The Making of a Custom Printed Tee Shirt

Ever wonder what factors into the pricing of a custom printed tee shirt? Let me walk you through the process so that you, the novice, has a better understanding when considering getting tee shirts done for your company or an event. 

 First, plain white shirts are the cheapest, both from the manufacturer as well as processing them for printing. That being said, most people don't want plain white shirts--they want colored or most often black shirts.  So what is the difference between printing a white shirt vs a dark one--an extra step--PRETREATING, which adds time and money to the cost.

Liquid is sprayed onto area of shirt
that is going to be imprinted.

Pretreating is spraying a starch like liquid on the garment, then heat pressing the tee to dry. The liquid acts as a substrate primer for the white under base ink that must be laid down first before any color can be applied. After the spraying, the liquid must then be brushed over the area designated for printing. 

Without pre-treating, the white under base print sinks into the shirt and neither the white or any print colors on top are visible.  

Liquid is brushed into garment for even
distribution of chemical

Shirt being dried on heat press for 10-15 seconds

After the area has been brushed with the chemical, then it has to be heat pressed for approximately 10-15 seconds to dry the shirt. It's at this point where it is ready to be placed on the printer for the first design and when it comes off the printer it has to be heat pressed again for 200 seconds. 

When clients ask for both sides of a shirt to be imprinted, this process has to be repeated again, once the first side is printed, thus increasing the handling time of each piece/shirt. 

Printing a tee shirt front and back, depending on if you choose a color, can be anywhere from $14-$17 a shirt, factoring in the above process and how large the design is and how much white ink is used in the process. 


And that is how a custom tee shirt is produced!

Cutwork Embroidery - A Look of Elegance!

Cutwork is an antique embroidery technique, which was born in Italy many ages ago. Due to it's outstanding beauty, it quickly spread all over the world, and now can even be accomplished on home embroidery machine, almost effortlessly and very professionally and it has a classy high end look.

You've surely seen many ready cutwork embroidery items, such as these linen guest towels. While the photograph doesn't show the cutwork design too well, the inside butterfly wings are cutout, leaving decorative embroidered holes in the design, creating an intriguing "see through" effect.

While this is mostly customized embroidery, it's not something that I would offer in our online store, but rather on a request basis only.

Team Spirt Wear - Get Your Game On!

Kids are back in school and that means the sports activity is in full swing for the parents. Weather your child plays on the Varsity Team or an Intermediate League, cheering them on as a parent is so important, and so is what you wear to show that support.

We have all colors and styles of sweatshirts and hoodies that can be customized for whatever message you want to wear, be it the team logo, that your the mom of a cheerleader, football player or even the grandma that never misses a game!!

Check out our Facebook Page and click on our full catalog for apparel that can be customized for you this season.

Exciting Day at the Atlantic City Trade Show!

Oh how my feet hurt--you would think that I'd know better than to wear heels while walking through the Atlantic City Convention Center.  But, sore feet aside, we had an amazing day looking at all of the equipment we would like to add to our shop. So many different types of printers, embroidery machines, as well as a great selection of apparel and different promotional products.

But, one of the things that got me especially excited is the hottest trend this Spring and that is adding BLING to garments and we at SWE will be doing just that!  We will be introducing our own custom made rhinestone templates for customers and then rock them out in sparkle. What this means is that customers will be able to special order their own name or design to wear on any garment, hat or bag. This is so exciting and we are looking forward to rolling this out in the very near future.

So, look out, things will begin to sparkle real soon!

Spring is Definitely Coming!

Ballerina Bunnies

After what seemed like an eternity, there are definite signs that Spring is right around the corner. The signs are all there, the melting snow and ice, the higher temperatures and even the days seem a little bit longer. All the stores are gearing up for the holidays with their Spring merchandise and at Stitchin' Witch we're getting ready too, especially for the Easter Holiday and some new and colorful products, that are sure to perk up your spirits.

Check out these adorable Ballerina Bunnies that are all decked out in their little tutus and ballerina slippers.


In addition to the bunnies, we're also personalizing some very colorful Easter Baskets that will make the kids smile on Easter morning when they see their very own basket embroidered with their name.

It's time to put this past winter behind us and look forward to what the next few months have for us to enjoy in the way of holidays and family gatherings. Think Spring and happy thoughts!

Wear a Secret Message!

100% Silk Knit Panties

Have some fun by wearing a secret message underneath your wedding gown! These beautiful 100% silk knit hip hugger panties are the finishing touch for everything beautiful on your special day.

These beautiful silk panties make a great shower gift for any bride or you can also get them for all of the bridesmaids.

Available in all white trimmed in white lace, small, medium or large sizes.

Get Your Groove On!

Available in Men's and Ladies!

With Valentine's Day just a few short weeks away, it's time to think outside the box when it comes to your choice of gifts. These beautiful long stemmed roses unfold to reveal silk knit high cut full brief for ladies and silk knit mini-brief for guys and the best part, they won't wilt and die after just one week!

 Stitchin' Witch Embroidery has picked up a beautiful line of lingerie by Mary Green/Mansilk an internationally recognized lingerie firm. The firm specializes in silk undergarments combining the beauty of the finest Chinese silk with the creativity and design sense that has always been Mary Green's hallmark.

The Mary Green/Mansilk designs have become a wardrobe staple for some of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces including Renee Zellweger, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria and Kate Hudson. They are often featured on the top stars and starlets in films and leading television shows. The luxurious undergarments are displayed repeatedly in top fashion magazines around the world including InStyle, Vogue, Glamour, W, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Self, Essence, Marie Claire, Redbook, Allure and Lucky. Mary Green’s designs have also made their way to the O List, Oprah Winfrey’s personal recommendation of a product, considered the country’s most coveted and sought-after magazine placement.

In the next few days and weeks, we'll be showing you more of this beautiful line of lingerie, so keep watching for updates to our blog and website.

Give a Bouquet of Roses!