Create your own personalized 70’s & 80’s message t-shirts
Let’s take a walk down memory lane and create personalized t-shirts reminiscent of the 1970s! After some fantastic DIY t-shirt activities from Mamagamy, it’s time for another fun project. 🙂
As defined by Apparel Search, a “ringer t-shirt” is crafted from a primary fabric of one color, complemented by a contrasting ribbing for the collar and sleeve bands. These shirts gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, especially in the realm of sports apparel. Today, they’ve made a resurgence as message t-shirts. So, why not design a unique t-shirt featuring your own personalized message? This DIY project allows you to create not just one, but two unique tees! The result is a stylish vintage shirt that you won’t find at your local thrift store. Friends or siblings can sport these t-shirts and wear them with pride!
Have you thought about the message you want to add to your t-shirt? Our family has chosen a couple of words inspired by our recent summer getaway. Curious to see some snapshots? Check out our Instagram! Can you guess the destination? 😉
What you will need:
- Two t-shirts in contrasting colors (for instance, black & white)
- Iron-on letters
- Sewing thread matching the colors of the t-shirts
- Sewing needle
- Scissors
- Seam ripper
- Iron
- Sewing pins (optional, but useful)
- Sewing machine (optional for quicker results)
Instructions:
Step 1
Using the seam ripper, remove the collars from each t-shirt.
Step 2
Align the bottom edge of the unstitched collar with the neckline of the contrasting t-shirt, right sides together. Attach the collars to each t-shirt either by hand or with a sewing machine, using a 0.5 cm seam allowance.
Step 3
Cut approximately 3.5-4 cm off each sleeve of the t-shirts.
Step 4
With the t-shirt and the cut sleeves turned inside out, position the sleeve pieces around each t-shirt sleeve, right sides together. Sew the contrasting sleeve pieces to each t-shirt using a 0.5 cm seam allowance. Pins can help guide your stitching.
Step 5
Turn the t-shirt right side out and fold the contrasting band over the sleeve. Sew along the edge to secure the band.
Step 6
After choosing your message, carefully position the contrasting letters on each t-shirt. You can find many appealing, fuzzy letters on sites like Amazon and Etsy.
Step 7
Iron the letters on for 10-15 seconds on the front, and again for 10-15 seconds on the inside. Voilà ! You now have two fantastic t-shirts to wear or to share with friends or family!
Note: If you prefer to skip the sewing process, you can obtain affordable ringer-style or raglan baseball t-shirts from various stores and simply apply the iron-on letters. Below are some shops where you can find shirts for men, women, children, or babies.
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This article is also available in French.