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DIY Fashion: Screen Print Tee

Last Updated on January 31, 2019 by Tori - Texas Christian University
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you purchase through our links. Please read our full disclosure here.
DIY Screen Print Tee

The life of a college student involves attending many events, from parties, to football games, to concerts on campus. And what better way to celebrate these monumental events – and show off your school spirit – than with a custom screenprinted shirt?

Using an old shirt and some fabric paint, you can create a custom screenprinted shirt proclaiming your love for your school, your football team, or whatever suits your fancy.

What you’ll need:

  • Shirt, hoodie, or whatever else you want to screen print
  • Fabric paint
  • Freezer paper
  • Iron
  • Exacto knife
  • Ruler
  • Cardboard
  • Sponge
  • Pencil
  • Marker
  • Printer paper
  • Plastic plate

How to:

DIY Screen Print Tee: Step 1

1. Design your print. I chose to make a school spirit shirt, but you could make one adorned with nearly anything: your sorority letters, a movie logo, or just a cool design. Draw what you want onto printer paper (or print out a design from your computer to trace). Keep in mind which parts you want to be “printed” and which parts of the design you want the shirt to show.

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2. Trace your design onto freezer paper. Make sure you draw on the non-shiny side. Draw the design in marker to make it easier to follow. Use rulers for straight lines, and make sure you’re very precise.

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3. Cut out your design. Using your Exacto knife on a hard surface (making sure you use a cutting board, thick cardboard, or put down newspapers so you don’t scratch the surface of your table or floor), follow the lines of the design. Save all of the pieces, and make sure you don’t cut through an important piece. Once you’ve finished cutting, use scissors to trim any uneven edges.

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4. Put a piece of cardboard inside of the shirt to keep it perfectly flat, then place your design onto your shirt. Be sure it’s exactly where you want it and that the shirt is completely flat – wrinkles will ruin your design.

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5. Iron the freezer paper, shiny side down, onto your shirt. Use a medium heat setting, and don’t drag the iron. Just place the iron down, hold for a few seconds, and lift. Dragging may cause the design to fold over or come up. The design may not stick at first – mine curled up before it stuck. Use a higher heat setting if you’re having problems with the paper sticking.

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6. Begin painting. Pour your paint onto the plastic plate and dab your brush into the paint, making sure you don’t have globs of paint anywhere. I found the best way to apply the paint was using a spongy brush and gently dabbing. This kept the fabric from pulling, and let me get an even application. I went over my design about three times to get the color I wanted. Don’t let the paint dry in between applications.

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7. Before the paint dries, peel the paper off. I used tweezers to get some of the smaller pieces off so I didn’t mess up the paint. Also, make sure your shirt isn’t stuck to the cardboard from the paint. I had to peel mine off afterwards.

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8. Use a wet paper towel to clean up any mistakes. Just gently dab any area that paint might have seeped through before it dries.

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9. Allow the paint to dry according to the instructions on the bottle.

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This DIY is something that can be easily translated for almost any event – the possibilities are endless! Just get creative. These would be great to make for movie premieres, sorority events, or even a gift for a friend!

What do you think?

Will you be making your own screen print tee? What  will you make this DIY for? Have a fab idea for a DIY? Let us know in the comments!

Tags : DIY, How To, T-Shirts, Tutorials

27 Comments
Originally published on August 9, 2012
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    This is an amazing idea! I love it! I want to try this myself 🙂

    Reply
  2. Sally says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Cute! Seems easy!

    Reply
  3. Shannon - Boston University says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Great tutorial! Your shirt is so cute and definitely more wallet-friendly than most of the options at college bookstores.

    Adding onto your tip about putting the cardboard inside the shirt:: if you want to make sure that the fabric doesn’t move, you can always stick a few straight pins through the fabric into the cardboard, and then tape the sleeves and bottom of the shirt to whatever surface you’re working on.

    Reply
  4. Taylor says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    I love that idea!

