Get inspired by Frida Kahlo's love of colour and make your very own printed t-shirt to wear with pride. Using the Cricut machine and some simple templates, you can create something gorgeous and unique, and pay homage to one of the world's finest, eclectic, and fascinating artists.
Be bold, be brave and channel your inner Frida with this tropical print t-shirt.
*It also looks great hanging up on the wall - instant art!
My super cool Frida Kahlo t-shirt looks awesome teamed with a bright summer skirt!
YOU WILL NEED
- A plain t-shirt (make sure it's washed before you start)
- A Cricut machine (we used an Explore Air 2) and mat
- Weeder tool (comes in very handy!)
- Iron-on vinyl in a selection of colours (I used black, turquoise, green, pink, yellow and purple)
- Iron and cloth
These are the coloured iron-on vinyls I used in my project, but you could use just two or three colours if you prefer!
1 Open up Design Space on your computer, and from the Templates menu, choose Classic T-shirt, women's short sleeve. This will really help when sizing up your design.
2 I found a free Frida Kahlo vector art online, which I downloaded, then manipulated it in Photoshop to make them unique to me. The link to the free download is here
3 Start searching for tropical flowers and leaves and have a play around with composition. I also found these feather earrings which I thought worked really well.
4 I changed the colours of the different elements to the colours of the vinyl I'd be using.
5 REMEMBER to click the Mirror button if you want your design to be exactly as you see it on the screen. This is compulsory if you're adding tect too!
6 And set the dial on the Cricut machine to IRON-ON
7 Lay the vinyl down onto your mat, shiny side down.
8 Line up the mat into the guides, press the ARROW button to load it. Then when the CRICUT button starts flashing, press that and it will start your cut.
9 Continue cutting from all the different coloured vinyl.
10 Once everything has been cut, peel off the shapes. Some of the flowers and leaves will need the details scraped out using a Cricut weeding tool.
11 Position the hair, eyebrow, lips and earrings first (Don't iron anything just yet!) Then place the leaves just underneath. You want to get the positioning just right before you start ironing.
12 Remove the hair, eyebrow, lips, and earrings. Set your iron to the hottest setting, then place a cloth over the top of where the leaves are positioned. Once the iron is hot, press down for 15 seconds - do not move the iron around. Continue pressing the iron over all the leaves, then remove the cloth and leave to cool down.
13 Once cool, carefully peel off the backing off all the leaves.
14 I set my computer up next to where I was working, so I could keep checking back at the layout of my Frida design.
15 Next, iron on the hair, eyebrow, lips, and earrings.
15 Then position the flowers, until you are happy with the composition. I laid them all out first, then took away the top flowers and ironed them in stages, layering them up as I went.
16 And VOILA! That's it! My finished Frida Kahlo t-shirt, all ready to wear this summer!
I have already had lots of compliments when I wore it, simply tucked into a denim skirt with some striking tassel earrings! It works equally well with a simple pair of jeans or even a bright skirt, for an extra colour punch, as my friend Becks is modeling above and below....
Look at this gorgeous girl! Thank you to Becks for modeling for me!
If you enjoyed this post, why not check out how to use your Cricut machine to make a Tropical Leaf Gardland
Or if you love papercraft, but don't have a Cricut, why not try your hand at quilling!
My Quilled Skull is fun and funky, and continues the Mexican theme from my Frida Kahlo t-shirt perfectly!
