed T-shirt with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material: A Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
I made two different monogrammed shirts: one for each of my nieces.  The shirts were only about $4 each.  I used a very small amount of the heat transfer material, so the total cost to make each shirt was about $6.  That's much cheaper than the monogrammed shirts sold in stores!
And now to share some other projects with you!
The Silhouette Challenge: Monogrammed T-shirt Tutorial from Pitter and Glink
My monogrammed t-shirts are my contribution to this month's Silhouette Challenge.  The month's theme is fabric, and there is so much inspiration from my bloggy friends!  Peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette fabric projects!
A Silhouette Monogrammed T-shirt and 43 Other Fabric Projects for Your Silhouette
  1. No-Sew Valentine's Day Pillows by A Tossed Salad Life
  2. No-Sew Interchangeable Fabric Bunting by unOriginal Mom
  3. Monogrammed Burlap Garden Flag by The Turquoise Home
  4. Crawl, Walk, Bike by It's Always Craft Time
  5. Freezer Paper Stenciled Tote Bags by Weekend Craft
  6. DIY Bleach Spray Shirt by Practically Functional
  7. Stenciling Sherlock by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
  8. Felt Star Wands by Cutesy Crafts
  9. Yoda Kid's T-Shirt by Architecture of a Mom
  10. Mark Your Territory- Dog Flags by Black and White Obsession
  11. Nautical Pillows by Lil' Mrs. Tori
  12. Big Sister Gift & Silhouette Cut File by Creative Ramblings
  13. Nerdy Baby Onesies + Free Cut File by Essentially Eclectic
  14. Easy Easter Bunny Onesie - Silhouette Cameo Craft by Adventures in All Things Food & Family
  15. Fabric Envelopes for LEARNING LETTERS! (& cut file) by From Wine to Whine
  16. "Good Morning, Sunshine!" Memo Board by Tried & True
  17. Hearts-A-Lot Burlap Pillow Cover by My Paper Craze
  18. Baby Quilt by Dragonfly & Lily Pads
  19. Surprise Holiday Banner by Whats Next Ma
  20. "Team Betty" Tote Bag by The Thinking Closet
  21. DIY Sock Minion by Create it. Go!
  22. Pretty Up Some Organza Bags by Getsilvered
  23. Easy Heart Appliqued Onsies by Create & Babble
  24. Bleach Pen Gel & Freezer Paper Stencils Made with the Silhouette Machine by Bringing Creativity 2 Life
  25. Valentines Baby Onesie & Boy's Shirt + Free Cut Files by The Frill of Life
  26. Valentine's OWL Always Love You T-shirt by My Favorite Finds
  27. DIY Screen Printed Curtains by Chicken Scratch NY
  28. Fabric Painted Quilted Wall Hanging by Terri Johnson Creates
  29. Glitter Iron-On Top by Simply Kelly Designs
  30. DIY Monogrammed T-shirts with Silhouette Heat Transfer Material by Pitter and Glink
  31. Birthday Challenge by Fadville
  32. Machine Applique with SIlhouette Cameo by The Sensory Emporium
  33. Fabric Applique Valentine's Day T-Shirt by DailyDwelling
  34. "Cute as Cupid" shirt by crafts, cakes, and cats
  35. Sew Cute Applique by Life After Laundry
  36. Rhino Onesie by It Happens in a Blink
  37. Upcycled Birchbox Cameo Accesory Organizer by Cupcakes&Crowbars
  38. Customizing textiles with Heat Transfer Vinyl (working title) by feto soap
  39. Easy Fabric Art by McCall Manor
  40. Lady Bug Tote Bag with Silhouette Rhinestones by Ginger Snap Crafts
  41. Mommy and Em's Coordinated Aprons by TitiCrafty
  42. Canvas sketch project and a share by Clever Someday
  43. Foxy Lady Pajamas by Mabey She Made It
  44. Teddy Bear by Work in Progress
Happy Silhouette crafting!

11 comments:

  1. These look so classy! Your nieces will love them! How you make it look and sound so easy, I'll never know. Every time I try to do a Silhouette project, I get so frustrated!

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  2. Who doesn't love a good monogram?! Nice job! So glad you linked up :)

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  3. The monograms look great on the T Shirts. The Silver Glitter really sparkles against the vibrant colours.

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  4. What a beautiful idea, and it would make a great gift too!

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  5. What a sweet and thoughtful gift for your nieces. They look so professional, hard to believe total cost was probably about $6 including the tee shirt. So, when are you going to make one for yourself...or better yet, for Daisy :)

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  6. Lovely shirts! Very nice tutorial for those of us who haven't tried this yet. Thanks.

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  7. Those are SO cute!! Where did you get the plain shirts? I love the colors!

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  8. So adorable! I ordered a Silhouette for myself at Christmas and have yet to sit down and play with it. Your monogram just tipped the scale for me. Thanks!
    -Therese @ Fresh Idea Studio

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  9. Beautiful and great tutorial!

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  10. Hello,
    I am looking for a different way to label my daughter's clothes. She is in a group home and I got frustrated that they would put others clothes on her. I have taken it upon myself to 'logo' all her items. I made a little monogram that I printed onto iron on fabric and then punched out with my Stampin Up oval punches. They are OK, but not as nice a look, not refined. They curl up on some materials after about 10 washings and need to be replaced. We like her to look nice. Her clothes don't last too long therefore I haven't gone with embroidering. I saw the Silhouette and am wondering if this would be the answer for me. I have a couple of questions that the company couldn't answer so I headed to Pinterest in search of a user that might help. I would like to know what fabrics it will work on. I have been ironing onto most of her fabric types including some synthetics because it only takes about 8 seconds to adhere the iron ons. I have 'ruined' a couple synthetic shirts, like a fleece, and I do not even attempt on some like sport fabrics (lycra and nylon etc). It seems that the Silhouette heat transfer material needs to be ironed for a LONG time, 45 seconds? I'd like to know what materials you have been successful with. I am limited to just 100% cotton? Second question..I'd really love to get a sample of the material to experiment with on her old clothes before I discard them. I am looking for some scraps, not much. Silhouette said they do not do samples. I would have to buy it, but it seems like such a waste if it won't work for my needs. I was wondering if you or someone else reading this might be able to answer my question about the fabric types and send me a few scraps to experiment with. Thank you so much for reading this and your advise. Michele

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    1. Hi, Michele! I have only used the heat transfer material on tshirts and on a hat, and all of those were made mostly of cotton. I would definitely suggest checking out Expressions Vinyl. That is where I always get my vinyl from. You can buy sheets of vinyl instead of a whole roll, and I believe you can even buy samples. Their customer service is second-to-none, and I believe they could answer lots of your questions. Hope this helps some!

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