Just as there’s nothing more satisfying than coming up your own fantastically unique and professionally produced garments at home, there’s little more depressing than making a complete and total hash of things. Unfortunately, most amateur designers getting into things for the first time will find themselves falling into the latter bracket considerably more frequently than they’d perhaps like. From simple printed t-shirts to embroidered hoodies and a thousand other examples besides, getting things right can be tricky and falling foul of various common errors can be extremely easy.
Of course, trial and error has always been essential when it comes to getting things right – but why not learn from the mistakes of other people as opposed to making them yourself? Realistically, it makes much more sense to learn a little about the most commonly-made mistakes in the design and printing process, in order to better-understand how to avoid them entirely.
So for those considering having a crack with their own custom hoodies at home, here’s a quick rundown of the six most common DIY mistakes of all and how to steer clear of them:
1 – No Specific Direction
First and foremost, you cannot expect to achieve your goals unless you first establish them as clearly as possible. You cannot hit a target that you have not yet established, therefore prior to even thinking about taking a step forward in the design process, think carefully about what it is you wish to accomplish. Are you looking to sell garments? Is it all purely promotional? Something satirical perhaps? Decide on the direction you intend to take before setting off.
2 – Overcomplicating Things
One of the very worst things any home designer can do is to fall into the trap of assuming that things must be complicated in order to be successful. More often than not it is actually the exact opposite of this as simple, elegant and understated designs tend to look a hell of a lot more professional than those that are well and truly OTT. So do yourself a favour and forget about making things complex and convoluted just for the sake of it – chances are you’ll have much more luck and much more fun coming up with something superbly simple.
3 – Overlooking the Importance of Quality
Never overlook the importance of quality when it comes to both the garments themselves and the printing equipment you intend to use. If for example you were to stock up on hoodies costing 99p each and a bunch of transfer sheets costing 25p each, you cannot realistically expect to come out with professional quality results. Of course chances are you won’t have hundreds of thousands of pounds to one side to splash out on industry-quality machinery, but at least consider striking a happy medium if you are intent on coming up with the goods.
4 – Rushing Into Things
Trying to speed through the process is one of the most common and indeed fatal mistakes you can make as this is the kind of process that simply cannot be rushed. From the initial design process to the transfer itself and right through to preparing/washing the garment and so on and so forth, if you’re not willing to read the instructions and do exactly as you’re told, you’re almost guaranteed to end up with something disastrous.
5 – Not Seeking a Second Opinion
If you would consider yourself to be your own harshest critic, you will need to seek a second opinion. If by contrast you’re the kind of person who believes everything you do is pure gold, you’ll also need to seek a second opinion. And if you fall somewhere between the two whereby you are confident enough in your work but not 100% convinced every time, you’ll need to seek a second opinion. You may have noticed a pattern here – regardless of who you are and what it is you are looking to create, it is of crucial importance to seek at least one second opinion as it is very difficult to objectively critique your own work in a manner that’s impartial and proactive.
6 – Not Considering Pro Intervention
Last but not least, it’s extremely common for those intent on creating garments at home to entirely shun the idea of professional involvement – most preferring to go ‘all-DIY’ or not at all. However, to entrust your unique design to a professional printing service is to ensure that it is done complete and total justice when transferred to the hoodie of your choosing in a manner that negates the need for you personally to invest in any equipment or supplies whatsoever. So if it really is the final result that matters above all else, there really is so much to gain by considering professional printing services.
