Microdesign D: Cutaways

This article is an example, method, technique or idea related to my concept of microdesign. If you’re new here, or want a refresher, read my article on the basis of microdesign.

I’ve mentioned the theoretical idea of doing cutaway shirts a few times here. To remind everyone, a cutaway shirt is simply a shirt in which the design is cut out of the shirt, leaving a “negative” of the desired image. The cutaway shirt is then worn over a second shirt of contrasting color to produce the image.

Cutaway shirts are excellent examples of microdesign. If we simply add design to a blank shirt, we get a 1 for 1 deal; we can no longer use the blank shirt, but we get a new shirt, one with a design on it. On the other hand, a cutaway shirt takes advantage of the required combination with another shirt. This leaves the wearer a significant design choice; what color to make the design image. Further, we get a much better trade! If you own ten t-shirts which can be worn beneath the cutaway, you get ten new designs, for the cost of one blank shirt, a much more efficient change.

Yesterday, I made my first attempts at creating a cutaway shirt, which I’ll detail here. I learned a lot along the way that will make my next project more effective, but I’m still pleased with the result.

All photos can also be found at my Flickr site.

What you need:
A t-shirt you don’t mind cutting up.
A pair of scissors
Chalk
(optional) A Ruler

Where to get supplies:
Again, you’ll probably be using a relatively cheap shirt, either a free one with a lame design, or a solid color basic, like you can pick up at Target or Old Navy.

The other supplies can be found at a standard office supply store or drugstore. Surprisingly, you don’t need extraordinarily powerful scissors, standard fare will do, so don’t spend too much on that either.

Method (with pictures!)

Our goal is simple, to cut out a simple image from our t-shirt to create a negative image. We begin by laying out our shirt (a purple Old Navy basic) on the desk (table, floor, workspace):

I think that it’s prudent at this point to use your ruler to mark a center point for the design. This will ensure your design is centered both left-to-right, and up-and-down. Be especially careful centering horizontally, as this is more noticeable if done incorrectly.

After this, the ruler can be helpful in drawing the design. Using chalk for the design makes it easy to wash any excess lines off. Today, we’re going to be cutting out a plus symbol:

The most difficult part is starting the first cut. I recommend pinching the fabric (make sure you only get the top layer) in the center of the design, then forcing one blade of the scissors through, making a small hole. Doing this in the center of the design ensures that this cut won’t be visible in the final product.

After this point, insert the bottom blade underneath the fabric as close to the hinge of the scissor as possible, and then cut with short, controlled strokes. This makes it easy to cut through the fabric and maintain straight lines:

One quick tip is to anchor the shirt so that the fabric remains taut, which I’ve done here in my desk drawer:

When cutting any corners, try to slide the bottom edge of the blade out through the previous cut as pictured below. This will make sure that no extra fabric gets cut:

After all the cutting is done, check the results and then throw it on over another shirt (remember, you can try many different colors to attain different designs). Here is the plus symbol shown through a graphic tee:

And there we have it, a simple example of microdesign that all of you can do! One problem I had with this particular attempt is that the bottom corners are not supported by anything, and thus sometimes fall down. If you plan any designs which will have any unsupported regions, you might need to apply tape when wearing them. I’ll likely do another case of cutaway microdesign as I learn more about the process and work out the kinks, but you can start right now!

-Barry