Okay, so I’ve been wanting to make my own custom t-shirts for a while, and I finally took the plunge! I decided to start with a simple design: an “aquarius” t-shirt, because, well, I’m an Aquarius.
First, I gathered my materials. I already had a plain white t-shirt, so I just needed to get some fabric markers and a stencil. You could use fabric paint, but I find markers are easier to control for a beginner. And for stencil, you can use a ready-made or, like what I did, create it yourself.
I went online and found a simple “aquarius” font and symbol that I liked. Nothing too fancy, just something clean and clear. I printed it out on regular paper.
Next, the slightly tricky part. I took the printed design, put it in a cardboard, and carefully cut out the letters and the symbol with an art knife, creating my stencil. This took a bit of patience, especially with the smaller parts. You’ve got to be really careful not to rip the paper or cardboard.
Once the stencil was ready, I placed it on the t-shirt where I wanted the design to be. I used some masking tape to hold it in place, making sure it was nice and flat against the fabric. You don’t want it shifting around while you’re working.
Then came the fun part! I took my fabric markers and carefully colored in the stencil. I made sure to press down firmly so the ink would really saturate the fabric. For a bit of extra flair, I decided to use two different shades of blue, a lighter one for the word and a darker one for the symbol.
After I finished coloring, I very carefully removed the stencil. And there it was! My very own “aquarius” design. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine, and I was pretty proud of it.
The last step was to heat-set the design. I followed the instructions on the fabric marker packaging, which basically involved ironing the t-shirt on the reverse side for a few minutes. This helps to make the ink permanent so it won’t wash out.
Finally, I have may own Aquarius t-shirt, although it’s not really good, but it’s acceptable as this is my first time doing it.
