Every year my girlfriends and I meet up at Disneyland without our kids, just us, doing whatever our hearts desire. Riding rides, snacking our way through the park, endless girl talk.
This year, we’re going during Halloween season for the Oogie Boogie Bash, and I wanted to surprise everyone with custom shirts for the trip.
I found BlueCotton through a quick Google search, and since it was my first time ordering from them, here’s my full review of how it went.
Researching Shirt Materials Before I Ordered
Before I ordered anything, I spent some time on BlueCotton’s site getting a feel for their design process and shirt options.
I clicked through a handful of their shirt and hoodie brands first, just to see what was out there and get a sense of pricing before committing to anything.
I came across an article called The Best Shirt Material for Printing & Everyday Wear, and it answered most of my questions.
Cotton vs. Poly Blends vs. Tri-Blends
The article breaks down the most common shirt and hoodie materials and rates each one on softness, warmth, print performance, and more.
I already had a rough idea of what I wanted since I’ve had a Bella + Canvas shirt for years from a trade show, and I still wear it around the house all the time.
So I was glad to see Bella + Canvas listed. The article also pointed out something I hadn’t thought much about, the material you choose affects more than comfort. It changes how the print looks, how long the shirt lasts, and how it holds up to washing.
Cotton absorbs ink well and gives you sharp, bright, and vibrant designs but can shrink and wrinkle over time. Poly blends add durability and hold their shape but can feel a little more synthetic. Tri-blends are soft, lightweight, and have very good print performance.
Why I Went With Bella + Canvas Tri-Blend Fabric
Like I mentioned, I’ve had a Bella + Canvas shirt for years and I still love it. It’s soft, it’s held up, and I wanted that same feel for my friends.
Reading through BlueCotton’s material guide confirmed why I’ve liked it so much. Bella + Canvas’s tri-blend fabric is a mix of cotton, polyester, and rayon, which is the combination that gives you that soft, broken-in feel without sacrificing durability.
It’s comfortable and breathable for a full day walking around Disneyland, and it layers easily too, which matters since we’ll need something to throw a hoodie over once it cools down at night for fireworks.
Designing Custom Shirts on BlueCotton’s Site
The design studio was intuitive, though it took me a few tries to get the hang of resizing and placing the art exactly where I wanted it.
I designed my first version using a template and sent it to my friends, but then decided to go in a different direction. I got an email from the team with my saved design the next day, which made it easy to pull it back up and start over.
I redesigned it using clip art instead, going for something fun and Disney-themed with a Halloween spin. There were a lot of clip art options to choose from, I ended up scrolling through pumpkins, ghosts, and a handful of Mickey silhouettes before landing on the combination that I liked for our group.
I liked being able to save my design along the way. Once I was ready to order, I left a note asking if they could add everyone’s name to the top left corner of the shirt, since I couldn’t figure out how to do that myself in the design tool.
I placed the order, asked the question in the order form and asked to be contacted.
Ordering and Pricing: How BlueCotton Compares
The price came in slightly higher at $27.51 per shirt, total price of $165.06 which was a little higher than a couple of other vendors I’d looked at, but I checked reviews before deciding and liked what people had to say about BlueCotton. I really wanted something nice for my friends, it was worth the few extra dollars, and the price difference was minimal. Checkout was easy and straightforward and pretty fast.
BlueCotton Customer Service Experience
I heard back from Edina Casey, a graphic designer on BlueCotton’s team.
She emailed to let me know they could add the names for me, answered my questions, and followed up with a proof showing both the front and back of the shirt so I could see exactly how it would turn out. She sent over a link on BlueCotton’s site to review and approve the proof, and once I looked it over, I responded to her email with my approval.
After I approved the proof, my order went into production. I got a confirmation email letting me know it was placed and they were getting to work on it. I got a shipping notification with a tracking number on 6/30, and the shirts showed up nicely packaged on my doorstep on 7/3.
The Final Product: Fit, Fabric, and Print Quality
I loved how the shirts turned out. The tri-blend fabric gives them a slightly heathered look, relaxed and soft rather than flat or stiff off the shelf.
The front has just our names in the top left corner in purple, outlined in white. The back has “Disneyland” in orange with an outline of Mickey Mouse in white, and our event name below it in green.
I loved the fit on me. It wasn’t boxy at all, it drapes nicely without looking oversized, and it’s going to be perfect when layered under our hoodies once it gets cooler at night.
The fabric weight is right in the middle, not so thin that the print shows through and not so heavy that it feels stiff against your skin. I ordered 6 shirts total, 3 mediums, 2 larges, and 1 extra large, so everyone could order true to their normal size.
Final Verdict: Would I Order From BlueCotton Again?
I’m happy with how these turned out. Between the fabric quality, the design process, and the customer service, this was one of the smoothest custom shirt orders I’ve placed.
Edina actually read the note I left and did something with it, which isn’t a given when you’re ordering online.
If you’re planning a group trip, a party, or any event where you want shirts people will actually keep wearing afterward, I would definitely order from BlueCotton again.
My friends are going to love them as a surprise on top of our annual trip.