With the holidays just around the corner, we're all searching for that perfect gift for each one of our friends and family members. A lot of us would love to spend a great deal of cash on each one, but most of us just can't afford to do that. I am often on the hunt for cheap gift ideas that have meaning behind them. Just because it doesn't cost much doesn't mean it's not special! This is why I take pride in making many of the gifts I give each year, no matter what the occasion.
Last year I made t-shirts for each of the children in our family. They were cheap to make, and I actually have to admit I enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed seeing each child's face light up when I gave them a shirt with their own name and favorite cartoon character. This year I have decided to carry on that tradition, giving each child a sort of "update tshirt" with the things they are each interested in now.
As with any iron-on transfer, remember it can be used on more than just a t-shirt. These transfers are great for mousepads, wall hangings, pillows, bags, or just about anything else you can think of that is made of cloth! If you like the idea, but don't want to use it on a t-shirt, you can adapt it to anything you want!
Now let me give you a materials list with some great links for cheap & FREE material!
I have discovered the best way to create the shirts is to buy my own transfers, which you can get in a multi-pack for a very decent price.
My Recommendation:
I used HP Iron-on Tranfer Paper last year, and they worked great! Even through normal wash and wear the t-shirts have held up wonderfully. If you would prefer to use colored or dark shirts, you can also purchase specific transfer paper for those colors! This particular pack of HP Iron-on Transfer Paper contains 16 sheets. When making children's shirts I found that 1 sheet will print 2 images. Adult size shirts will take 1 sheet. You're looking at roughly .60-1.04 per transfer!
Now for the t-shirts, I purchased mine from www.cheapestees.com last year, but I recently discovered another great site with great wholesale prices, www.blankshirts.com. Both sites offer great deals with wholesale prices no matter how few or many t-shirts you may need!
Last but definitely not least, we must discuss the transfers! If you are into design like I am, you can always create something unique and personal, but if you aren't quite as creative, or you just don't have the time, here is a list of some great sites that offer free printable images to use for transfers. You will notice that all the images seem backwards. This is done on purpose so the image will print backwards and transfer to the t-shirt correctly. Remember the end product will be a mirror image of the transfer paper!
Anywho, on to the links!
DLTK's Crafts For Kids- This site offers lots of free images to use for transfers for children's clothing. Most are from popular cartoons. The images are already pre-flipped and ready to print!
Animal Transfers
Flower Transfers & Some Handy Tutorials
Sports Transfers
Hanes T-Shirt Maker Lite- A Great little freeware version of the Hanes T-Shirt Maker Deluxe t-shirt design program for designing your own shirts from 1000s of available clipart files!
Now for the t-shirts, I purchased mine from www.cheapestees.com last year, but I recently discovered another great site with great wholesale prices, www.blankshirts.com. Both sites offer great deals with wholesale prices no matter how few or many t-shirts you may need!
Last but definitely not least, we must discuss the transfers! If you are into design like I am, you can always create something unique and personal, but if you aren't quite as creative, or you just don't have the time, here is a list of some great sites that offer free printable images to use for transfers. You will notice that all the images seem backwards. This is done on purpose so the image will print backwards and transfer to the t-shirt correctly. Remember the end product will be a mirror image of the transfer paper!
Anywho, on to the links!
DLTK's Crafts For Kids- This site offers lots of free images to use for transfers for children's clothing. Most are from popular cartoons. The images are already pre-flipped and ready to print!
Animal Transfers
Flower Transfers & Some Handy Tutorials
Sports Transfers
Hanes T-Shirt Maker Lite- A Great little freeware version of the Hanes T-Shirt Maker Deluxe t-shirt design program for designing your own shirts from 1000s of available clipart files!
