Okay, so I saw this “back to back UConn shirt” thing blowing up online and thought, “Hey, I can probably make that myself!” I’m no professional crafter, but I do enjoy a good DIY project, especially if it saves me some money.
Getting Started
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First, I needed a plain shirt. I dug through my closet and found an old, plain white tee that was perfect. You can use any color, really, but white seemed like the best canvas for this.
The Design Hunt
Next, I had to figure out the design. I spent a good hour just scrolling through images online, looking for inspiration. I finally decided on a simple design: the UConn logo on the front, and “Back to Back National Champions” with the years on the back. Simple enough, right?
Making the Stencil
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- I printed out the UConn logo and the text in the size I wanted.
- Then, I carefully cut them out with an X-Acto knife. This was the most tedious part, my hands started to cramp, but I powered through! It took a good while to do this, and be precise.
Time for Paint
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I taped the stencils onto the shirt, making sure they were centered and straight. (Used a ruler and everything!)
I grabbed some fabric paint I had lying around – navy blue for the logo and white for the text on the back. You could use any color combo, that match school colors of course.
I carefully dabbed the paint onto the stencil with a sponge brush. The key here is to use a dabbing motion, not a brushing one, to prevent the paint from bleeding under the stencil. I applied a couple of coats, letting it dry in between.
The Big Reveal
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Once everything was dry, I peeled off the stencils, holding my breath… and it looked pretty good! There were a few minor imperfections, but overall, I was super happy with how it turned out.
I let the shirt dry completely overnight, and then I heat-set the paint with an iron (following the instructions on the paint bottle) to make it permanent.
And that’s it! My very own, handmade “back to back UConn shirt.” It wasn’t perfect, but it was made with my efforts, and I was proud to wear it.
