We’re gearing up for a Walt Disney World vacation next month and I could not be more excited! That is, until I started shopping around for matching family t-shirts. With an average cost of $15 per shirt, I could easily spend $240 to coordinate in each of the four parks. No bueno!
My search became even more frustrating when I searched DIY Disney t-shirts on Pinterest and only came up with cricket vinyl options, bleach, or tie dye. I don’t have a cricket machine (bummer), and not really a fan of bleach or tie dye.
So what does one do when store bought options prove fruitless? Get creative!
I remembered a high school fundraiser project where we used heat transfer and colorful fabric to customize t-shirts. With enough motivation, I was determined that I could make decent looking attire for my brood.
I purchased the t-shirts from Michael’s for $2/each. The heat transfer paper was about $7 and I had enough to make eight shirts, with some left over. All of the fabric I had on hand. (I literally have the largest scrap fabric pile in the world!) Armed with a Mickey head cutout I found online and printed on thick card stock, I was set.
First I determined how much heat transfer paper I needed for the first batch. I ironed it onto the fabric. No steam!
Then I traced the Mickey head shapes (larger for the DH and me, and smaller for Stinky and Blinky), and cut them out.
After peeling the liner off the heat transfer paper, I lined the Mickey head on to the t-shirts. I simply eyeballed it, but of course you could measure to be more precise.
Then I ironed it in place. I used a paper towel over the fabric since it is synthetic and I did not want it to burn.
And voila! I really like the look of the black, textured, faux leather against the red. Classic Mickey colors. I think we’re going to wear these at Epcot.
I repeated the steps for the next batch of shirts. Since this was a cotton fabric, I didn’t need to use the paper towel.
Sidebar: I especially love this fabric from Bahama Hand Prints. My mom bought a yard of the pink and blue when Stinky and Blinky were toddlers. I made a romper for Stinky and a pillow-case dress for Blinky. I had just a little left over and was thrilled I had enough to use for the t-shirts all these years later. Blinky and I plan to pair them with Little-Mermaid theme ears my MIL made this summer and wear them at Magic Kingdom.
Not bad for $3/each right?!
For Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, I found a great deal on Lion King and Star Wars t-shirts at mass retailers. They won’t be matching family shirts, but for an average of $8/each, I figured the splurge was worth it. This may change though as I go through my fabric pile. We still have a few weeks to go. 😉
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