Getting Crafty: DIY Graphic Tees

I grew with a mom who used to refashion dresses for me from old garments that she no longer used.  Every year for school picture day she would make me my very own special dress.  My dad, the flower man, he loves plants – gardening is his passion and he loves maintaining his beautiful garden and also dabbles with small remodeling projects around the house.  My sister is always doing some special project like knitting a sweater, crocheting a quilt, decorating cakes or sewing her own clothing designs.  Growing up around such creative people turned me into a DIY type of person.  To this day I enjoy creativity – whether putting things together to decorate a room, making crafts for special occasions or sometimes dabbling in fashion.  When I get an idea I just need to put it to fruition or my mind won’t leave alone.  These past couple of weeks I have been working on creating graphic tees with inspiring messages for myself.  After deciding to start a weight loss plan, I realized that I am not much of a t-shirt person.  I like sequins and frills and t-shirts are seriously too plain for this girl.  I do like tees, which are more feminine (shape wise) than the classic t-shirt.  After reading some of the blogs that I enjoy about fashion, I started noticing the return of the graphic tee and though I generally don’t like wearing slogans I found that I liked the look.  The three messages I chose, I did so thinking of motivational sayings to wear to Zumba class, but I think that I can even fancy them up for a more fun everyday look!  So, here are three ways to make a graphic tee.

"Carpe Diem" Using Fabric Marker:  When I learned this phrase (back in high school) I thought it made me sound so very smart! It also comes from one of my favorite mythological stories the Epic of Gilgamesh and was later popularized by a favorite movie of mine, Dead Poet’s Society.  In addition, the meaning translated from Latin is my motto, “Seize the Day.”  

I printed the words in a font I liked, cut the letters tracing them with a skinny permanent marker.  Then carefully filled the letters in with a black Tulip Fabric Marker.

"GRL PWR" Using Fabric Paint: I am not advocating feminism, but the beauty of femininity.  There’s such godliness in the difference of the sexes.  God created us male and female in His image and that’s sacred, so this message is about embracing my girliness.

Similar process to above, I printed the words in a font I liked, cut the letters; but traced them with chalk.  Then carefully filled the letters in using white Tulip Fabric Paint and a small brush.  

I used about three coats of paint on the PWR part, allowing each coat to dry before applying on the next.  Also, I would recommend washing the tee before wearing it to remove the chalk lines.

"Holy Chic" Using Sequins: At one of the Ave Maria Cruises, a friend wore a tee with this logo and I thought how clever!  So, I stole her good style sense!  I thought sequins would add a sparkly effect, but boy was it tough to sew on! It turned a little crooked, but it gives it personality (smile).

I used sequin ribbon, thread and a needle to sew it onto traced letters.  

I forgot to mention that all the shirts were purchased for a couple bucks at thrift stores.  It was fun, looking for three color tees and deciding which message to put on each, knowing that if I messed up – it wouldn’t be a big money loss. Don't be afraid to get creative.