Percy Jackson inspired Camp Half-Blood T-Shirt Tutorial

Today I’m going to be showing you how to make this *super cute* camp half blood t-shirt inspired by the Percy Jackson books. It’s perfect for cosplay and everyday wear. Way back in the 8^th grade when Blood of Olympus first released, I made a camp half blood t-shirt using an iron-on, and I’ve been dying to make a new t-shirt with the Silhouette Cameo. Recently, I found a t-shirt at Target that was the perfect color, so I decided there’s no better time than now!

First, here’s what you’ll need:

• A Silhouette cameo. If you don’t own one, check out my blog post on ways you can access one for cheap or free.
• Vinyl
• Scissors
• Black fabric paint
• Sponge paintbrush
• An orange t-shirt

First, open the silhouette cameo design. For my design, I used the font Dalek Pinpoint, and I edited Pegasus clipart to make it easily cut with the Silhouette. Here is a link to the Silhouette file, and here is a link to a JPEG version of my design. I also have the design uploaded at the end of the tutorial, though the link will be better quality.

Cut out a piece of vinyl that’s about 12 inches by 6 inches. I like to use the silhouette brand vinyl.

Place the vinyl on your cutting mat. Load the cutting mat into the silhouette, and cut it out using the standard vinyl cut settings.

Once it’s done cutting, carefully peel the vinyl up from the mat. Then, peel away the vinyl from the backing – be extra careful not to tear the vinyl. Take your time, and you may need a helping hand for this part.

Shove a few paper towels and a piece of construction paper under where the design will be on the shirt. This keeps the paint from going to the other side of the shirt.

Center and place the vinyl on the shirt. Since I’m using a scoopneck shirt, I placed it pretty close to the neckline.

Now place the tiny insides of the letters. Once you’re done with that, press down and make sure the vinyl is stuck to the shirt. If needed, adjust to make sure the cardstock and paper towels are directly under your design.

Now, let’s paint! I use Fabric Creations fabric paint for all of my projects. It washes wonderfully and always goes on well. You can buy it at most craft stores.

Carefully paint in a dabbing motion. If you want a more distressed or worn look, don’t focus on painting it perfectly. My shirt was mostly rayon, and it only needed one coat.

Next, wait a little bit – usually an hour or two – until the paint is dried. Now, carefully lift up the stencil – I recommend starting from the end – and remove it from the shirt. Then carefully remove the tiny insides of the letters.

And there you go! Now you have a Camp Half Blood t-shirt fit for any demigod! I’m going to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised with how this worked out, especially since I’ve never put fabric paint on a rayon/polyester shirt before, but it turned out really clean and professional looking.

Please let me know if you made this shirt, and if so, how it turned out! If you have any questions, please let me know – feel free to email me, comment below, or DM me on any social medias.

What tutorials would you like to see more of in the future?

How to access a Silhouette Cameo/Cricut and similar equipment for free

The Silhouette Cameo is one of my favorite crafting tools, which is why most of my tutorials revolve around using it. I’ve found it to be well worth the investment – for around $5-$10 I can make a t-shirt that would cost me up to $30 to buy. This adds up a lot over time, especially when making gifts.

However, if you don’t plan on buying a Cameo or similar machine right now, there’s many ways to access a Silhouette Cameo/Cricut and similar equipment for free or a low cost. Mainly I’ll be focusing on makerspaces, which are spaces that have a variety of equipment like vinyl cutters, 3D printers and sewing machines available to members.

Local libraries

Call or check online and see if the library for your city or a neighboring city has a Silhouette Cameo or other vinyl cutter. Most of the time, the only requirement is that you have a library card, which can be free or a small fee.

Your school/college

Many colleges have makerspaces available to students and faculty for free. To see if your local college has one, make a google search or ask the school. Some are even open 24 hours, so if you have the urge to craft past midnight, you can do that! While it’s less common, there are makerspaces available in some high schools and middle schools – ask your librarian if your school has one!

