Thursday, March 15, 2012

St. Patty's Day T-Shirts with Just Your Home Printer

Saint Patty’s day t-shirts with just your home printer
So if you’re planning on celebrating this Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17th in traditional style, it will usually involve you and a gang of your friends plus one or two pints of Guinness. Alternatively you might be spending it at home with a traditional meal with the family? Or perhaps you simply want to take the opportunity to get the kids into the swing of things? However you plan on celebrating this year, a commemorative t-shirt is a fun way to add a little something special to the proceedings. Here we look at the different ways you can create your very own Saint Patrick’s Day t-shirts. Whatever your level of skill – or amount of time to spare – there’s no excuse for not getting involved this year!


  1. For beginners
The simplest way to create your own Saint Patty’s Day clobber is to use a downloadable stencil. You’ll need clip-art, a basic white tee – it’s a good idea to buy it a size larger and wash it before you begin to avoid shrinkage – some fabric paint, a fabric marker pen, cardboard and your home ink jet printer. All you have to do is print your template and cut it out, place the card inside your t-shirt to avoid paint going through, and trace the outline of your design onto the fabric using the marker pen. Fill in the outline using fabric paint and leave to dry overnight – child’s play!

  1. Stencils

If you’re feeling a little more ambitious you could try using a stencilling technique. Either download a template or create your own using Adobe Photoshop, depending on how your creative skills stand. It’s a good idea to get yourself some acetate photo paper for printing, as this creates a strong base for your stencil, prevents buckling and makes it much easier to use. Depending on the complexity of your design, it might also be a good idea to use a craft knife to cut your stencil out. Simply use sticky tape to attach the stencil to your tee and apply the fabric paint using a roller. Don’t forget to put a sheet of thick card inside your t-shirt to prevent paint seepage. Leave to dry overnight – or speed up the process using your hairdryer. Once your handiwork is dry, carefully remove the stencil and iron through a sheet of baking paper to seal. 

  1. Iron-on transfers

Iron-on transfers are really easy to get the hang of and provide professional results with the minimum of fuss. All you’ll need an ink jet compatible printer, an iron and a pre-bought set of transfers to get started. Once you’ve selected your artwork print a preview onto standard cartridge paper. If you’re happy with the results you can proceed to printing the design onto an HP iron-on transfer – it’s a good idea to print two and do a test garment first. Cut out your transfer, leaving a small border and turn your iron to its highest setting (be sure to switch off the steam). Use a low flat surface to iron on your transfer, applying as much pressure as possible, and then gently peel away the paper backing. 

  1. Embroidery
If you’re good with the needle and thread, why not use embroidery to fill in your design instead of fabric paints? It adds a classic and sophisticated edge to your home printed tees. 



  1. Embellishment

Alternatively, if sewing really isn’t your cup of tea you could add fashionable embellishments to your printed t-shirt. Bring a touch of bling to your Saint Patty’s Day tee with sequins, beads or diamante details – as can be seen in this feminine example.




Author Bio: This post was written by Clickinks.com, an online distributor of printer ink and toner cartridges. Clickinks carries a wide range of products for the top printer brands on the market, such as Canon ink cartridges, like the Canon Selphy CP740, Epson printer ink, or any other brand!