Wearable Kid's Art

I

(Freezer paper stencils, part 2)

This is an update to my first post about using freezer paper to created stencils for custom t-shirts. I was excited to turn one of my son's drawings into a t-shirt for his dad for fathers day. Here's what we did.

Supplies:
Freezer Paper
X-acto knife
Cutting Mat
T-shirt
Iron
Ironing board
Opaque fabric paint
.5in - 1in brush

 

1. Cut out the stencil.

Place the freezer paper wax side down over the image you are using. Tape down the edges of each to the cutting mat so that the stencil doesn't slip while you are working. If the colors are dark enough, the image will show through the freezer paper enough that you can trace the art. Begin cutting the stencil with an X-acto knife. Make sure to test the shape so that the stencil will create a full image

2. Iron the stencil on your shirt.

Place the stencil wax side down on your shirt. Use a medium dry heat setting for the iron. Iron the image slowly over entire stencil. If you have small pieces like I do in this example, place the iron over them at first instead of rubbing the iron across the image. This will help ensure those tiny pieces don't shift.

3. Painting time.

Once your stencil is secure onto the fabric, you can start painting. I usually put shopping bag paper over my cutting mat and place the mat inside the shirt so I don't get paint on the back side of the shirt while working. Dab the paint slowly over the open areas on your stencil, working from the sides inward. I try not to paint into the edges because sometimes the paint can creep under the stencil if the paper gets too wet. Allow the paint to dry at least an hour or so before taking the stencil off. But don't let the stencil sit too long before taking it off as the edges can get a little gummy as it gets hard.

4. Set the color.

After the paint has dried for over 24 hrs, run a dry iron over the front and back of the image to set the paint. Check the instructions on your paint for best uses too.

5. Show off and enjoy!