DIY Glitter Unicorn Shirt

My little diva has become quite the unicorn fan. When I asked her what kind of shirt we should make, she didn't even hesitate to answer with "a pink, sparkly unicorn, of course!". How could I say no to that?

To make a custom unicorn shirt, I first needed some heat transfer vinyl. I'm really impressed with the color selection and quality of heat transfer vinyl that Expressions Vinyl carries. I ordered the glittered heat transfer vinyl in Blush, then uploaded my unicorn image to my Cricut Explore. The heat transfer vinyl can be cut on any vinyl cutting machine, or you could even cut by hand.

The iron-on sheets are made up of two parts: the heat transfer vinyl, which will be ironed on to your project, and the liner. The liner is a carrier sheet (think transfer paper) that holds the design in place and protects your iron during application.

*Like any iron-on product, make sure you mirror your image! Otherwise it will be backwards when you iron it on!

To cut the vinyl, place the sheet liner side down on the cutting mat. Cut the sheet with a "kiss cut" (where you only cut through the iron-on, but leaves the liner intact). Every cutting machine is different, so make sure to check your cut guides.

After the image has been cut, weed out the excess vinyl. Flip the liner and vinyl over, and place it on the shirt. The liner is sticky, so you can press it down to keep the vinyl in place. When it's in the right place, follow the instructions for ironing the vinyl on:

Set your iron to the Cotton/Linen setting with the steam OFF.

1. Lightly preheat the area with the iron for 10-15 seconds. This really does help!
2. Place your image, liner side UP onto the area. If you don't place the liner side up, it will stick to your press cloth.
3. Carefully lay a press cloth or dishtowel over the design. Be VERY careful. You don't want any of the pieces to shift!
4. Apply medium pressure with the iron for 25-30 seconds.
5. Flip the material over and apply medium pressure with the iron to the back of the material for an additional 25-30 seconds.
6. If you have any parts that didn't stick for some reason or if edges are flipping up, re-iron the pieces or loose edges with the iron tip for 10 seconds.
7. Let cool and remove liner. If you try to remove the liner before it cools, you risk burning your fingers or peeling the vinyl up.

Now the shirt is ready for wearing!! The vinyl has washed great so far, and hasn't peeled up at all. I'm so glad that I was able to easily make a unicorn shirt that is diva-approved!!