Peek at the Penguins in matching Tie Dye Tops!

What’s black and white and tie dye all over? These awesome matching family vacation shirts! Have the kids tie dye their own T-shirts and then add some heat transfer vinyl for a completely customized shirt. These penguin shirts are perfect for the family’s trip to The Detroit Zoo to see the new Polk Penguin Conservation Center. 

Check out that bright white! It stands out on the tie dye without letting any dye colors bleed through.

Parents magazine lists the conservation center as number 2 on their list of New Summer Attractions for 2016. The largest penguin facility in the world opened this April and is home to 4 species of penguins and over 80 penguins total. I’ve always loved a trip to the Zoo, but now the Polk Penguin Conservation Center is on my summer trip list for sure!

Tie Dye vacation shirts can work for more than the zoo of course! Get creative with tie dye wherever you may be vacationing this summer by using EasyWeed Sub Block. EasyWeed Sub Block stops the tie dye from migrating into the light colored heat transfer vinyl. I used EasyWeed Sub Block in white and yellow for this design. Dark heat transfer vinyls will also apply to tie dye without showing the T-shirt dyes. That’s why black Easyweed was the perfect choice for the body of the penguin. All of these materials are CPSIA certified so you could even tie dye your baby’s onesie and decorate it for your trip!

First things first, create your artwork. I used Adobe Illustrator and Silhouette Studio to create this adorable penguin and fun text. Once everything was created I separated the yellow pieces into their own tab and did the same for the black. This way I could see what my final design would look like and then cut everything according to their color.

Don’t forget to mirror your image!

Place the vinyl with the carrier side face down on the cutting mat. You can tell which side has the carrier because it’s glossy and smoother than the side with the material.

EasyWeed Sub Block is a little bit thicker than EasyWeed so it was cut on the Silhouette Cameo with the blade exposed at 3, Speed set to 5, and Thickness set to 7. EasyWeed was cut with the blade exposed at 2, Speed at 5, and Thickness set to 5.

Get rid of all the vinyl not needed for the design by using your Siser Weeder to lift a corner and peel the HTV up. You can snag any bits you missed after with the Siser Weeder.

If you have a particularly intricate design you may want to take advantage of the EasyWeed Weeding Trick.

For this design we are definitely going to take advantage of the EasyWeed 1 second tack! This way I can layer multiple materials without shrinking  my garment with excessive heat.

Before decorating with heat transfer vinyl always pre-press or pre-iron your shirt. This will remove any wrinkles and moisture from the garment so you get the best heat application possible.

Each application was covered with a heat transfer cover sheet and pressed for 1 second. EasyWeed Sub Block is a cold peel, but you can speed up the cooling process by rubbing the carrier sheet on a table or door. Once all the layers are applied and the carriers have been removed, cover the design with a cover sheet and press for the full 15 seconds to firmly adhere everything.

The Heat Press is set to 265°F with medium-firm pressure.

A layer of EasyWeed Sub Block, a layer of EasyWeed and a final layer of EasyWeed Sub Block. It’s like an EasyWeed sandwich, except the end result is adorable not delicious.

T-shirt for Mommy or Daddy on the left, and a T-shirt for the kiddo on the right.

These cute little penguins never fail to make me smile! I hope you can make it out to see the new Polk Penguin Conservation Center, but if not you can always keep an eye on them through the Detroit Zoo’s live penguin cam!

Show us your family vacation shirts with #SiserNA on social media!