How To Design A Vintage T-Shirt

You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to learn how to design a vintage t-shirt. Vintage t-shirts are a hot fashion trend and come in such a variety that they can work with nearly any style. The price tag on most for something as a simple as a t-shirt, however, might make you rethink this fashion statement. But it’s “do it yourself” to the rescue. This article will show you how to make a one of a kind vintage shirt for a fraction of the cost.

Items needed to deign a vintage t-shirt:

• a plain t-shirt (see note)
• printable iron on transfer paper
• iron
• colored printer (you can use black and white only if you want)
• a computer with Internet access

1. Get inspired. First pick your vintage era and search online for that time period. You can draw inspiration from cars, people, movies, television, books and events of the time. Look at a few ideas before you settle on one. You can do just a picture, words or a combination of both.
2. Design your shirt. You might find it helpful to print your idea out on plan paper first. Cut your design out and lay it on the shirt. Most vintage shirts just have a design in the front but it’s your shirt. Part of the fun of creating your shirt is having the freedom to do what you want with it. Laying them out first and even marking the shirt lightly with chalk will help when you iron on the designs.
3. Print your deigns on iron on transfer paper. If you are printing text you will need to flip it first. Most computers have this option in the printer commands.
4. Iron your design on your shirt. Be sure to carefully read the instructions on the iron on transfer paper you selected. Different brands might require the iron to be on different temperature settings.

Note:

• Most vintage t-shirts have that broken in feel to them. If you don’t want to purchase a new t-shirt you could try searching your closet or local thrift store for one.