Freezer Paper Stencil 2 : From Drab to Fab

Taking a $3.00 Walmart t-shirt from drab.....

To Fab! I used my Cricut Expression again for this project! This is similart to my tutorial on freezer paper stenciling with a twist. My inspiration for the pink shirt came from this adult t-shirt I just bought at Target! Using my Home Decor Cartridge I found some simple flower shapes that I liked and followed the directions in my other tutorial for cutting the freezer paper stencil. I then laid my templates on top of an old knit shirt that I had and ironed the stencil on shiny side down. I then backed the fabric with an iron on adhesive. (I used the Heat n' Bond brand.) This way I'll be able to iron my cut fabrics onto the t-shirt later. I then cut around the stencils leaving a tiny edge on the outside so I had more room to sew. (Sorry, no picture!) Once you're done, peel off the backing from the iron adhesive and any trim leftover from the freezer paper. I then had these 3 different flower shapes and arranged them onto the t-shirt where I wanted them.Iron them on with the adhesive side down. Now you can go two different ways. You can either hand stitch or machine stitch around the edges to hold the appliqued images down. I decided to hand sew mine with some embroidery thread. Next time I'll machine stitch because this took FOREVER and killed my fingers! I need to get a thimble and some rubber things for my fingers. The embroidery thread was so thick going through the knit that it took a lot of effort and I had to quit half way through because my fingers hurt so bad. I eventually used a scrap of denim to help pull the needle through which helped save my fingers. I just did some simple stitches around the border of the flowers. You could use a contrasting thread or match the fabric depending on the look you want. When you finish sewing you can embelish it with some beads or other things. I decided I liked the simple look so I just left it as pictured at the top of the post! For the blue shirt I once again followed the other freezer paper stencil tutorial. This time I had a more intricate design, so I kept the freezer paper stencil pieces together and ironed the whole piece on. I then peeled off the pieces so I could paint inside. The flowers had tiny little pieces that I ended up picking out and ironing back on.

After the paint dried I added a cute little bird to the branch...ironing right over the other paint and it worked fine. I also used the Home Decor cartridge for these. Nothing says spring to me like some blossoming flowers and a birdie on a branch!

I also added a little pink paint to the flowers using a dry brush techinique. I added a little fabric paint to a dry brush and then wiped most of it off. I touched up the flowers while the paint was still damp so it would mix a little.

I also painted teh bird's feet orange while it was still in the stencil so you could see his cute feet!

And there you have it! Two shirts for 6 dollars and a little extra love and attention! The possibilities are endless!

I also made a cupcake shirt by cutting out fabric with my cricut and following the same techniques. I'll get to a tutorial on that sometime. Here's a quick picture of it!

Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial

Warning: This project is really addicting! It has the "once you pop, you just can't stop" thing going on for me! (P.S. I don't know what I did to make all of these different lines turn into "links" with the blue and underlining...just ingore it. I'll hopefully figure out how to undo it...if you know how, please share!!)
I got a Cricut Expression for Christmas and have absolutely LOVED it! I've seen some freezer paper stenciling things out there, but I could never come up with a fun print that I wanted to try. With the Cricut I can make very detailed designs which I love. For this project you don't need a Cricut, but if you have one, get it out!
Here are a few of the shirts I have made.I found these t-shirts at Walmart last week for $1.47 each. I bought several and have had a lot of fun!
Things you will need:

• A plain shirt or other fabric item you want to stencil
• Freezer Paper
• Cricut, other cutting machine, or just a pencil and some scissors
• Iron/ ironing board
  
• Fabric Paint
• Paint brush (I use a round sponge brush as pictured below.
• Piece of cardboard or old cutting board.
  
• • Here is the freezer paper I used. I just bought it at a local grocery store.
    
  Here is the fabric paint and brushes that I used. I bought them at JoAnns. Notice that this is regular fabric paint, not puff paint.

The first thing you'll need to do is rip off some of the freezer paper bigger than the size you want your stencil. Pictured below I have the freezer paper on my cricut mat. Then you will either draw your design on the non shiny side, (You will use the shiny side to adhere it to your fabric later) or cut out the design on your cricut or other machine. If you use the cricut just put it shiny side down on the mat. I put my cricut machine on the following settings; blade 2, pressure 2, speed 2. Pick your size and shape and "cut."


When your design is finished just seperate the pieces. With these more delicate designs you'll need to be careful not to rip them. Use a pair of small scissors for any pieces that don't come off easily. Cut some of the excess paper off of your stencil, but leave plenty of space for random paint so it doesn't get on your shirt. An inch or so should do.Take the outline and face it shiny side down on the fabric. Iron in place. The heat will adhere it for the painting process but will still make the paper easy to remove when done. If you do this shiny side up, it will stick to your iron!!! Put a piece of cardboard or an old cutting board in between the shirt layers. You don't want paint seeping through and you need a nice hard surface. I used an old cutting board that worked perfectly.
Now put some paint on your brush. I mixed a few colors to get the color I wanted. You can buy individual tubes for a little under a dollar, or packs. Don't get too much on your brush.

Now use a stippling action (slight bouncing) to put the paint on. Don't go too thick or you'll have difficulty removing the paper without removing paint. Once you've finished covering your surface, being careful not to go beyond the stencil. Let it dry for 15 or so minutes. Then come back and do a second layer...trust me, you'll have spots that aren't as covered that you'll see through in different light if you don't do a second layer after some drying time.
Let dry til damp. I usually only give it another 15 minutes. Then peel. If you wait until it is all the way dry you may have some paint stick to the stencil and not the shirt. Most fabric paints say it takes 4 hours to dry completely. You should wait 72 hours to wash the shirt and when you do wash it, turn it inside out. Other than that it's good to go! You can go back and add more colors, words, etc. too.
I made this other shirt last night with a light color on a dark shirt. It takes A LOT more paint. I forgot to remove the stencil and left it over night so some of the paint came off with the stencil. It is not as crisp as I had hoped, but it's still wearable! Have fun making things for yourself or share the love and give as gifts to friends!
If you choose to do this tutorial I would love to see any finished projects! Let me know if you have any questions!