How to Make a Team Spirit Shirt

Nowadays, the T-shirt is second only to the bumper sticker as an expression of personal opinion. Especially among young people, T-shirts are a part of the culture. You can use this fact to promote team spirit. There are many ways to make a T-shirt designed to promote your school or team, and the project itself is a great opportunity for people to work together. All the way around, team spirit wins.

Things You'll Need

  • A spray bottle of bleach
  • Pre-washed plain T-shirts
  • Contact paper
  • Fabric decorating materials: fabrics paints, glue, crayons, jewels, sequins, etc.
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Instructions

  1. Make a School-Wide Team Spirit Shirt

    • 1

      Decide on about three designs in advance for a team spirit shirt. They need to be attractive but simple enough to reproduce. Consider holding a contest for the best design, prescribing what it should include--the school initials, colors, mascot or slogans.

    • 2

      Put the designs in a reproducible form. Print them out on transfer paper, make a stencil or transparency and cut them out in silhouette shapes.

    • 3

      Call on the school's art department to choose how best to create the shirts (fabric paint, dye, crayons or iron-on transfer) and supervise those who make them. Have the booster club, the cheerleaders and those who made the shirts wear them on spirit and game days.

    • 4

      If you think there is enough interest, begin selling the shirts school-wide. Unless you have the cooperation of many volunteers, you may need to send the design to a bulk T-shirt or copying place.

    Make an Individual Team Spirit Shirt

    • 5

      Throw a T-shirt party or set up a "Make-a-T-Shirt" booth at a school or community fair. Have materials, shirts and volunteers to to help people paint them. Charge for providing a pre-washed shirt and allow those who bring their own shirts to decorate them at no cost.

    • 6

      Make a silhouette shirt by placing letter and shape outlines on the shirt (contact paper works best). Spray bleach on the shirt from a spray bottle. After about one and a half to two minutes, take the contact paper off, rinse the shirt in a dish pan of clean water and let it dry.

    • 7

      Use fabric paint and tube paint in school colors to letter and decorate a shirt. Have copies of slogans and transfers or stencils of the school mascot on hand.

    • 8

      Provide a shirt already imprinted with a basic design. Use permanent fabric glue, jewels, yarn or sequins to decorate it.

    • 9

      Wear the shirts at games, rallies and on spirit days.