Introduction: Greek Letter Shirts

Since I joined a sorority, I have been trying to find affordable Greek letter shirts that were still good quality. However, it did not take me long to begin researching the idea of making my own since I am always looking for a new project to work on. Once I had a plan in place and began buying the supplies, I was amazed at how much money I was saving. In this instructable, I am going to guide you through the process of making your own no-sew Greek letter shirts!

Step 1: Supplies

  • Shirt
  • Heat and Bond
    • If you plan on following the optional steps to stitch letters on, it is recommended you use Heat n Bond Lite. Otherwise, Heat n Bond UltraHold is needed.
  • Fabric (2)
    • (1) Solid Fabric
    • (1) Patterned Fabric
  • Greek Letter Stencils (2)
    • For each unique letter:
      • (1) Large stencil for the outside border
      • (1) Small stencil for the inner pattern
    • See [hyperlink] for instructions on how to make your own stencils.
  • Scissors
  • Ironing Board
  • Iron
  • Pen / Pencil
  • OPTIONAL
    • Needle
    • Thread (2)
      • Use thread that is similar to your fabric. Depending on your choice of fabric, you may use different colored threads to stitch your inside and outside fabrics.

Step 2: Prepare Shirt and Fabric

  1. Set the iron to medium high heat with no steam.
  2. Once the iron is heated up, iron all the wrinkles out of the shirt and fabrics.

Step 3: Cut Heat N Bond

  1. Cut a piece of Heat n Bond just big enough to fit your stencils.
    • NOTE: Place the smaller stencils on one side and the larger ones on the other.
  2. Cut this piece in half separating the different sized stencils.
  3. If you have additional letters that did not fit, simply repeat the previous steps on a smaller piece of Heat n Bond.

Step 4: Trace Stencils on Heat N Bond

  1. Place your stencils face down on the smooth side of your Heat n Bond and trace them.

    • Remember, your small and large stencils should be on separate sheets of Heat n Bond.

  2. If you are able to read the letters correctly when you trace them, the letters will be backwards on your shirt.
    • TIP: Write "this side up" on your stencils so you don't make any mistakes by accident.

Step 5: Cut Fabric

  1. Place one of the corresponding Heat n Bond sheets with the stencil tracings on the back side of the fabric.
    • It does not matter which set of letters you complete first.
    • Remember:
      • Small Letters + Patterned Fabric
      • Large Letters + Solid Fabric
  2. Cut your fabric slightly bigger than the sheet.

Step 6: Iron Heat N Bond on Fabric

  1. Keep the Heat n Bond sheet with the rough side down as shown in the picture.
  2. Iron the sheet to the cut fabric until adhered.

    • You may also reference the instructions on your Heat n Bond packaging as iron settings may vary.

Step 7: Cut Out Letters

  1. Let the letters cool down for a few seconds before [doing anything with them].
  2. Cut along the traced lines.
    • NOTE: If any of your letters have center holes, those will be taken care of in a later step.

Step 8: Repeat Steps 5 - 7 on Other Set of Letters

Cut Fabric

Iron Heat n Bond on Fabric

Cut out Letters

Step 9: Cut Out Center Holes (If Necessary)

  1. For letters with holes in the center, you can use scissors or an X-Acto knife for more precision to cut away the fabric.
    • TIP: Place a piece of medium thick cardboard underneath the letters when using an X-Acto knife. It helps to get completely through the fabric in one attempt.

Step 10: Combine Letters

  1. Peel off the back of the patterned letter. The back of the letter should now be a smooth and slightly shiny surface.
  2. Place the patterned letter on top of the corresponding solid letter so the fabric is face up on both letters.
  3. Iron until the letters are adhered together.
    • You may also reference the instructions on your Heat n Bond packaging as iron settings may vary.
  4. Repeat until all letters are combined.

Step 11: Iron Letters Onto Shirt

  1. Ensure that you have ironed out all wrinkles on your shirt before applying the letters.
  2. Remove the remaining Heat n Bond backing from the back of all the solid letters.
  3. Place the letters in the desired location on your shirt and iron on.
    • See the instructions on your Heat n Bond packaging as iron times differ based on shirt material.

You may stop here if you used the Heat n Bond UltraHold and do not want to stitch your letters onto your shirt.

Step 12: OPTIONAL: Stitching by Hand

As previously stated, this project does not require any sewing. However, if you would like better reassurance that your letters will stay on your shirt, you may stitch them.