Make a Retro Summer Shirt with These Retro Sublimation Designs
Quick and fun, this retro summer shirt is one of my favorites and you can make a whole coordinating set with these retro sublimation designs!
Retro Summer Shirt
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we have decided that sublimation is the most fun way to decorate a custom shirt. I mean, sure Infusible Inks are fun, heat transfer vinyl can really be a cool activity, but sublimation? It’s just the tops. Fast, cool and easy. And this retro summer shirt showcases that by being a 10-minute or less craft!
RELATED READING: WATERMELON SHATTERED GLASS TIE DYE SUBLIMATION SHIRT
The design is done-for-you and basically no-fail, as long as you follow the steps. So, grab your heat press and let’s get started.
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Tips to Make a Shirt with These Retro Sublimation Designs
- I am a big fan of the retro summer beetle design here that I used to make my shirt. It’s simple, clean and absolutely stinking adorable. But there are four retro summer sublimation designs that I made, with variations for each that you can find at each of the following links:
- If your craft room doesn’t include a sublimation printer yet, you can absolutely make this sublimation shirt by snagging a custom-printed sublimation design here. I tried them out before getting my sublimation printer and I was really impressed with the quality.
- Definitely use a sublimation-ready, quality t-shirt like the one here. In order to get the ink to bond properly with the material, the blank has to be mostly polyester. With cotton-based materials, the ink doesn’t bond well and, even if it looks like it bonded when you finish, your design will most likely wash out.
How Do I Make This Retro Summer Shirt ?
I’m so glad you asked. Below is our written tutorial.
Retro Summer Shirt
You are not going to believe how fast it is to make this retro summer shirt with one of these fun retro summer sublimation designs. So many cute options!
Materials
Shirt
1 of the Retro Summer Sublimation Designs
Tools
- Sublimation Paper
- Sublimation Printer
- NOTE: If you do not have a sublimation printer, you can still do this project by purchasing a printed sublimation design here
- Cricut Explore Air 2 or higher
- Light Grip Cutting Mat
- Cricut EasyPress
- Heat Press Mat
- Heat-Safe Tape
- Lint Roller
- Butcher Paper or Parchment Paper
Instructions
- Download your selected design and open using your default photo viewer. Make sure the design is mirrored by flipping the view horizontally. To do this, in the toolbar, I selected Edit, then Transform, then Flip Horizontal. This will mirror the image.
- Send the mirrored retro summer design to your sublimation printer. Set aside.
- Preheat the EasyPress to 400 degrees and roll both front and back of the shirt with your lint roller.
- Place a sheet of butcher paper inside the shirt, separating the front and back in the area where you plan to put the retro summer design. Spread the shirt out on your heat press mat, smoothing it out and removing any wrinkles in the fabric.
- Place one of your print of the retro summer design face-down on the shirt where desired. I chose to place mine about 3-4 inches below the neck of the crew neck and squarely between the two sleeve hems.
- Using the heat-safe tape, tape down all four sides of the paper, and cover completely with a sheet of butcher paper.
- Place the hot EasyPress on the t-shirt, using light pressure for 60 seconds. Set aside the EasyPress and allow the stack to cool to the touch. Remove the paper and tape then discard. Your shirt is ready to wash and wear!
Notes
For more fun digital crafting ideas, visit Ruffles and Rain Boots!
Recommended Products
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More Fun Summer Crafts You Might Like
- Summer Lovin’ Watermelon SVG and Project Ideas – One of the first designs I ever did for sublimation-friendly purposes that I still think about!
- No-Sew Beach Gnome – He’s so adorable with his outie belly button, board shorts and that floppy summer hat!
- Aloha Summer Cut File and Project Ideas – Everything about summer is encapsulated in this one simple design that I love.
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