Local makerspaces

Especially if you live in a large city, a quick google search for local makerspaces will likely yield some results. Generally these are not free – there’s usually a fee involved with using the space, whether it be a daily entrance fee or a membership. These facilities usually have equipment that’s far more complex and expensive than a vinyl cutter though.

Final notes:

Like I mentioned earlier, the Silhouette Cameo is one of my favorite crafting tools, so if it sounds like something you’d use frequently, buy it! If you’re on the fence, or just want it for one project, I definitely recommend going to a makerspace and seeing how you like it. Before you go, keep in mind that most spaces will require you to bring your own vinyl or other material. If your local library or school doesn’t have a makerspace, or a vinyl cutter in the makerspace, don’t be afraid to request it!

Is there any other places or ways you’ve been able to use a vinyl cutter for free? If you’ve been the any of the places I mentioned, how was your experience?

House Stark Direwolves baseball t-shirt tutorial

For this project, I used the Silhouette Cameo.

Cut a 10” by 12” piece of vinyl.

The first step is cutting out your design on vinyl. The best vinyl I’ve used is the Silhouette brand vinyl in white.  I ran out of the Silhouette vinyl, and used the Cricut instead which worked alright. I use the standard vinyl cut setting on the Cameo.

You can download the design file here as a .studio3 file, and here as a pdf.

Once it’s cut out, carefully peel off the vinyl for the “Direwolves” part. I recommend to start peeling from the end of the word. Be careful not to rip or tear the stencil – take it slow and get a helper. I’ve made dozens of t-shirts and I still grab my mom to help with this part.

Place it where you want on your shirt. I recommend  several inches (about 6-8") from the neckline, if you’re working with a crew neck baseball shirt. I used this one from Target, which is currently unavailable. Every shirt that I've stenciled with Cameo has either been 50 percent cotton/50 percent polyester (or a similar blend with cotton), or 100 percent cotton.

Next, go back to your vinyl and pick up the little insides of the letters – in this case, the “E”s, “D”, and “O”. Carefully place those in their respective letters. Once placed, press down on the vinyl – even hit it a couple of times.

Now take paper towels or cardstock and shove it under the fabric, and directly under where your stencil is located. Make sure this is done neatly. I recommend having at least two paper towels under the stencil. This part is so important – if you don’t do this, you’ll likely end up with paint on the back of the shirt.

Finally, we can paint! I’ve always used cheap, black spongey brushes that you can grab for a couple of dollars at the craft store. My all-time favorite paint is Fabric Creations Soft Fabric Ink – it’s easy to use, never washes out when put in the washer and dryer, and it stays soft.

Apply the paint with a stippling/dabbing motion until the shirt is almost completely white, or whatever color paint you’re using. This will usually take a couple coats or more, depending on the fabric.

Once you’ve thoroughly applied the paint, wait about 30 minutes to an hour for the paint to set. If you’re on a time crunch, you can lift up the stencil now, but be extra careful since the paint is wet. If you get wet paint somewhere on the shirt where it’s not supposed to be, use a wet paper towel to wipe it up.

Carefully lift the stencil up. I like to have a helper during this part to hold the shirt down – the paint can still smear if not completely dry. Be extra careful when removing the insides of the letters, and if you have time, wait until those letters are completely dry.

I like to finish setting the paint by running it over with a hair dryer.

Once the front is 100 percent dry, start on the back, repeating the steps used for the front of the shirt. On the back, I noticed I needed more paint and a few more coats than the front, but otherwise it was the same.

Enjoy your new House Stark Direwolves baseball shirt! My shirt is super comfy, and it looks great with jeans or leggings. It would be perfect to wear to the Game of Thrones MLB theme nights, or to celebrate the final season. I’ve already gotten tons of compliments and comments on my shirt, and it’s been an awesome icebreaker to meet new Game of Thrones fans!

Have any questions or comments? Let me know or comment below! If you’ve made this shirt, I’d love to see your pictures as well – feel free to tag me on Instagram or Twitter, or shoot me an email.