Here we are doing yet another Freezer Paper Stencil. But as you can see, this method is really a splendid way to incorporate some personality into boys’ clothing. I find as a crafty mother that I am sometimes hard pressed to find ways to bestow my crafty love onto my boy in something that he will actually wear (this seems to get harder every year). The girls’ closet is full of mom-made beauties, but Bug has just a few well loved items. This shirt has made it into his favorites and matches wonderfully with the shorts I made him 3 years ago… gasp! (You can find info on the shorts below)
Ok, so if you have missed the How to Freezer Paper Stencil which we covered in our
Leaf Shirt Blog (oh my gosh… talk about my folks being wee) and in our
Snowflake Stencil Quilt… here is a super fast run down.
I used our Lizard Applique Block for the lizard pattern. Make a copy of the pattern and enlarged it until it’s the right size for the shirt you are stenciling. (Check out our blog post on Enlarging and Reducing found HERE.)
Trace your image onto freezer paper.
Cut out the inside of the stencil.
Place the stencil shinny side down where you want it on your shirt (be sure to wash your shirt first).
Iron the stencil to the shirt using a warm iron.
Place an old paper bag, cereal box, etc in the middle of the shirt to prevent the paint from bleeding through.
Use a sponge brush to apply the fabric paint in a gentle up and down motion. Be careful not to get the paint under the edges… especially around the toes.
When dry, carefully peal away the paper.
Follow the directions on your fabric paint for setting the paint. Some require ironing after it dries. Wash your shirt according to your paint’s directions.
Your wee one is now ready to wear, enjoy and explore the world!
About word about the shorts…
In the blog world you can easily stack the years side by side to see how your wee ones have grown (
click here to read about the shorts). Amazingly this series of shorts (
McCall’s Pattern 3193) which includes the pair pictured above (photo from July 2009) and two more have been a staple in Bug’s summer wardrobe for so long now. They are just now starting to show wear and have become short enough this season that he may actually need some new ones for next summer 🙂
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photos 6-11-12
With 3 boys and no daughters I often feel like the crafting is slanted to girls. I still manage to find cute things to make them, though, thanks to people like you. I was thrilled when I saw the Robin Hood Sweater you made a couple of years ago. With the help of my SIL I was able to knit one for my oldest. My boys love all thing reptilian. They’d love this tee.
The Robin Hood Sweater has been one of Bug's favorites. I'm not sure if he'll be able to wear it again this year but he certainly wore it a lot over the past couple of years. https://weefolkart.com/content/robin-hood-sweater
I have three boys too and this would be a fun project for them. Any suggestions on where to get decent plain color shirts? I seem to only find shirts with stuff on them already.
Most craft stores carry plain t-shirts in many colors. I believe we got these from JoAnns. Just make sure you wash them first to get the sizing off them or the paint won't stick. Have fun 🙂
If you want something a bit more polished looking… not just the boxy, plain, craft shirts or the 3 in a pack undershirts try Old Navy and Children's Place.
You can usually find plain BOY tees or ringer/raglan style at Old Navy and pretty, GIRL cut tees at Children's Place.
I am so mush happy to see your art! I liked lizard themed outfit, so easy to do as well! Keep it up!