T-Shirts by Chris

T-Shirts by Chris

Each year that I plan to attend the KCA National, I do some handpainted shirts themed to the locale. For instance, here I am in my shirt with Kansas sunflowers that I did for the 2004 National.

This year the National is near Portland, Oregon and I'm having a ball doing Oregon shirts. The Pacific Northwest is so scenic! I'm concentrating on handpainted shirts this year and will only make a few appliqued printed shirts. I have also raised my price for the handpainted shirts.

HAND PAINTED SHIRTS
These shirts are tough. The painting will outlast the shirt, unless you melt it with a too-hot iron. They may be machine washed and dried in the drier on gentle cycle. If you use a normal setting on the dryer, be sure to get the shirt out before it gets dry and hot in there. Drip drying is recommended though because steam can cause dimensional paint lines to separate from the fabric.
Note no two of these shirts are alike. I usually do only one of whatever background or coloring, because it's boring for me to paint the same shirt over again. Therefore if, say, you really like the Cannon Beach shirt but you wear a 2X -- you are out of luck.

"Seagull Chaser" at Cannon Beach -- cream, size L SOLD	"Leaf Chaser" at the Portland Rose Garden -- cream, size XL $30
"Butterfly Chaser" at the Portland Rose Garden -- cream, size M SOLD	"Leaf Chaser" at Multnomah Falls -- white, long sleeves, size 2X SOLD
"Raven Chaser" at Mt Hood -- cream, size XL $30	"Butterfly Chaser" at Heceta Head -- cream, size L SOLD
"Waterdish Puppy" -- cream, size XL $30	"Waterdish Puppy" in Kansas -- (leftover from 2004) cream, size XL SOLD
"Waterdish Puppy" at Cape Perpetua-- cream, size L SOLD	"Waterdish Puppy" near Mt Hood -- cream, size 2X SOLD
"Waterdish Puppy" at Mt Hood in the evening -- white, long sleeves, size XL $30	"Waterdish Puppy" on the McKenzie River -- cream, size M SOLD

These are the very last of the "Riding on a Star" design. They are embellished with glitter and glinting stars, that don't show up very well on the photographs.

"Riding on a Star" #1 --

Navy, size XL
SOLD

"Riding on a Star" #2--

2 of these--
Royal blue, size XL SOLD
Royal blue, size XL SOLD

HAND APPLIQUED SHIRTS
These shirts are beautiful but delicate. The picture is computer-printed onto a transfer sheet, which is then pressed onto a square of white muslin (since the transfer is transparent.) The appliques are then pre-washed for color fastness, ironed, lightly glued to the garment to prevent it from moving around, and then stitched into place. The stitches are then hidden with an outline of dimensional paint. I did a few of these with a solid edge of satin stitching, which looks great when it comes out... but my sewing machine is old and I am not an expert seamstress, so after I ruined a shirt or two I gave that up in favor of the paint outline. These shirts are definitely HAND WASH and DRIP DRY. Blot the shirt between towels instead of wringing it dry. Iron the back of the appliqued area quickly with a warm dry iron -- a hot iron will melt the transfer, and steam may cause the transfer to separate from the muslin backing. These shirts can only go through the wash so many times before the picture gets faded and its surface develops a crackled look -- so the less you wash them, the longer they last. I spot-clean the dirty parts of the shirt and then quickly dunk-and-rinse the whole shirt, to preserve the good looks of the applique as long as possible.
If anybody wants to do-it-yourself, I also sell the prepared muslin appliques for you to add to your own garment, for $12.

Manhattan Beach Pier

Black, size 3X
SOLD Kees by a Lake

Soft blue, size M
SOLD

Kees by the Beach

Royal blue, size L
SOLD

SHIRTS PRINTED BY CAFE PRESS
I had 9 shirts printed up by Cafe Press with my paintings on them. They are beautiful and tougher than the appliqued shirts although not as tough as the hand-painted shirts. They are all white, since the color prints don't do well on a colored background. They go through a machine wash quite well, resist cracking, and take a long time to fade.

"Seagrass Kees" --

2 of these--
White, size Women's L SOLD
White, size Women's 2X SOLD "Homecoming"--

3 of these--
White, size Women's M SOLD
White, size Women's L SOLD
White, size 3X, long sleeves SOLD

"Lakeside Kees" --

White, size XL
$25 "Windrift Dogs"--

2 of these--
White, size Women's M SOLD
White, size 3X, long sleeves $30

"Kees in a Garden" --

White, size Women's M
SOLD

Email Chris

Manhattan Beach Pier Black, size 3X SOLD	Kees by a Lake Soft blue, size M SOLD
Kees by the Beach Royal blue, size L SOLD

"Seagrass Kees" -- 2 of these-- White, size Women's L SOLD White, size Women's 2X SOLD	"Homecoming"-- 3 of these-- White, size Women's M SOLD White, size Women's L SOLD White, size 3X, long sleeves SOLD
"Lakeside Kees" -- White, size XL $25	"Windrift Dogs"-- 2 of these-- White, size Women's M SOLD White, size 3X, long sleeves $30
"Kees in a Garden" -- White, size Women's M SOLD