Hello friends! A little sewing-adjacent content for you today. I am a die-hard t-shirt and jeans gal (okay, t-shirt and sweatpants) but when you sew your own shirts, it leaves you at the mercy of the prints and fabrics you can find to buy. I was getting tired of not having cool me-made graphic tees, but I found the answer! Screenprinting!
There are many ways to put graphics onto t-shirts (heat transfer vinyl and applique come to mind) but my favorite is definitely screenprinting (time permitting...HTV is definitely the fastest!). If you have been sewing t-shirts for yourself or your loved ones, learning how to screenprint is going to take them to the next level. Here are some great reasons why you should learn how to do this (and trust me, you CAN learn it!):
Create Unique Items
If you sew clothes for yourself or your kids, part of the fun is that your items are one of a kind. You can take that a step further with screenprinting. Going on a family vacation? Create a screen with your family name and an image and go to town! Nobody else will have the shirts you have.
Add Tags Easily
This is a fun one too! With a mini embroidery hoop and a vinyl decal of a handmade label, you can quickly add a "tag" to the inside of your shirts. If you happen to sell any of your items, you can also brand them in the same way. The best part, no scratchy tags!
Personalization
If you sew for kiddos, it would be worth it to make a screen that allows you to put their names on things. Backpacks, Easter baskets, shirts, pillowcases, there are a ton of things that are fun to personalize with screenprinting.
Matchy Matchy
Re-using the same screen, you could make matching "sister" or "brother" shirts. Large family photos are fun with "cousin" or "grandkid" shirts. Girls trip to wine country? How about matching tote bags?
Save a Ruined Item
We've all messed up sewing the neckband on a shirt, gotten spaghetti sauce on something white, you know the deal. Inject a little life back into a frustrating experience by adding some fun screenprinting. It won't fix a wonky seam but it can make you fall back in love with a garment.
I got started with screenprinting when I purchased this kit from Speedball:
It comes with the basic supplies and great directions. It's been a year or two since I bought it and the only additional supply I've needed is more of the screen fabric (which you can buy in a large quantity on Amazon, for much less than buying individually cut screens).
Some of my favorite follows for learning more about screenprinting are Bobbinhood and Pigskins and Pigtails. Check them out for more!