How to Make Atom Cats & Fallout Themed Shirts DIY

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6:00 AM

How to Make Atom Cats & Fallout Themed Shirts DIY!

Hey Vault Dwellers--Let's make all the Fallout themed shirts for the ultimate in geek chic apparel!

I'm showing how to make 3 shirts: Atom Cats, Vault boy and Vault-Tec--which is your favorite?

If you're a Fallout 4 fan and love the retro-cool vibe of the Atom Cats gang, it's time to take your fandom to the next level by creating your own custom shirt!

The Atom Cats are a fictional gang in the Fallout 4 video game, developed by Bethesda Game Studios. This gang operates in the Commonwealth, the post-apocalyptic setting of the game.

The Atom Cats are easily recognizable by their distinctive leather jackets adorned with the Atom Cats logo, which features a cat within a radiation symbol.

Led by a character named Zeke, the Atom Cats are known for their love of power armor and their garage, known as the Atom Cats Garage, located south of the Warwick Homestead.

They are enthusiasts of pre-war American car culture and have a friendly demeanor.

The Atom Cats are not hostile, and the player can interact with them, help them with a defend-the-base quest and receive Zeke's Atom Cats jacket as a prize!

In this blog post, we'll guide you through the step-by-step process of making a unique Fallout 4 Atom Cats shirt using a DTF (Direct to Film) transfer logo applied with a heat press.

Get ready to showcase your love for the wasteland's coolest crew in style!

Clearly I love the Atom Cats.

Vault-Tec is a fictional corporation portrayed as a pre-war company that specializes in constructing underground fallout shelters known as Vaults.

The corporation's primary objective, outwardly presented to the public is a means of protecting citizens from nuclear war, but definitely conceals more sinister intentions.

Finally, Vault Boy, he is the iconic mascot of the Vault-Tec Corporation in the Fallout video game series.

He is a cheerful, yellow haired and blue-eyed character often depicted in various poses and expressions.

Vault Boy serves as a symbol and guide for the player, appearing in the game's instructional materials, promotional items, and the Vault Boy bobbleheads scattered throughout the game world.

Let's talk about blank tee shirts first:

For this post, ShirtSpace sent me these 3 shirts, this is a great place to find blanks shirts for all your crafting needs.

All three of these shirts are awesome, soft and comfortable.

Here's what I received from ShirtSpace:

Bella+Canvas 3001CVC (in Black)

Gildan G640 (in Red)

Comfort Colors C1717 (in Blue)

They also sell Heat Transfer Vinyl in lots of colors, and they sent me Stahls UltraWeed in Yellow HTV too--it's so smooth to cut and easy to weed!

Materials Needed for Fallout themed Shirts:

Blank Shirts from ShirtSpace
Fallout 4 Atom Cats logo, Vault-Tec logo and Vault Boy image (freebies at end of post)
DTF transfer film from Ninja Transfers (more about Ninja Transfers here)
Heat Transfer Vinyl Stahls UltraWeed in Yellow
Cricut Machine
Cricut EasyPress 12x10
Teflon sheet
Scissors

Step 1: Choose Your Shirt

Select a blank shirt that complements the Atom Cats color scheme...I of course went with black.

The gang is all about the 1950s hot rod aesthetic, so consider going for a black or dark-colored shirt to enhance that retro feel.

Step 2: Heat Press DTF Transfer

I love DTF Transfers because they can be adhered to any fabric, dark or light.

Sublimation needs light colored polyester for best transfers, and HTV is hard to do all the layering work...especially small details.

So direct to film is an awesome way to go.

DTF printers are very pricey, and so I don't have my own...but I love working with Ninja Transfers and getting high color transfers at a small price.

Cut out the transfer, no need to get close to the edges or intricate.

Then place it on the shirt, exactly where you want it.

Cover the shirt and logo with a Teflon sheet to protect the fabric and the heat press platen.

Press down the heat press for the recommended time, as specified by the DTF transfer film instructions.

Recommended settings for DTF transfer is: 310*F for 15 seconds.

Step 3: Peel and Reveal

Let the transfer film cool down quite a bit and then peel it off the shirt, revealing a shirt so awesome, it would make anyone want to leave their power armor to wear!

It's hard to wait for the cooling process, but ensures a clean and secure transfer.

Step 4: Repeat!

Repeat the same process for every DTF Transfer you've got--make shirts for all your friends, all the people in your settlement or for the entire faction!

This is the fastest way to make a colorful and vibrant shirt--so much easier than weeding and layering heat transfer vinyl!

Now you can proudly display your love for the wasteland's coolest gang, favorite icon or the company that started it all wherever you go.

Enjoy your unique creation and be prepared for compliments from fellow Fallout enthusiasts!

Step 1: Vault-Tec Logo with HTV

Now let's finish off this fun Fallout shirt making spree with the Heat Transfer Vinyl shirt featuring the Vault-Tec logo.

I'm using Vault-Tec blue for the shirt and yellow heat transfer vinyl.

This Ultraweed HTV from Stahls is impressive.

Cuts so smoothly and weeds so easily.

Highly recommended.

Begin by using the Cricut Maker to cut the Vault-Tec logo in reverse with the shiny white side facing up on the mat.

HTV is tricky like that...don't forget to reverse!

Step 2: Weeding Heat Transfer Vinyl
Then remove the excess HTV from the cut out, it comes off clean so easily!

Here's another really great shot of the vinyl removing so effortlessly.

HTV is my favorite to work with for this reason...weeding is so easy!

Glitter HTV, not favorite.

Step 3: Preheat and Place

Preheat the shirt with an iron or heat press to remove wrinkles and moisture.

This also ensures better adhesion.

Place the weeded design on the shirt, ensuring it is centered and aligned as desired.

Place a Teflon or parchment paper over the design to protect it from direct heat.

Step 4: Heat Press
Using the Cricut EasyPress heat press, apply even pressure and heat to the design.

Follow the recommended temperature and time settings for your HTV. (I'm doing 330*F and 30 seconds)

Apply firm pressure, no movement needed.

If your design does not fit in just one pressing plate, finish the time and move the plate to the next section for the full time.

Allow the design to cool slightly before carefully peeling off the carrier sheet.

If any part of the design lifts, reapply heat.

Finally, place the Teflon or parchment paper back over the design and press for just about 5-10 seconds to ensure a secure bond.

So which one of these 3 shirts is your favorite?

Do you love Vault boy as much as I do?

I love the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. cartoons at the beginning launch up of Fallout 4.

I love finding bobbleheads scattered around the wasteland.

Are you an Atom Cats fan?

Do you love the atom bomb mushroom cloud and cute but dangerous cat logo?

It's just another fun, well crafted, part of the Fallout world.

Or do you prefer the iconic logo of the company that started it all--Vault-Tec?

I'll tell you, each one of these shirts is the softest cotton ever!

They are perfect for t-shirt making side hustles, small businesses and just the DIY hobbyist!

That's it!

Hope you love these Fallout themed shirts as much as I do!

They are easy to make, perfect to wear for the release day of the new Fallout series on Amazon Prime (April 11th).

Here's the link to my folder of FALLOUT THEMED FREEBIES

I don't own the rights to any of the images in the folder, I've just collected them, adjusted them for my various posts and are offering them to the public in one convenient location...please don't be mad Bethesda.