Spiderwebs and Spiders – Oh My!! – HTV T-shirt
Halloween is almost here and what goes with Halloween besides pumpkins? Spiderwebs and Spiders! Glow in the dark spiderwebs and spiders!
I recently found Siser Glow-in-the-Dark EasyWeed Heat Transfer Vinyl and my creative mind went into overdrive. What better way to show off the Halloween spirit than a glow-in-the-dark t-shirt with spiderwebs and spiders!
Materials needed –
- Glidan Women’s V-neck t-shirt
- Siser Glow-in-the-Dark EasyWeed Heat Transfer Vinyl
- Vinyl Transfer Tape
- Cricut Explore or Maker
- Cutting Mat
- Weeding Accessories
- LED Light Pad
- Heat Erasable Fabric Marking Pens (optional)
- Cricut EasyPress
- EasyPress Protective Heat Resistant Mat
- Cotton Pressing Cloth
Getting Ready for the Spiders –
A black t-shirt is the perfect background for a glow in the dark design. The shirts I like are Gildan women’s medium weight, V-Neck t-shirts. They hold their shape and fit to size. The women’s t-shirt are semi-fitted so they are very flattering.
I found that sometimes the side seams lay crooked, so I check them before I apply a design. I hold the t-shirt up from the shoulder seams and look down to the bottom to see where the side seam at the hem lays. If the side seam has shifted towards the front or back, I use different shirt.
These t-shirts are great to wear as is. If you want an inexpensive, decent t-shirt to add to your wardrobe for everyday wear, I recommend these. They also come in a variety of colors. The best part is, they aren’t expensive.
If you pre-wash your t-shirt, don’t use any fabric softener or dryer sheets. If you do the design won’t adhere and will peel off after a few washings.
I did a search of the images available in Cricut Design Space and found Dropping Spider from Broom Hair Don’t Care bundle and Spider Web Flourish from Potions and Spells bundle that were perfect. Merging the designs together created the Spiderweb and Spider design. I then sized the design to fit the t-shirt.
I set the Cricut Explore to the HTV setting and mirrored the design before sending it to be cut from the Glow-in-the-Dark HTV. Once cut, I used my LED Light Pad and weeding accessories to remove the unwanted vinyl out of the design. This process is called weeding.
To make sure I have completely weeded the design I compare it to the design on the computer screen.
Pre-heat the EasyPress by setting the temperature to 305º as recommended by the Siser HTV Reference Chart.
Most of the time I eyeball the placement of the design. If you want to make sure the placement is more precise then fold the t-shirt in half down the center and mark using stick pins. Measure your design, mark the center of it and place the design on the t-shirt matching centers to make sure you like the placement. Set the design aside.
When ready, I prepped my t-shirt by using the EasyPress to pre-heat the front of the shirt for about 10 seconds. I placed my design on the front then I laid a cotton pressing cloth over the shirt to help prevent burn marks on the t-shirt.
I followed the Siser HTV Reference Chart for the recommended heating time and waited until the design cooled a few seconds before peeling the plastic overlay off the design. Start peeling at one corner of the transfer tape and work your way diagonally to the opposite corner.
If the design starts to lift off while removing it, lay it back down, let it cool a few more seconds then try to remove the transfer tape again. If the design still lifts use the EasyPress for a few more seconds.
Repeat this until the design doesn’t peel away from the t-shirt when removing the transfer tape. To set the design, I turned the t-shirt over and heated the back for 10 seconds.
And Viola!! The finished creation!
Finishing Up –
Wait 24 hours before washing your t-shirt and turn inside out when you do to protect your design.
I’m ready for Halloween but don’t think I’m only going to wear this in October. Heck No! I’m wearing this gorgeous t-shirt all year round.
Show me the fabulous designs and projects you’ve made for Halloween. I love to see what everyone has created!
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Down Home at Dee’s
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