Welcome to my first DIY tutorial!  I am super super excited about this idea and can't wait to share it with you. 

Something I am really conscious of is the throwaway culture that exists in the fashion and shopping industries. At Olive & Pip we have always been mindful of this by creating gifts that can be loved and cherished forever as keepsakes even when they no longer fit. But I am also a big fan of making usable items, and getting the most use of out them as possible in their lifetime!

I have come up with the EASIEST way to make a really cool decoration with your kids Glow In The Dark Halloween Tee's when they no longer fit.

Before I start, I just want to mention that for our kids their Halloween Drawing Tee's aren't just Halloween costumes, they also wear these tee's all year round in bed as really fun glow in the dark pyjama tops too! (Anything to make bed time more fun is a bonus, right?!)

But this is a GREAT way to enjoy their tee's year after year, long after they outgrow them.

Measure your drawing roughly to see what size hoop would work best. I am using a 10" hoop here on a 3/4 T Shirt. You can purchase embroidery hoops online and in fabric shops, they come in loads of sizes and even different colours too!

 

The hoop has two parts. Loosen the larger outside hoop with the screw and take out the smaller inner hoop. The inner hoop goes under the top layer of your T shirt, then you can place the outer hoop over the top of it.

Check the hoops are in the right place for your drawing and then push the outer hoop down over the inner hoop (you can loosen the screw at the top further if you need to). If the T shirt collar is in the hoop its not an issue, I think it adds to the charm! Gently pull at the edges of the T shirt if you need to so the fabric in the centre of the embroidery hoop is nice and flat, then you can tighten the screw back up again. Tip: make sure the screw is nice and tight so the fabric doesn't slip out once its been cut.

 

Using fabric scissors, trim the T shirt as closely as you can to the back of the embroidery hoop. It wont look absolutely perfect at the back but no one will see!

 

 

Look how cute this is! You can leave it like this and it can be propped up on a shelf, or you can find some nice ribbon or string to make a loop so it can be hung on the wall.

 

Charge up the glowing print under the light and then find somewhere nice and dark to hang it for Halloween, it will look SO COOL. You can create a little collection of these in all sizes from the whole families tee's!

Your kids will love pulling these out of the Halloween Decoration box each year, and I am sure you will love reminiscing about their adorable imaginations from when they were little as they grow up. It will make them even more special that they only come out once a year for Halloween.

------------------------------------------