Finally a nice bit of rain for the corn, cucumbers and baby apples. Have some fun indoors! Get ready to come pick apples by making your own custom t-shirt. Be the apple of your new teachers eye when you wear it on the 1st day of school. This family friendly activity is a great way to engage kids and get them excited for apple picking. Pick your own apples starts at Hurds August 18th and custom family matching fall T-shirt’s will make apple picking extra special.
There are 2 techniques you can use to create your shirts. The hands on crafty method uses sharpies to create tie dye design on the t-shirt. The other option is to purchase iron on printer paper.
Either method will require a t-shirt. We visited the warehouse store in highland to gather supplies. The employees are real nice and the place is huge. Finding clothes in the right sizes and light colors is a challenge, but for $2 white kid tees it’s worth the scavenger hunt. The rubbing alcohol is in the front of the store FYI and we didn’t find eye droppers. You may have old shirts at home that are looking for a fresh look.
For the tie dye activity you will need
Sharpies or permanent markers
Solo cups
Rubber bands
Rubbing alcohol
Eye dropper
Blank t-shirts
Cardboard
Step 1 remove the tags, wash and dry your new shirts.
Step 2 get your supplies set up and put cardboard down. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area, the fumes of markers and rubbing alcohol can be intense.
Step 3 determine where on your shirt you want your design and put the cup there on the inside. Hold it in place with a rubber band. The cup is a good way to catch the alcohol that drips through.
Step 4 draw your design with sharpies. If you have scrap material, you may want to do a few test runs. We like these 3 designs, but feel free to design your own.
Step 5 use the eyedropper to slowly drop alcohol on the drawing . Keep in mind less is more
Step 6 let the design dry for maybe 20 minutes then remove the cup and dry in the dryer to set the design.
Step 7 add more details with sharpie that will not be tie dye like the trunk of the tree. (As shown in the big tree design below)
For the iron Method you will need:
Iron on printer paper. They make a variety of kinds. The ones used for dark colored shirts are a bit more money. Make sure you use the right kind for the shirt color you chose or vice verse. Also make sure your printer will work for that paper.
Color printer
Iron
Ironing board or table
Piece of wood
Towel
Blank tshirt
Step 1 find a design you love. We have some custom apple clip art here that you are welcome to use for your personal T-shirts. Please contact us for commercial prices.
Step 2 flip your image horizontally so that the text is backwards or a mirror image. If you have no text it’s not a big deal, but you will get a reversed final outcome.
Step 3 print and cut. Keep in mind that you will see the empty space around your image when you cut. Some empty spaces is better for when you take for the backing, just make sure it is neat.
Step 4 place face down in the perfect place on your shirt, I recommend on the left or right side of the shirt.
Step 5 iron on a towel covering a board or hard table. Make sure to push down firmly and get real hot. Read the directions that came with the paper.
Step 6 carefully remove the backing. if it doesn’t come cleanly off at the start, stop, and place back down to iron more.
It really makes group outings extra special to have matching or coordinated outfits. We can’t wait to see you dressed in your custom tshirt at the farm this fall. Remember this year apple picking starts August 18th. Tag our farm in your apple picking picks #upickappletshirt we of course will like and love them.