The 7 Most Unique Decorating Techniques to Try

If you need a jolt of creativity in your t-shirt business, we’re here to help. Not that there’s anything wrong with embroidery or screen printing, but sometimes it’s time to think outside the box and embrace a whole new world of decoration techniques. From trying out metallic threads to mastering the art of airbrushing, to blinging out tees or using retro-inspired discharge printing, you’ll love how you can instantly transform your designs. With these seven unique imprinting techniques, the sky’s the limit for your t-shirt shop. So why wait any longer? Get ready to captivate your audience with truly exceptional apparel and accessories!

Embroidery is a tried-and-true, classic decoration technique that looks great and lasts the test of time through many washes and wears. You can take your stitched designs to the next level by using a 3-D or puff embroidery technique. When you add embroidery foam or other materials under the stitching, you achieve “raised” embroidery for an eye-catching, dimensional look. Flat stitching just doesn’t match the depth of a puff look, which makes a logo, letter or element of a design pop and come alive. 

The good news? You can pair traditional and puff embroidery on a hat, hoodie, jacket or bag. For example, if you’re stitching a school mascot, use puff for muscles, feathers or other elements you want to emphasize. You can also combine puff embroidery with DTG or screen printing to add an unexpected element to your design.

Puff embroidery is versatile, so you can apply it to lots of fabric types, even leather. You can use lots of different thread types and colors, as well as stitch styles. If you offer personalization or customization, your customers will love this unique option!

Besides polyester, rayon and cotton thread options, there are some specialty embroidery thread types we recommend adding to your supply cabinet right now.

Metallics: These metal-hued threads are great for adding a shiny flair to certain design elements or lettering. However, it’s important to know that metallics break easily during sewing at high speeds. That’s why testing using the correct needle and thread tension is the name of the stitching game with this thread type to reduce or eliminate breaks.

Glow-in-the-Dark Thread: We like this thread for Halloween shirts, New Year’s Eve or items for any nighttime event. You can find glow-in-the-dark threads in a range of greenish-yellow shades. Some glow brighter than others, so it’s a good idea to get some samples or read online reviews before you stock up. Like metallics, these threads require a special needle and testing to achieve top-notch results. 

Variegated Embroidery Threads: These threads have a mix of two or more colors in a variable pattern. They’re often also made from different fiber types, like rayon, polyester, cotton or silk. Unlike metallics or glow-in-the-dark threads, it’s easier to stitch with variegated threads – without needing a special needle or lots of testing to achieve great results from the get-go.

UV Color-Changing Thread: This is a really neat thread type to offer on decorated gear in your shop! UV color-changing thread is one color indoors and then changes to a totally different color when exposed to UV light or outside in sunlight. Kids love designs that change colors, so this is a great option when you’re creating apparel or accessories for children, schools, teams, camps and events.

This specialty screen printing technique lets you print light ink colors on dark garments. You’ll achieve a soft, long-lasting print that offers you a wonderful, noticeable color contrast. 

Here’s how the process – which almost sounds like a science experiment – works. The ink formulation “removes” the fabric's color, replacing it with a soft and bright design. When combined with a paste or activator, the discharge ink reacts with the fabric dye, leaving a space for the new design. When you apply the screen-printing ink to the fabric, it takes the place of the removed fabric dye. 

There are a few cases where we recommend using discharge printing:

• Black or dark garments: Using this ink eliminates the need for a white underbase, which can make designs too thick. You can also save on ink costs. Overall, discharge printing is an ideal choice for printing vivid, durable designs on dark shirts.

• Retro, vintage or distressed designs: Discharge printing produces a soft, worn-in or lived-in feel to your designs – very much the look of a well-loved t-shirt you still wear all the time. Concert or band t-shirts often take on this grainy or distressed look, but now you can create the vibe on a brand-new t-shirt.

• Athletic apparel, team wear or fan wear: This specialty printing option is a great choice for sports or performance apparel, since the soft print is more comfortable for working out or hitting the field for a game. Using retro-feel discharge printing for spirit wear fits right into the throwback school days vibe. Kids also like the look of a worn-in graphic.

Many hobbyists love t-shirt airbrushing for the same reasons they gravitate to tie dye. You can achieve a creative, one-of-a-kind look that expresses your mood or personality. There’s lots of room for experimentation with an airbrush kit! While you can purchase different types of kits, many apparel decorators recommend one with a siphon-feed airbrush. It’s a good idea to watch online tutorials to learn about specific techniques and which types of paints and fabrics work best for this method. Generally speaking, though, the airbrush method will work well on lots of different fabric types, giving you lots of items to personalize. It’s easy to sell these no-two-are-alike shirts, since people love to purchase custom items that reflect their personality.

Shiny designs just add to that premium, retail feel or a garment, hat or bag. Girls and women love blinged-out designs for everyday apparel, team wear, fan wear and events. It’s easy to add a custom or stock heat rhinestone (or other type of bling) transfer to a garment with your heat press. These come in lots of designs, words, letters and numbers. You can also affix individual stones or beads to a design for special accents, like on eyes. If you use bling transfers, it’s easy to sell one t-shirt or many, and still make a profit!

Like bling, patches provide a personalized and customized retail-inspired shirt, hoodie, jacket, hat or totes. They’re also great for creating upscale or “cool” uniforms at breweries or other fun hotspots. You can also use patches for sports teams or to commemorate a special event with apparel. First responders, military personnel and motorcycle clubs love patches for their gear. You can even personalize patches with names, hobbies or personal mottos.

Many vendors will create custom patches for you at an affordable price, so that you can make a profit on them. Consider adding patches in unique or multiple locations to uplevel your buyers’ perception of “patched” items. 

This technique requires a special printer that works like an inkjet or sublimation printer. Rather than laying down ink on your transfer paper, a thermal wax printer melts dots of wax-based ink that adhere to almost any fabric or substrate. Once you’ve printed your design onto the paper, you use a heat press to affix it to your garment. Some decorators also print their designs onto vinyl that they heat press to their shirt. Thermal wax transfers can last up to 35 years, an amazing selling point for this technique! Be sure to choose a high-quality garment that can match the longevity of your design.

Exploring these unique decoration methods can breathe new life into your clothing designs and set your t-shirt apart from your competitors. Whether you choose dimensional embroidery for its eye-catching raised effects, discharge printing for vivid and durable designs on dark garments, or bling transfers that add a touch of glamor to your gear, you can offer your customers truly exceptional apparel. So, get ready to take your t-shirt shop to new heights and captivate your audience with these seven extraordinary techniques!

CSO is a great online destination for buying bulk t-shirts at wholesale prices. If you’ve been shopping for blank t-shirts from a big box retailer, it’s time to stop. CSO offers generous discounts for customers who purchase t-shirts in larger quantities. Our bulk discount program starts at $80, and the savings up to 15% automatically appear in your cart when you bundle your items. You’ll also enjoy free shipping on orders $59 or higher, with always-fast delivery.

Plus, unlike other retailers that tack on fees for everything from orders that don’t meet a certain purchase threshold, to packing your order to processing returns, CSO doesn’t do that. There’s no minimum order. So, what are you waiting for? Start shopping and saving on t-shirts in a rainbow of colors to decorate today, whether you’re a hobbyist or a business owner.