Shark T Shirt Tutorial - A Fun DIY for a Shark Party!

If you're looking for shark birthday party ideas, or even if your kid just loves sharks and shark week, he will really love this DIY Shark T Shirt. We've got a full tutorial to show you how to make it.

My son's favorite memorable item from his shark birthday party was his shark shirt! He LOVES it and it's a struggle to keep keep him from wearing it every single day.

Shark T Shirt Tutorial

Let me show you how easy it is to make!

The first step is to find a cute striped shirt (not exactly the same, but this one would work). Next, cut out the red shark body. This can be any type of material, but I think matching it to the structure of the t-shirt (as in sticking with a stretch knit) is wisest. The only tricky thing about this red piece is to cut it out on a fold. Eyeball a shape 12" tall and 12" wide, with a fold at the bottom. Also, be sure to wash the red fabric ahead of time in case of bleeding and to pre-shrink.

Print this page above to be the pattern for the mouth and teeth pieces.

Cut out one semi-circle in black (I used a knit again) and another in white felt. Sew the white directly on top by top-stitching around the curved edge. Use the pattern piece again to mark where to cut out the teeth.

Top-stitch again close to the edge of the teeth and set aside for just a moment.

With the red shark body, pin around the edges and sew at ¼", leaving a 2" gap somewhere so you can turn the entire thing right side out and iron it smooth.

Lay your mouth/teeth piece directly on top and pin in place. Using a wide and tight zig-zag stitch, sew on top of all the seams to make everything lay smooth and secure. Hand sew two button eyes on and you're done! We've washed this several times and it is holding up very well. I think the key was using stretch fabrics that move and wash and dry in the same fashion of the t-shirt.

And that there is one happy little 5-year-old!
I hope this shark t shirt tutorial is helpful!

Be sure to check out our Shark Birthday Party Ideas!