DIY Monster's Inc. Mike Wizowski Shirt

Anybody who's somebody knows that Monster's Inc. is coming out with a new movie, Monster's University, next month. I'm excited. I may be an adult but I can't help but love a good animated movie. I have a feeling this one is going to be great.

Living so close to Orlando has its perks. It means that I get to visit the local theme parks when time (and finances!) permit. Can you guess where I'll be headed for the day next week? I'll give you one hint - Mickey Mouse! As I'm sure everyone has seen around the internet, it's quite popular to make/buy themed shirts to wear when visiting the parks. I hopped on Etsy looking for a great shirt and I was shocked. $25 for a shirt?! Craziness. So I decided to make my own.

A quick Google search led me to this image and I decided to use it as my inspiration.

Now I'll be honest. I've just recently taught myself to sew so I am still a major beginner. But I decided to give this project a shot anyway. Guess what? It worked! Let me tell you how I did it.

I went on over to Hobby Lobby (love!) and bought the following supplies:
- 1 lime green t-shirt (30% off!)
- White fabric (I believe I went with 1/4 of a yard to be safe)
- 1 sheet of each: light blue, and black felt (found in the craft aisle)
- 1 package of Heat N Bond (have you tried this stuff? <3!)

I really should have taken more detailed pictures of the process but I didn't think of it.

1. First, I traced a large round bowl right onto the Heat N Bond. Make sure it's proportionate to the shirt size you are using! I cut out that circle.
2. Using an iron and following the Heat N Bond directions, I ironed the circle I created right onto the white fabric (this will create the white of Mike's eye).
3. Once bonded to the fabric, I cut it out. If you are following along, you should have a white circle of fabric with the Heat N Bond on the backside. Peel off the backing of that Heat N Bond, position it where you want the "eye" to be on the shirt. Then go ahead and iron that down.
4. Using white thread and my sewing machine, I did a quick sew around the eye. Look at the picture below for reference. If you look closely, you'll see my sewing skills weren't perfect. But hey, I'm not looking for perfection. It got the job done.

5. Next, traced a smaller bowl directly onto the blue fabric (you can use the Heat N Bond method above for this, I just got lazy and decided to just sew it directly onto the shirt). I did the same for the black iris of Mike's eye. Once I was happy with the positioning, I sewed them onto the shirt (I changed out the thread to match the blue and black felt. You don't have to, I just get a little OCD).
6. Now comes the part where you get a bit creative. Looking at the image I used for my inspiration, I free-handed a drawing of Mike's mouth. I again used the Heat N Bond method, drawing it directly onto the adhesive, cutting it out, ironing it onto the black felt, cutting it out. It's not as hard as it sounds, as the shape isn't too complicated if you look at it.
7. Once I was happy with it, I drew some teeth onto the same white fabric I used to make the eye. I cut them out and pinned the strip of teeth directly onto the black felt "mouth". Out came the sewing machine and white thread, as I sewed the two together.

Again, not perfect, but it got the job done. I'm happy with it.

8. Now all that's left to do is sew the complete mouth onto the shirt. Remember that the Heat N Bond is on the back of the mouth. Peel away the paper and  find the place on the shirt you think the mouth looks best. Then iron away. After I ironed it on, I sewed through the teeth part using white thread and the mouth part using black thread. You don't have to be as particular about that as you want. One thread color all around won't ruin the shirt.

Here is my completed shirt:

Again, not perfect, but I wasn't looking for perfection. For a beginner, I think it looks pretty good! The best part? It only cost me about $5! Much better than the pricier shirts I saw online.

If you give this project a shot, please link up to me and share your link with me! I'd love to see how yours came out! In the meantime, I'm excited to wear mine to Disney World next week!