Any excuse to dress up, am I right?

Whether it’s for freshers week at university, Halloween or just a bit of fun, I’ve created three simple costumes: teletubby, army camo and a classic lifeguard t-shirt using Happy Fabric iron-on vinyl. 

Costume 1: Teletubby.

You will need: 

T-shirt (in red, green, purple or yellow) 

Iron or heat press

Greaseproof paper 

A4 sheet of HappyFashion Spectrum* vinyl 

Optional: headband and pipecleaners (in same colour as shirt) 

Step one: Pre-press the t-shirt by running the iron over (or using heat press) to remove all creases.

Step two: Place vinyl sheet onto t-shirt (shiny side facing up) and cover with greaseproof paper. 

Step three: Press down with iron (or heat press) for ten seconds. 

Step four: Wait to cool, then remove plastic carrier from vinyl. 

Optional: 

Wrap the pipe cleaners around the headband and twist to create aerial shape according to which teletubby you are making. 

*Please note Spectrum has a repeating pattern, some sheets may have a small line, this is not a defect.

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Costume 2: Army camo 

You will need:

Green t-shirt

2- 4 A4 sheets of HappyFlex vinyl 

(I used Olive Green, Green, Brown and Cream) 

Greaseproof paper

Scissors

Iron or heat press 

Step one: (Optional) Cut t-shirt into a cropped version 

Step two: Draw cloud-like shapes onto the back (matte side) of the coloured vinyl sheets and then cut out.

Step three: Prepress the t-shirt using an iron on the two-dot setting or a heat press

Step 4: Arrange a selection of vinyl shapes onto the t-shirt (do not layer them yet!) and cover with greaseproof paper. 

Step 5: Press for 10 seconds, then wait until the vinyl is cooled. Peel off the plastic carrier from the vinyl. 

Step 6: Place on the next layer of shapes, overlapping the first layer in areas. 

Step 7: Add greaseproof paper, press again for 10 seconds, and repeat cooling and peeling process. Keep repetition of the layering and pressing process until the desired effect is achieved. 

Tip: take care to layer slowly, and always peel off all carriers before overlapping. 

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Costume three: Lifeguard

You will need:

Yellow T-shirt 

A4 sheet of HappyFlex Red 

Scissors, pen and stencil (optional: use of cutting machine or draw freehand) 

Iron or heat press

Step one: Use a stencil to write ‘LIFEGUARD’ onto the back of the vinyl sheet. You could also use a cutting machine or draw them freehand- just remember to flip the writing so the lettering is the right way around when you turn the vinyl shiny side up. 

Step two: Cut the lettering out. 

Step three: Pre press the t-shirt with an iron (on the two dot setting)  or using a heat press. 

Step four: Place the lettering onto the t-shirt and then cover with greaseproof paper. 

Step five: Press for ten seconds using an iron or heat press. This can be done in sections, going over edges to ensure all of the lettering receives enough heat. 

Step six: Let cool slightly and then peel off the plastic carrier from each letter. 

Step seven (optional): Use the remaining vinyl to personalise the back of the t-shirt! 

Check out more of our projects on our Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.