Arts & Crafts Time: Making Geeky Sparkly T-Shirts

I made these T-shirts a few years ago and whenever I wear one (or post a photo with me wearing one) someone inevitably asks, “OMG! Where did you get that?” To which, I reply, “I made them!”

Then they (almost inevitably ask) if I’d make one for them. As much as I wish I could, I don’t have the time for that, no matter how much someone offered to pay me (okay, if someone offers me a thousand dollars, I’d make the time). Instead, I’m always happy to share the details of how I made these and what supplies I used.

The key really is: finding your favorite plain T-shirt. For the first couple I made, I bought a nice soft t-shirt from Target. But a year later when I wanted to make some more, Target didn’t make them anymore, so I ordered something I liked from Amazon. I prefer a loose, soft t-shirt.

The other key: finding your favorite image. The first one I did was the Trek delta followed by an outline of the Enterprise. I just scoured the web looking for B&W line art that I could size and print. Or something I could turn into something with lines to follow.

So here’s the complete list of supplies

• T-shirt
  • I like these from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FDM5QJF
• Artwork
• Fabric pencil (I bought from local craft store)
• Fabric glue (I bought from local craft store)
• Rhinestones
  • White/clear: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3Q1FKJ
  • Mixed colors: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FCTLX19
• Tweezers (the ones I used came with the rhinestones)

From there, the basic steps are:

1. Print the artwork
2. Poke holes in the artwork for where rhinestones will go
3. Transfer those holes to the t-shirt with a fabric pencil (since I used darker colored shirts, I used a white fabric pencil).
4. Layout the rhinestones to make sure you have rhinestones that are the right size, shape, and color.
5. Then one at a time, glue each rhinestone with fabric glue. I used tweezers to lift and place each rhinestone and a toothpick to place dots of glue where I wanted them to go.
6. Let dry at least 24 hours.
7. Wash the t-shirt to remove extra fabric pencil marking. I wash the shirts in garment bags and lay flat to dry.

That’s about it! Depending on how detailed you get, it can be time consuming. And if you’re using really little rhinestones, have some patience with picking them up and placing them with tweezers.

Now here’s a carousel of pictures…