Autographing shirts - anyone done this?

[2tinkersmom]

I have t-shirts for my two daughters to have the characters autograph. They did autograph books 6 months ago so we wanted to try something different this trip.

I used some clip art and iron on transfer paper to put Minnie Mouse on the front and they came out cute.

I know they cannot be wearing them when the characters sign. My question to anyone that has used shirts before for autographs is what do you use as a "hard surface" under the shirt to make signing it easier??

I was thinking maybe a small piece of cardboard would work but I was curious if anyone had tried something else.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Stitchfans]

We tried it this past March with cardboard. It worked with some characters some it didn't work well. One problem we came upon too was the cardboard slipping out of place. Also some characters signed upside down and too far to one side of the shirt so when worn you wouldn't be able to read the signatuare. We only did it at Chef Mickey's I wouldn't want to guess how hard it would of been walking around the parks.

 

[PatsGirl]

My daughter actually left a pillowcase at guest services in the a.m. and we picked it up when we left. We supplied the markers as well. What a souvenier! She keeps it on her bed at all times but doesn't actually sleep on it. Of course, this was four years ago so I don't know if they still do this, but if so, you could leave a t-shirt there as well. Brenda

 

[scouthawkk]

We did this for our DS 2 years ago. We used a piece of cardboard from a box. Put the cardbord inside the shirt and pulled the shirt tight around it (we found that the more taught the shirt, the better the autograph came out, less smearing). We actually folded the piece of cardboard to help hold the shirt in place. That also helped to keep the autograph in a general area that we wanted it to be signed.

Also used permanent fabric markers. Some of the autographs came out light, but I just went back over them with the color used after we got home. I love his shirt. We got it really big, and he still loves to wear it, even though he was too little to even remember the trip. You can also buy pre-made shirt forms at a craft store, but i think a piece of cardboard box works just as well...

 

[agnes!]

When we did the T-shirt/autographs, I did the same thing as another poster ...had a folded gift box top(from the resort gift shop) and pulled the shirt taut around it, usually with a rubber band - so the material wouldn't slip. A friend of mine (also getting autographs on a shirt) used small quilting hoops. They worked ok for her, but she had to shift them from place to place & sometimes that was a hassle.

Remember to take fat (as BIG as you can get!) Sharpies, packing them with your autograph shirts in a large(preferably 2-Gallon) Ziploc bag. That way, you won't be searching for your pens after arrival at WDW, when you're fried both from lack of sleep & from excitement. (I couldn't find my pens one time when I needed them.) You need to take the big Sharpies, because the characters can have trouble with regular-sized pens. If you take different colors that will help to make your souvenir even more colorful. (By the way, both my DD's shirt & her friend's shirt turned out really well.)
After autographing, make sure you let the shirts dry for a moment or two *before* putting them back in your backpack/whatever - otherwise thay can smear. It's also fun to get autographs on items of clothing that are stiff - like billed caps/hats, some purses, fabric-covered diaries/books, etc.

Have fun ,
agnes!

 

[TDS373X]

We did the shirt idea last year. I used a metal liquid embroidery hoop set that I've had for many years and don't know if you can even still by them. You have the metal hoop part but the second part is solid metal that the hoop fits snugly over the shirt or whatever goes between them. We used the fat Sharpie pens in different colors (usually to match the character) and just carried it around in a large Ziploc bag. The shirt we got from the Disney Store prior to the trip. We just carried it around 1 full day and just dedicated that day to character hunting..The shirt and others are being sewn into a quilt of Disney memories for my dd5. We have her very first t shirt from her first trip at age 1 along with other t shirts shes outgrown that I can't throw or give away. We also are including her dads Disney t shirts as he passed away 18 mos ago.

 

[lacy1101]

We did this for our son who was 10 on our last trip in 2002. It worked great! I had made my own park touring guide book (paperback) that I carried around with us in the parks and simply placed the book inside the shirt in the area I wanted the autograph. I bought the fabric markers from a craft store in red and blue. If you hold the shirt for the character, it makes it easier as you can hold the shirt as tight as you need to. Good luck - it makes a great souvenier!

 

[Simba's Girl]

When we were there in December we saw a Family doing this using actual Clipboards. Perhaps if you got a few cheap, then you could also use potato chip clips on the other side(s) to hold the rest of the fabric so it dosen't move?

Eventually my girls will be old enough to do this sort of thing, but now they are just barely old enough to understand the books...

Heather

 

[Forevryoung]

We did the shirt idea last year. I used a metal liquid embroidery hoop set that I've had for many years and don't know if you can even still by them. You have the metal hoop part but the second part is solid metal that the hoop fits snugly over the shirt or whatever goes between them. We used the fat Sharpie pens in different colors (usually to match the character) and just carried it around in a large Ziploc bag. The shirt we got from the Disney Store prior to the trip. We just carried it around 1 full day and just dedicated that day to character hunting..The shirt and others are being sewn into a quilt of Disney memories for my dd5. We have her very first t shirt from her first trip at age 1 along with other t shirts shes outgrown that I can't throw or give away. We also are including her dads Disney t shirts as he passed away 18 mos ago.

I want to make a quilt like this!! I have all these old shirts that I refuse to get rid of. What is the best way to make it? I guess I need a sewing machine first...