These Harry Potter t-shirts are brought to you by ShirtSpace, but the content and opinions are that of Simply Made Fun.
There are two things I’ll always regret: (1) Not making more Harry Potter t-shirts for the midnight release of the books and movies, and (2) letting my little sister dictate whether or not I could dress up for the HP and the Half Blood Prince movie premier (spoiler alert, I wanted her to go with me so I didn’t dress up). Back then making t-shirts meant using puffy paints and mad drawing skills and hoping and praying that your shirt came out looking somewhat like you pictured in your head. Mine never did, I’m a terrible artist.
Nowadays they have these cool machines called Silhouettes and Cricuts, and you can make your own t-shirts in a matter of minutes. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration. But it really takes no time at all! Which is awesome when you want to make Harry Potter t-shirts last minute for a special occasion! Or for no reason other than you just feel like getting your geek on. On t-shirts that is!
I have never been more obsessed with making t-shirts than I am right now. Especially nerdy ones. When my son was born I made him a whole geek wardrobe, complete with Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and more. (My son is just going to have to deal with being an ubber nerd like his mom and dad. It’s inevitable). Onesies were all I wanted to make for the longest time because they were so fun and so easy now that I owned a Silhouette machine. And because I’m in a few Silhouette groups on Facebook I am able to use some of the designs that others made and graciously shared with the rest of us. Which means I always come away with some pretty cool designs for shirts.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through Simply Made Fun may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping support my crafting habit!
How to make your own Harry Potter T-Shirts:
You’ll need….
- T-shirts (I got mine from ShirtSpace, they run true to size and are incredibly soft!)
- Silhouette machine
- Heat Transfer vinyl (I buy mine here)
- Iron and ironing board
- Pillowcase
Download the Ravenclaw file and show off your house pride!
I say this every time but PLEASE don’t forget to MIRROR YOUR IMAGE before you cut. I forgot to do that twice this time and wasted vinyl. But don’t worry, that wasn’t the only thing I messed up with this project. More on that later….
Have you ever wondered how to get your design perfectly centered on a shirt or onesie? I just figured out this trick a few days ago and am so excited to share it with you!
Center your Silhouette design on a t-shirt perfectly with this simple trick!Click To Tweet
Once you cut out your design and weed it grab your t-shirt and head over to your ironing board. While your iron heats up fold your shirt in half (up and down and across), making sure all the seams line up perfectly. Once your iron is hot press the shirt on the folds for at least 15-20 seconds. You want to be able to see the crease when you open the shirt up. You should see two creases: one up and down on your shirt and the other across. Now, measure about two to two and a half inches down from the collar and that is where you should place your design (on a woman’s adult t-shirt, on a child’s I do about one to one and a half inches).
Place your design on your shirt (keeping the transfer paper on top) and cover it with a pillowcase. Press with your hot iron for 45-60 seconds OR until all the pieces of your design are stuck to the t-shirt. You can test and see if the design is done by pulling up the transfer tape slowly. If any pieces of your design come back up just put the transfer tape over the design again and press for another 30 seconds. Keep repeating until your design is perfect!
Are you doing a complicated layered design? Read more for tips on how to get it right (and not mess up like me)!
I recently bought the Silhouette Designer Edition for my software (it’s on sale on Amazon!) and love it because I can cut out layered designs based on the colors in the advanced options! Because of this option I decided to do a multi-layered design for my son’s Ravenclaw shirt. This is the first time I’ve ever done anything layered so I was pretty nervous but it turned out really well! Not perfect, but I like handmade things that have slight imperfections.
First things first, GO SLOW. You will mess up and make mistakes if you don’t. Case and point? I was making myself a Luna shirt and accidentally put the hot iron on already pressed vinyl when doing my second layer. I was so bummed because I love this design! Pay attention. Don’t be distracted like me.
Second, double and triple check that things are lined up right before you press with your iron. Things may shift slightly during the transfer but that is okay. Mine did a little and you can’t even tell. But you can avoid any major mistakes by triple checking your work.
Just a few quick tips when attempting a layered Harry Potter t-shirt:
- If you mess up your design, you can use wax paper to try to get the vinyl off your shirt so you can try again. Just place it directly on your design and press with a hot iron for 30 seconds. I attempted this with my Luna shirt and it worked on about 75% of the design.
- I’ve also heard that Goo Gone will get rid of whatever wax paper doesn’t. THIS DID NOT WORK FOR ME. I ruined a shirt and got Goo Gone all over my ironing board. I was not a happy camper.
- Be patient when laying colors. That is time consuming and can be a pain. Put on some soothing music or grab a glass of wine. Just don’t drink too much wine and get distracted. Or else you’ll have to go back up to tip one.
Download the Ravenclaw file and show off your house pride!
If you’re looking for cute blank shirts for Silhouette projects I highly suggest ShirtSpace. Delivery was quick after I put in my order and the shirts are super soft and so cute! I’m a t-shirt and shorts girl in the summer, and I’d live in these if I could. Seriously, so soft and comfy! I need to order a few more so I can complete that Luna design. I’m still so upset I messed up that shirt!
And because I love linking up with other Harry Potter obsessed bloggers, I joined Marissa over at Rae Gun Ramblings for a whole month of Happy Harry Potter! Every year she gets the best bloggers together to share their awesome Harry Potter projects, and I am so excited to be a part of the fun this year!
Are you excited for all the new Harry Potter things that are coming this year? Would you make Harry Potter T-shirts to mark the occasion?
