Have you tried freezer paper stenciling? If you have, you know it’s pretty much life changing. If you haven’t, we’re about to show you and you’ll agree – it’s pretty much life changing. Steffany and I have used this technique quite a few times now with NO project fails yet! YES! Our most recent is this cute shirt we made for Steff to wear these last few weeks of pregnancy:
Adorable. The shirt is pretty cute too. 😉 We made it in just about and hour- not kidding. (See our Maternity skeleton t-shirt for Halloween HERE.)
Here’s a couple more we made a while back that I have worn over and over and still love. 
Ready to try your own?!
Here’s what you need:
- T-shirt (we just picked up a couple $5-$10 plain t-shirts from Target and Gordmans.)
- Fabric Paint (HERE)
- Foam Stencil brush (HERE)
- Freezer paper (you can buy it in sheets HERE, super cool. Or by the roll HERE.)
- Iron
- Piece of cardboard
- Cutting machine like the Silhouette, or an X-acto knife.
Step 1: Choose your design. Anything! The possibilities are endless! We designed the LOVE shirt in the Silhouette software. (The black shirt is a design available for purchase from Silhouette.)
Step 2: Cut your design. Freezer paper has a waxy/shiny side and a dull side. The waxy side is the side we will iron onto the t-shirt, so be sure to cut out your design accordingly.
Step 3: Iron the freezer paper to the t-shirt. Place the freezer paper, waxy side down, on the shirt. Use a hot, dry iron to adhere it making sure you really adhere the inside edges.
Step 4: Place the piece of cardboard inside the shirt so paint doesn’t seep through to the back of the shirt.
Step 5: Use a foam stencil brush and pounce the fabric paint onto the shirt. Use an up and down motion rather than a sweeping motion to avoid paint seeping under the stencil.
Step 6: Let the paint dry according to the label, and apply a second coat if desired. Let dry again.
Step 7: Once the paint is dry, peel off the freezer paper stencil and realize your life has been changed forever. It works so well! We are so thrilled every time we peel it away and reveal a perfect design.
My modeling is a close second to t-shirt making skills. Ha. 🙂
Let the fun begin! What will you make?! We hope you love this freezer paper technique as much as we do. 🙂
Linking up to some of these parties:
Oh I’m glad you found it Elaine! Hope you have a great time making shirts with friends, sounds fun! 🙂
Ah I found it! The stars threw me off.
https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/view-shape/55165
Could you provide a link to the Silhouette design you used on the black shirt? I just totally love it and can’t find it.
This is a great tutorial. Gonna have some friends over soon to make shirts. Thanks!
Hi Melisa! Nope, nothing special to set the paint. We just bought the first fabric paint we came across and it has washed over and over and still looks great! 🙂
Do you need to do anything specific to “set” the paint? Just worry about it going through the wash. I know if the right fabric paint is purchased then it helps with that, and it might even give some instructions on the bottle. Didn’t think it would hurt to ask.
We are so happy our tutorial was helpful! Thanks so much Cat!
I love these shirts! This was a great tutorial! I was just trying to figure out a way to do this to a towel. I finally found my answer! Thank you for sharing!
Cat
Awe-thanks so much Jennae! Modeling is definitely not a talent of mine-ha ha!
I’ve seen this idea before, but it’s nice to see a few possibilities with it. I’ve been wanting to make a shirt for my dad, so know I don’t have an excuse! Thanks for sharing
Love this! Can’t wait to try it! And, you are so cute Melanie!!