In case you were wondering, my kids are totally doing the robot for me above. They put on their robot shirts, and then they were all, BEBEE BOO BOT, I AM A ROBOT! I thought it was hilarious. But that’s because I’m their mother. Moving on…
SO, as promised, I thought I would show you a tidbit of how to make the t-shirts I shared last week for our giveaway. It’s really simple, whether you have a silhouette or not. All you really need is a pair of scissors, your fabulous transfer paper, an iron, and whatever you plan to apply your design to. My 5 year old is kind of over monogramming. (read: he doesn’t want to get beat up on the playground) So this is the coolest thing eva in my book.
If you plan to use your silhouette, then throw that in with your computer, and you’re golden.
Step 1: design your intended creation on your computer. If you’re using a PC, follow the directions included with your silhouette. If you’re using a Mac, you’re gonna need a little extra help, since they just made it compatible with the most fabulous product on the planet. Click here for a wonderful little starter guide by Rhonna Designs.
If you’re going with scissors, simply plan out your design..I may sketch it first on a piece of paper, and then use some tracing paper to transfer my design…
{REMEMBER with BOTH METHODS: if it’s a letter, you will want to cut out the mirrored version of that letter for correct transfer, or else it will come out backwards on your end product.}
Just gotta say: the best part about all the silhouette products, is that the packaging comes included with its own little set of directions. I found this especially helpful, with everything I was trying at once, so it totally works with the insanity of every day life and my three munchkins.
Step 2: Once you have decided on your design, simply cut some of your paper to size, and hit load on the machine.
Some of you ultra observant people out there may have noticed that I have two layers on each shirt. SO, be sure to decide ahead of time what you would like for each layer…for the overall design.
Be sure to cut out the layers in separate documents on your computer. In this case, it was the circular under layer first, on white, and then the robot of choice on yellow. (it shows them in the photo above, together, because I wanted to see the size of the robot in relation to the circle. I later separated them)
Step 3: select the above steps as indicated, in Rhonna’s tutorial, and position your paper to cut. OR, after positioning your design, whip out your faithful scissors…
Step 4: if you’re using the machine, your paper will come out like this…with little cuts on them. You simply pull back the uncut portion of the paper to separate the two.
Step 5: if you’re using your scissors, each design will already be separated. Please note: I cut my back layers together, to preserve my paper. It lets you use an 8.5 x 11 size, and to get the optimal usage of your product, I recommend cutting multiple shapes of the same intended color at once. But your paper will look like this when you pull the unused portion off, and then separate it with scissors in preparation to cut.
Step 6: Place a rag on the top of your product, to separate it from the iron. (this is so you don’t scorch either one.) you will need to apply pressure as you iron, for a good 60 seconds…sometimes longer. Again, keep an eye on your creation…you don’t want to burn it! (Iron setting no higher than the typical cotton setting, I believe)
Step 7: Slowly pull your paper off, and it will look awesome like this. It may take a couple of tries…but patience is key!!!
repeat the above steps for subsequent layers. My robots were very intricate, so after pulling back the majority of the unused paper, I then managed to pull out all the little squares and shapes of the robot using my exacto knife.
My robots are face down, so you can’t see the yellow. You then flip, and iron with a cloth in between.
CAREFULLY pull back the paper. On this design, I had a few no-sticks because I made them so small, so I simply KEPT repeating, carefully with that iron. It was well worth the wait.
This product really is perfect for those saving money on those coordinating kids tees…as well as giving your children something truly original to wear rather than the mass produced selections. Not to mention the holidays coming up with everything from stockings to etched glass ornaments. Just sayin.
…perfect until they decide to roll down the hill…and compliment my design with grass stains….ahhhhh. fabulous. I think I’ve got a toybox I’m tackling for the kids with my silhouette this week. Stay tuned!
DON’T forget to enter our giveaway, here!
And if you’d rather shop for your holiday fabulousness, be sure to enter our reader code, PURE at checkout on the Silhouette site for 25 percent off your purchase. It ends at midnight on Friday November 13th. I think I’ll be loading up on a few more products!!!
{as always, leave a comment…here!-}
