Guest Post: Punk Princess – Fast & Cheap Franken-Shirt Tutorial (no sew!)

Today we have an awesome Guest Post from Homegrown & Healthy! I am excited to share her awesome tutorial with you, so lets check it out!

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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but did you know that Halloween is soon? Like, really really soon? Are you ready for it? In my family we are all about Halloween. It’s not just a day to be celebrated once a year, but an event that begins with the first signs of fall and continues on every single weekend in October. And at Homegrown & Healthy we are all about being frugal and crafty, so I’m completely fine with the uber-Halloween celebration. Here’s a little something to help you get in the spirit as well:

This Franken-shirt is a crowd pleasure because it combines my favorite traits: it takes only a little bit of time, costs just a little bit of money, and the only skills required are that you know how to sew and to *iron. (*And really, it’s only about 20 seconds of ironing, so don’t worry if you’re lacking in that department)

What you’ll need:

• a tshirt that you’d like to Halloweenify.
• cotton fabric.
• a pattern. (I did a google search for “Frankenstein Silhouette”)
• scissors.
• iron on transfer paper (I used “Thermoweb Heat’n Bond Ultra Hold Iron-On Adhesive”, and please, if you use a different kind then make sure to read the instructions to make sure that the system is similar).
• an iron.

First things first: Print your pattern and trace it onto the transfer paper, making sure that the shiny side is facing down. The transfer paper lines will be your guide, but they will not show on your finished t-shirt, so don’t worry if you make a little mistake.

Do NOT cut your transfer paper yet! Iron the transfer paper, in its entirety, onto the fabric where your silhouette will be.

It takes about 15 seconds. Easy peasy.

Now you will have your pattern put directly onto your fabric. It’ll be so much easier to cut it out now!

Start hacking away. You know those little details that are kind of a pain to cut? Those little details are what will make this look extra cool, so don’t skimp. All done cutting? Now flip it over.

 

  Pretty cool, huh? Not flip it back over.

You’ll be able to remove the white backing from the transfer paper, and all that will remain will be a translucent coating. Remove the white paper and put your fabric down on the shirt, making sure that the coating is facing the shirt. Line everything up to where you want it.

Iron it again, making sure to get all the little spots down. It only takes a few seconds to melt the coating, but you want to ensure that all those details are locked into place.

Ta-da! Nice and smooth. Now get your model.

Look how sweet she is! When it gets dirty– and you know it will, especially if you have a little cutie like this wearing it –turn it inside out and just wash and dry like you do your regular clothes.

And that’s it! It probably takes just as long to make this shirt as it does to actually read through the tutorial, so go knock out a few while you still have time. When you’re done with that come visit me at Homegrown & Healthy where we share recipes, DIYs, gardening advice, and all other aspects of natural living. We even have a whole section on crafts!