Making HamsterTracker(tm) Tees

Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - day 426 - current treadmill total: 423,107.31 meters! (18:30 CET)

Making HamsterTracker™-Tees, Part 1

I've been wanting to let you in on this neat little project:

Designing a HamsterTracker Logo.

After finishing a design (inspired by the banner I've designed earlier),
It was time to get all materials needed for this project:

Picture of the stuff you'll need for this kind of project.

Picture of the stuff you'll need for this kind of project.

Printer,
Ink-cartridges,
Transfer papers,
T-shirts.

Printing a test design.

I've printed a test design, not wasting any (expensive) transferpaper.
I got the size about right, but not very efficient with the paper...
Not that that matters in this stage; just cut one out for 'test-fitting'.

I've actually gave this a very dark border, so I can use it on dark T-shirt.
The Transferpaper I've got is specially made for dark shirts!
(Therefore I don't have to print it mirrored, just simple plain printing!)

Test-fitting the just printed and cut-out HamsterTracker Logo.

Test-fitting it showed that the size was perfect (!) (Lucky first-time-printing-shot!)

Thursday, August 17, 2006 - day 427 - current treadmill total: 423,765.94 meters! (18:30 CET)

Making HamsterTracker™-Tees, Part 2

Yesterday (see below) I showed how I made a prototype and test-fitting it on a T-shirt.
Today it's time to give it a real go...

Designing a whole sheet of HamsterTracker Logos.

Designing a whole sheet of HamsterTracker Logos.

I 'cut & pasted' the design to create one large picture with 12 logo's!

The final print on one sheet of tranfer-paper.

After printing it once on a normal sheet of paper,
I checked to see if the size of a single logo had changed...

It had not resized! I then printed it on a transfer paper, using the highes quality settings possible on my printer.

Test fitting and covering it with 'baking paper'.

Test fitting and covering it with 'baking paper'.

After cutting one logo out of the sheet, I test fitted it on the shirt again.
In the shirt I put a sheet of wood to have a smooth surface to work on.

The logo is then covered with some sort of baking paper.
The manual, that came with the papers suggested baking paper in case you lost that sheet.

Here I am waiting for the iron to warm up to it's highest termperature, cotton will allow.
The temperature setting I got from the previously mentioned manual.

I carefully removed the paper, after applying some heat with the iron

Ooops??!?

Hhhhmmmmmmmmmmmm...

After re-reading the manual over and over again, I discovered that I had to remove some sort of protective sheet...

The protective sheet you need to remove before ironing.

The protective sheet you need to remove before ironing.

It is quite a challenge to remove.

I cut one logo, with a slightly wider border, to cover up my previous mistake.

Now I am really ready to give it another try!

Saturday, August 19, 2006 - day 429 - current treadmill total: 424,109.72 meters! (17:20 CET)

Making HamsterTracker™-Tees, Part 3

Days 427 and 426 (see below) I showed how I started on the HamsterTracker™T-shirt.
Today it's time to give a second go...

Cooling off after 13 seconds of heat.

The manual stated that anywhere between 12 and 15 seconds heat should be applied.
Here it's cooling off...

Another misprint.

Horror!
This doesn't look right, looks like the transfer 'melted' in the cloth

Another try, this time 4 seconds.

I tried applying heat for (approx.) 4 seconds...

The first successfull transfer!

Now where talkin' ...

This is getting pretty cool!
What do you think?

Share your opinion in Lucy's Guestbook

Sunday, August 20, 2006 - day 430 - current treadmill total: 424,293.31 meters! (20:25 CET)

Showing Lucy the HamsterTracker™-Tee

Days 429, 427 and 426 (see below) I showed how I made a HamsterTracker™T-shirt.

Here is how Lucy responded to the shirt when I showed her:

My hamster Lucy inspecting the new HamsterTracker.com shirt.

My hamster Lucy inspecting the new HamsterTracker.com shirt.

" That is pretty cool, dude! " - Lucy

My hamster Lucy sitting on the printed HamsterTracker.com logo.

" It is sure nice to sit on, it's soo very soft! " - Lucy

My hamster Lucy wanting a HamsterTracker.com shirt.

" If you'd make them hamster-size, then I want one... OFCOURSE! " - Lucy

Would you want one?
Share your thoughts in Lucy's Guestbook

Thursday, August 24, 2006 - day 434 - current treadmill total: 425,085.53 meters! (18:35 CET)

Making HamsterTracker™-Tees; Testing the Prototype

Days 430, 429, 427 and 426 (see below) I showed how I made a HamsterTracker™T-shirt.

So I went to the shop and bought an insane amount of T-shirts.
From dark blue to black, I took everything I could find in a way that would also make the HamsterTracker™ financial department happy.

(After shooting this picture, I went to another shop, and bought a similar amount for a similar price!)

Overly dramatic photograph of wanna-bee HamsterTracker.com shirts.

Overly dramatic photograph of wanna-bee HamsterTracker.com shirts.

" Fresh, Wannabee HamsterTracker™-Tees "

The BIG test...

Ok, now I think I've done all the steps...

Designing a logo,
Printing it,
Transferring it successfully to a T-shirt
Getting Lucy's approval!
Making a gazillion HamsterTracker™-Tees

I guess now it needs some real-world testing.
What better opportunity than meeting some online friends
(who I've gotten to know on Radio42.com, my FAVORITE internet radio station),
on a party hosted by DJane Vibrella?

Allow me to introduce:

Djane Vibrella with her HamsterTracker.com T-shirt.

G-Man and DJane Vibrella - Our hosts!

Atie on the left and Olti with his HamsterTracker.com T-shirt.

Alessandra with her HamsterTracker.com T-shirt.

Atie and Olti (is the one with the HamsterTracker™-Tee) and Alessandra

Nebbie with his HamsterTracker.com T-shirt.

Mrs and Mr. Bernd with one of their HamsterTracker.com T-shirt.

Nebelbeisser a.k.a. Nebbie and Mrs. and Mr. Bernd

Last but not least:

Eule with his HamsterTracker.com T-shirt.

(Nacht) Eule

Conclusion:
Huuuuuuuuuuge success!

HamsterTracker™ shouts to G-Man, DJane Vibrella, Atie, Olti, Alessandra, Nebbie, Mr & Mrs Bernd and Eule
for a GREAT party and the immense pleasure of (finally) meeting!