Behind the Scenes: T-shirt pressing for Regret & Resolve

 

We’re a week into taking submissions for Regret & Resolve and to get a jump start on all the t-shirt making we’ll have to do at the end of the month (remember, submissions close on January 25th), we’ve begun pressing some test shirts. We also got some great coverage in the University of Windsor Daily News (thanks!), and we’re starting to get the plans together for install and event opening (on January 31st at 7pm). In the meantime, here’s a peek at how we’re doing this t-shirt thing…

 

Using the handiest tool we’ve ever bought (our Graphtec vinyl cutter) and some t-shirt specific vinyl, we cut the letters backwards and then weed them (that is, pulling all the excess material off from around the letters). The vinyl cutter doesn’t puncture the clear substrate.

 

Then we take our little mock-ups and check for placement.

 

Hiba and Laura each did a regret and a resolve, laying it on the shirt, now right side forwards.

 

Then, to the heat press.

 

Laura may be the only one who nows how to use this thing so far. She did a bunch of tests a while ago and found the exact right settings to dial in.

 

Line up the shirt under the press.

And then, we have a t-shirt!

 

Hiba, checks her alignment against Laura’s.

 

Action sequence: Hiba presses the shirts.

 

It takes a good amount of force to bring the press down.

 

Then, lock it into place and wait for the ridiculous little tune that play in 8-bit squeaks. That’s when you know it’s done.

 

Then, we start on the window install.

And wrap up the evening putting up some new window vinyl.

There’s still a lot of time left to submit your idea for a Regret or Resolve t-shirt — but don’t wait to the last minute!