Don’t leave just yet! Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for some awesome Harry Potter prizes!
Prize Pack #1
See more about each prize and sponsor at this giveaway post and be sure to enter the other equally awesome prize pack while you’re there! Winner must have a US address or be willing to pay for international shipping.
- Maroon and Gold Magic Wand Holster and Magic Wand (toddler, child, or adult sizes available)
- Hogwarts House Scarf (choice of which house)
- Hogwarts Graduation Year Shirt (choice of baby to adult size with custom graduation year)
- Librarian Glasses Pillow
- The Unofficial Guide to Crafting the World of Harry Potter
- Personalized Hogwarts Acceptance Letter
- Illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- Hogwart’s House Tie Necklace (choice of colors)
- Owl Crate Upcoming August Box
- Lit Joy Crate May Box
- Classic Maillot Swimsuit SEWING PATTERN
Shirley Eliza Martinez says
I LOVE HARRY POTTER! You are making me want to go out and purchase a Silhouette Machine. I entered your Giveaway as it’s something I never even knew existed! Thanks for the opportunity
Teresa | Simply Made Fun says
Thank you Shirley! The Silhouette machine is so addicting and so fun to use. Thank you for entering the giveaway, there are some awesome prizes to win this year!
Karen Yannacio Morse says
Ok – admitting I have not read Harry Potter (I know, gasp…), but love these tees! You make it look pretty easy to do, so I may try this DIY out!
Karen | GlamKaren.com
Anna says
Wow your designs look so professional! Never would have guessed they were home made. Great job!
Teresa | Simply Made Fun says
Thank you so much Anna! They were a lot of fun to do!
Terri Steffes says
Cool designs! When I taught fifth grade, Harry Potter was all the rage. I know my students would have loved to wear these shirts to school!
Teresa | Simply Made Fun says
Thank you Terri! I wish I had shirts like this back when all the books were coming out. I would’ve worn them everyday! 🙂
Taylor Smith says
I love Harry Potter SO much.
TaMara says
I am going to have to share this with all my HP friends. One of them just threw HP themed birthday party for her daughter and went all out. These would have made a great addition!
Reesa Lewandowski says
My kids are just getting into Harry Potter! I love the Silhouette Machine and all it can do to make fun things like this!
Wendy Polisi says
I absolutely love Harry Potter! I am trying to get my boys into it now. These are really cute.
Debra Hawkins says
These turned out so good! I love the Happy Harry Potter series, I look forward to it every year!
TheNewClassy says
That Ravenclaw tshirt looks really cool. I can’t believe you made that yourself. I think my husband would like one of those.
http://tiarastantrums.com says
These are fantastic! We are huge Harry Potter fans and I would love to do this activity at home with my kids
tp keane says
I can’t tell you how much of a Harry Potter nut I am… myself and my eldest son. We are soooo going to do this as a craft activity this summer.
jillconyers says
What an awesome prize pack. We’re a family of Harry Potter fans.
Amanda Love says
How amazing are these designs and I love the idea of making your own prints! What a way to customize a shirt! Very original and definitely worth the effort. Thanks for the quick tutorial and that awesome giveaway!
Maria - Tough Cookie Mommy says
Wow, I am really impressed by the quality of these designs. I would totally purchase these in a retail store if I saw them for sale.
yonawilliams says
After seeing this post, I think I need a Silhouette machine in my life. I would love to take T-shirt making to the next level.
My Bored Toddler says
These look great! I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and love everything to do with it.
Robin Rue says
These are so cute! I am a big HP fan and am so excited that there is another installment.
Ashleigh says
It’s so funny, I own a Cricut and I still haven’t taken it out of the box. Can’t wait to use it and make something fun like this.
Kimberly Stroh says
These are adorable! I am sharing these with my readers too. I know so many families heading to HP World too.
Teresa Laura | MCBL says
As a huge Harry Potter fan, I am in love with these designs! The quality is incredible.
Rachel Catherine says
Wow! These are great! They seem pretty simple. My kids are a bit too young to be into Harry Potter but I will have to save this for when they are.
Lesha says
I honestly never read the books or watched the movies, but these designs are insanely cute! I know a few people that would love them. – HilLesha
CourtneyLynne Storms says
Omg how awesome are these shirts!!!! Perfect for all the Harry Potter fans of the world!
Ana De Jesus says
Well I love Harry Potter and this shirt is is freaking awesome. i can’t believe its not shop made it looks so professional!
Emily says
Love these shirts! I made shirts for the Twilight movies, yes I admit it, and it would have been much easier with my Silhouette!
Emily Bennett says
Just out of curiousity, where do you find your designs? I’m a new silhouette user and I’m looking for inexpensive/cheap designs. But I’m not sure where to start. Especially when it comes to finding HP images. Help!
Teresa says
Hi Emily! I’m in a few Silhouette groups on Facebook, the main HP one being Accio Cameo and it is great! Silhouette Cameo Project Inspiration is another good one for all sorts of files!
Regina says
OMG that Deathly Hallows file….swoon. I NEED IT. any chance you’re willing to share where you got it/if you made it are you willing to sell the file??
Teresa says
Hi Regina! I got the file from a Silhouette facebook group called Accio Cameo!
Siobhan says
Hi, i love your posts they are great. Would you share or sell the deathly hallows design i would love to make one for my daughter.
Teresa says
Hi Siobhan! Thank you so much. The Deathly Hallows file isn’t mine to share, but if you join the Accio Cameo fb group you’ll have access to it and other awesome HP files as well!