Awesome Living 101: Make yo own damn t-shirt!

So, like a normal, everyday person I was browsing the internet looking for cool t-shirts that represented my favorite bands/books. I was distressed to know that $19.99 plus shipping was not in a college student's budget for lame-ass Ayn Rand Objectivist paraphernalia of black t-shirts containing witty epithets. It was then that I had a momentary bout of indie. I know, a dangerous proposition, right? I discovered the cure for cancer, AND the cure to my t-shirt blues. I'll make mah OWN damn t-shirt.

I had heard about these things before, but never done it myself (sounds like a bizarre form of the kissing game, doesn't it?). Nevertheless, I decided that as awesome as it is to tote around one's obnoxious philosophical beliefs on a t-shirt, it's even MORE awesome to design it how YOU want it.

And now, dear reader, like Buddha, I impart my enlightenment onto you in the hopes that you will be inspired to do something equally as creative and indie. So begins the photo essay!

1. The Materials.
You'll need to buy the iron-on transfer sheets first and foremost. These babies are sheets of paper that you print your design on, and then iron into your t-shirt to make the design stick on to the shirt like Star Jones on Krispy Kreme. Additionally, you'll need the iron, a t-shirt (white cotton seems to work best), a paper cutter (or scissors), and a decent printer (I'd recommend an ink-jet).

2. The Design.
Obviously, it needs to be something cool. If not, why are you doing this in the first place? I chose Ayn Rand's inimitable Atlas Shrugged classic original dust jacket cover, sort of ala Great Gatsby, to be my newest t-shirt. Print out the deign, making sure that you keep the printer settings on "Best" and let it dry.

3. The Placing.
Each iron-on transfer differs on whether you put the image face-up or face-down, so make sure to read the directions. Place your t-shirt on a pillowcase to absorb the heat and place the image on your shirt and cover it with a piece of parchment paper. Heat up the iron on the cotton setting and you're ready for the transfer.

4. The Transfer.
This is the only tricky part. You need to go slow with the iron, but not too slow so it makes obnoxious lines (which happened to me once on a failed project). Do one pass along the design of 5 "strokes" of the iron (kinky...) putting only 20 seconds on each stroke. Then do 5 strokes with hard pressure and 20 seconds each. Make sure to flatten all corners, but don't let the iron sit on any one part too long.

5. The Big Reveal.
Wait a few minutes, then slowly peel off the parchment. Your design should look lovely. If it doesn't, then you'll have to try again, quite frankly. Pending its awesomeness, wait 24 hours before washing the shirt. Note that the design WILL "crinkle" to fit the shape of the shirt, but it doesn't really ruin the design, but instead changes the texture of the design. Very cool stuff. So far, my shirt has lasted quite well after at least 3 washes.

And there you have it. Awesome Living 101: Do it yo own damn self.

For further information, check out this video from Thread Banger.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnmIgbvPihU
For those of you who don't know about Threadbanger, they're a alternative fashion site that specializes in DIY projects. Definitely required reading for all creative-minded persons.

Shout Outs:
Ayn Rand for inspiring the project. (Sorry that I ripped your design off, but not really since I paid for all 1000 pages of your damn book).
Sam R. for continuing to surprise me with her creative projects (eg. her indie-drawer).