DIY Projects

Hero T-Shirt

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My office decided to have ‘Spirit Week’ at work this year, to have some fun before Halloween. In an effort to keep it simple, each day has a different theme for dressing up. Apparently I wasn’t thinking when I picked the theme days, because I quickly realized I don’t have something to wear for each of the days. Monday is “Western Day,” so that’s easy enough, but come Tuesday I have a problem. “Super Heroes.” Should be simple, right? Ha! Not if you don’t own a super hero shirt, and apparently I don’t. If I’m being honest, I haven’t really had a reason to own one, and don’t really see myself wearing one again in the future, so spending money on one seems a little impractical. Hence my dilemma…

I happen to keep a stash of solid colored t-shirts on hand for those random times when I might need one…so I thought, why not make my own shirt? It will save me money in the long run, and I can make something that I will even want to wear again. I found this super cute design on Cricut Design Space, and decided to run with it. I want to share with you how easy and quick it is to make, so you’ll have the confidence to make your own shirt when the need arises. Here are the things you’ll need to make this t-shirt:

  • A Cricut machine (I’m using my Cricut Explore Air)
  • The Cricut Design Space app
  • Colored heat press vinyl
  • A solid colored t-shirt
  • A heat press machine or iron

Once you’ve got everything picked out, we’re ready to get started. For this particular shirt, I’m using a solid navy Gildan t-shirt that I bought on Amazon.

and red and white heat press vinyl. I chose this specific design because I come from a pretty patriotic military family, and love to support our troops any chance I get. This shirt can be worn anytime, and still fits in with my Tuesday ‘Spirit Week’ theme. If you have any questions while you’re making this, please comment below and I’ll be happy to help you. Here we go!

  • Step 1: Log into your Cricut Design Space app and click on ‘images.’ Here I typed in ‘super hero’ to see what I could find. I have Cricut Access, meaning I pay a monthly fee to have access to thousands of free designs, but if you don’t, you can still purchase the design for $.99. Once you purchase, click on the design, then ‘Add to canvas.’
  • Step 2: You’ll want to change the size of the design to fit well on your t-shirt. This is going to be your preference, and how big you want it to be. I’m not a big person and I wear a size small shirt, so I don’t want my design any wider than 9″, but you can use a ruler to see what size you might want. Click on the design and drag the right corner down until you get the dimension where you want them to be. Now the design is going to show as two different parts, in two different colors. I chose to make it red and white so it will show up well on the shirt. When you click on the image, it will highlight the part that you’re working on, and you can see both parts on the right hand side. I’m going to change the color of the words ‘REAL’ and ‘DON’T WEAR CAPES THEY WEAR’ first, so once I click on that part, I can see on the right hand side that it’s the section I’m working on. I click on the little box next to where it says ‘basic cut’ at the top, and this will give me the color choices. You don’t have to pick the exact color you’ll be using, but picking something similar to the color vinyl you have makes it easier to remember what you’re cutting out, and gives you an idea of what it will look like on the shirt. I’m changing the color to red. Then I click on the second part on the right and I’m going to change the color for ‘heroes’ and ‘dog tags.’ I click on the little box at the top to change it to white.
  • Step 3: If you’re happy with the way it looks and the colors, you’re ready to cut the design. Turn your machine on, and click ‘Make it’ in the top right corner. Make sure the ‘On mat’ and 12″ x 12″ size is selected then click ‘Confirm.’ Here you will see the two different mats you’ll be cutting out, but since we’re using heat press vinyl, we need to mirror it to print correctly. Click on the first mat and push ‘mirror,’ then do the same with the second mat. You want to make sure they both look like the design is backwards, so that when you heat press them, they are facing the right way. Cut out the size of adhesive vinyl you need for the first color and load it onto the mat, shiny side down. You want to make sure you turn the dial on your machine to ‘Iron-on’ so that it cuts the design out with the correct pressure. Load your first mat and use the arrow button to pull it in, followed by the flashing ‘go’ button. When the first mat is done printing, slowly peel the vinyl off the mat and repeat these steps for the second mat with your second color, or use the same mat for the second color if needed.
  • Step 4: If you have a heat press machine, either from Cricut, or a large one like mine, or even if you’re using an iron, you need to preheat it so it’s hot enough to make the design adhere to the shirt. I’m using my heat press machine, and the temperature for the vinyl I’m using says to set it at 355 degrees. Every brand of heat press vinyl is a little different, but should come with instructions on what temperature works best. My vinyl was purchased through Amazon, and is a large multipack of colors (which I love for variety) and works best at 355 degrees for 20 seconds, and hot peel. Some brands of vinyl are cold peel, meaning you won’t peel the clear layer off until it’s completely cool. Once you set the temperature on your machine to start preheating, you can work on weeding the designs.
  • Step 5: Starting at one corner of the vinyl, slowly peel the outer part of the excess off, maneuvering around the letters so they don’t get torn, and then go back and weed the middles of the letters. Repeat with the second sheet of vinyl. If your heat press machine is fully heated, then you’re ready for the fun part.
  • Step 6: Each sheet of heat press vinyl has to be done separately, so I’m going to start with the red first. In order to get the design even on the shirt, I like to fold the shirt in half long-ways, making sure the sleeves match up, and heat press it for just a few seconds, so it makes a slight crease on the shirt. Now I can see where the exact middle of the shirt is, and I know how to line up the design. You need to decide where on the shirt you want the design to be. I like mine about 2.5″ down from the neckline, but you can put it wherever you prefer. Lay the shirt down on the heating mat and using a ruler, I measure down 2.5″ and lay the vinyl on the shirt. Using the ruler again, I measure from the edges of each side of the shirt to make sure my design is centered in the middle. If you need to adjust it a little, it should slide easily enough on the shirt, or you can pick it up and move it. Once you have it where you want it, press it down onto the shirt a little more firmly so it doesn’t move.
  • Step 7: Lay a heat transfer protector sheet on top of the design, or parchment paper if you don’t have a protector sheet. Press the design for 20 seconds, or adjust according to the directions you received with the heat transfer vinyl. Once finished, remove the protector sheet and peel off the clear transfer carrier, or if you’re using cool-peel vinyl that is supposed to wait until it’s cool, set the shirt aside until cooled, then peel the clear transfer carrier off. Now you’re ready for the second color.
  • Step 8: Lay the shirt back on the heating mat and position the second color where you want on top of the design. You can use the ruler again to measure and make sure it’s even or just line up the words the way they look right. Add your protective sheet or parchment paper and heat press for 20 seconds, or however your vinyl instructions say to do it. Either peel immediately or wait until cool and peel.

I hope you love the finished product and are ready to tackle some more fun ideas! I know I’ll be showing off my shirt on Tuesday for ‘Spirit Week,’ and I hope you enjoy wearing yours as well. If you have any helpful tips or comments for others, feel free to comment below. Keep your eyes peeled for my next how-to project, and if you have something specific you would like to see how to make, please throw your ideas out there. Happy crafting! 🙂