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Are you looking to become more green in your crafting? BELLA+CANVAS has released new 100% recycled shirts that are perfect for crafting!
The EcoMax tee is made of 100% recycled material. You’d never know because it’s so soft. I’m also sharing other ways you can be more eco-friendly in the craft room so keep reading to learn those as well.
You can learn more about how to purchase wholesale shirts from BELLA+CANVAS with no reseller’s license needed here.
Recycled Shirts for Crafting
You can watch me make this fun t-shirt and hear all about why I love these tees by pressing play on the video below. I’m sharing the SVG I used for my eco-friendly shirt for free in the supplies list below.
Where to Find Recycled Shirts
The recycled shirt I’m using for today’s craft is the new BELLA+CANVAS EcoMax tee. You can find it on the BELLA+CANVAS website and you can order wholesale from them without a wholesale license with a Maker’s account.
This is a new product, I haven’t seen it in stores yet.
If you’re looking in stores, check the tag for the green leaf. This is a quick way to recognize the EcoMax tee.
What Colors Does the EcoMax Tee Come In?
Currently, the EcoMax tee comes in three colors. Black, white, and navy blue. In the future, they may come in other colors but right now those are three colors available.
Are EcoMax Shirts Really 100% Recycled Material?
Yes! When BELLA+CANVAS says EcoMax shirts are made from 100% recycled materials they mean it. The shirt is 65% recycled polyester and 35% recycled cotton.
The cotton portion is made up of BELLA+CANVAS cotton t-shirt scraps. The scraps from one cotton t-shirt will make two EcoMax tees.
They make the polyester from recycled water bottles. There are up to seven recycled water bottles in each tee!
But BELLA+CANVAS didn’t stop there. The stitching and tags consist of recycled materials. These tees are genuinely 100% recycled shirts.
Can I Use Recycled Shirts for Sublimation?
If you’re paying close attention, you probably noticed that these shirts have a 65% polyester content. This is the minimum recommended polyester content for sublimation.
You can use the white EcoMax tee for sublimation. You do need to be aware that only 65% of your sublimation design will transfer. This will give you a more faded vintage look vs. a shirt with a higher polyester count.
Supplies to Decorate a Recycled Shirt
Environmentally Friendly HTV Options
If you’re using a recycled t-shirt for your project you may also want to use an HTV that is more environmentally friendly. A few few brands that I like include: Thermoflex Plus, Hotmark Revolution, or Quickflex Revolution.
NOTE: Thermoflex Plus is also laser compatible. If you have a laser cutter and want to use that, Thermoflex is the HTV you will want to use.
What Makes HTV Environmentally Friendly?
You can look for the Oeko-tex standard when shopping for craft supplies including HTV. One is the Oeko-tex 100 standard which means the product is harmless for human health.
How to Add HTV to Recycled Shirts
To make a recycled shirt using HTV, you’ll begin by uploading your design into Design Space and then resizing it to fit your shirt. I am using the Joy Xtra for my project today. You can make this project with any Cricut machine.
Add the HTV material to the mat, shiny side down and make sure you mirror the design in Design Space. The brands I recommended above cut well using the Everyday Iron-on setting.
When you finish cutting with the Cricut, unload the mat Then remove the material.
Weed away all excess HTV including the outside edges and centers of letters.
Apply HTV to Recycled Shirt
I am using the navy blue EcoMax tee and my EasyPress. You can use any EasyPress or heat press for this project. Just follow the heat settings for your material.
I used the white Thermoflex Plus. The recommendations for this material are 330 degrees for 15 seconds.
Preheat fabric for 5-10 seconds to remove any wrinkles and moisture.
Next, locate the design on your shirt and then press. My EasyPress is slightly smaller than the design I’m applying so I will press it in two steps.
Make sure you press the whole design for the full time and follow the pressure recommendation.
Thermoflex Plus calls for a medium to fim pressure. With the EasyPress, you’ll want to press down the whole time you’re applying the heat.
Remove Carrier Sheet
When you’ve finished pressing, follow the directions for removing the carrier sheet. This material says to peel warm or cold. Now, I let it cool for a few seconds and then slowly peeled back the carrier sheet to reveal the completed shirt.
The Thermoflex Plus stuck great to the EcoMax tee using the EasyPress and the recommended settings.
More Eco-Friendly Craft Tips
To continue with the eco-friendly craftroom plan, I also recommend reduce, reuse, recycle.
- Reduce – whenever possible move your design on the mat screen in Design Space to use as little material as possible.
- Reuse – save those scraps. You can reuse even small scraps. I have a whole collection of projects you can make using scrap materials.
- Recycle – HTV products can be recycled with PVC resin materials. The recycle symbol with a three in the center designates this. Check your HTV material to determine if you can recycle it. If it does have that designation, that may include the HTV and the carrier sheet.
Final Thoughts on Making Recycled Shirts with HTV
Making an HTV shirt with a recycled tee follows the same process as making any other HTV shirt. Using eco-friendly materials doesn’t mean you have to change the way you’re crafting. By purchasing these different materials, you can have a positive impact on the environment.
I think you will be surprised at how soft these EcoMax shirts are. BELLA+CANVAS has managed to make shirts made from recycled water bottles and keep the softness they’re known for.
I love the fit of these tees too. Everything you love about BELLA+CANVAS tees now comes in a recycled shirt perfect for customizing.
Don’t forget, these shirts are 65% polyester. If you want to try sublimation on the white shirt, you could create vintage looking tees using recycled fabric!
I hope I’ve answered all the questions you have about using recycled shirts for crafting. If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them for you!