    Reply
  5. Lenu says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    What a nice idea!! 😀 Great tutorial. I’m probably going to try this out sometime 🙂

    Reply
  6. Kim says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Very cool!

    Reply
  7. Danielle says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    FANTASTIC! This is totally something easy to try that I would LOVE to wear! It looks just like something expensive from the college bookstores!

    Reply
  8. dome says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    excellent post loved it!! it is very useful

    Reply
  9. Kristyn says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Is it sad that I want to use this to make a shirt that says “Honey Boo Boo Childdddd?”
    Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
    🙂

    Reply
  10. Tori - Texas Christian Univers says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Shannon, that’s a great idea! Thanks for the tip since I’ll definitely be doing this again!

    Kristyn, that would be an awesome shirt! Love it!

    Reply
  11. Rebbecca says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Super cute shirt! I was wondering how well the paint holds up in the wash.

    Reply
  12. Tori - Texas Christian Univers says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Rebbecca- Thanks! I haven’t washed mine yet, but from experience with other fabric paint shirts I’ve made, I’ve never had a problem! Just make sure you use a fabric paint (regular paint won’t last), and that you follow the directions on the bottle of the paint since some need to be heat set or let dry a certain amount of time. Sometimes the type of fabric makes a difference (cotton vs. polyester), so be sure to check that the paint you have works with the shirt you’re using. There may be certain instructions on the bottle for washing as well, such as “wash in cold water”, which will help make sure your shirt lasts too. Other than that you should be fine!

    Reply
  13. Marleine says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:21 pm

    I want to try it! great tutorial

    Reply
  14. Niamh says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:21 pm

    what type of fabric was your shirt?:)

    Reply
  15. Anne says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    What kind of paint do you use?

    Reply
  16. Tori - Texas Christian Univers says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Niamh- My shirt was a cotton, polyester and rayon mix.

    Anne- I used Scribble fabric paint. The paint I used is actually supposed to be used as a puffy paint, but I just applied it as a regular fabric paint. You can find fabric paint at most craft stores.

    Reply
  17. Denny says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    I love how this turned out! I’m going to try it definitely <3

    Reply
  18. Nikki says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Love this! Quick question – I hadn’t heard of freezer paper before seeing this tutorial, where did you buy yours?

    Reply
  19. Lexie! says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    LOVE this. Seriously, such a creative and pretty design. Copycatting yours today with a group of friends. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

    Reply
  20. Tori - Texas Christian Univers says

    May 29, 2019 at 5:20 pm

    Nikki- you can find freezer paper at any grocery store, near the aluminum foil and plastic wrap.

    Taylor- The shirt is from Forever21, but I bought it about a year ago, so I’m not sure if it’s still available. I think Target and Forever21 both have similar styles.

    Reply
  21. SarahLily says

    April 15, 2019 at 11:16 am

    That’s really cool! It’s a great way to save money by making an old shirt look new.

    Reply
  22. Jen says

    April 15, 2019 at 11:16 am

    I just made one for a concert I’m going to and it came out great!

    Reply
  23. Emily says

    April 15, 2019 at 11:15 am

    This is absolutely adorable! I’m going to have to try this sometime soon! Looks waaayy better than those puffy-paint shirts I used to make 😉

    Reply
  24. Kels says

    April 15, 2019 at 11:15 am

    This is so cute! I make a lot of own shirts, but I’ve never used this method before. I will have to try it!

    Reply
  25. Joy says

    April 15, 2019 at 11:34 am

    I used this same technique to decorate a corner of a each piece of a set of cloth napkins. Made a great Christmas gift. There is fabric paint by either Tulip or Plaid (I think) which is formulated to stay soft and not get hard or crusty. I used that and or was great. Washed well also!

    Reply
  26. Taylor says

    April 15, 2019 at 11:16 am

    I really like that style of shirt by the way. Where did you get it?

    Reply
  27. Virginia says

    April 15, 2019 at 11:16 am

    Awesome! I want a new shirt to wear for moving in the first years, so this is perfect!

    Reply

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