My little girl has an interesting favorite animal. Can you guess what it is? Here's a hint:
SHARKS!
Yeah. It's hard. That pink stuffed shark in the picture above I actually made for her myself last Christmas, and she was so excited because it was actually pink. Then she informed me that "you forgot to sew on the gills and the pelvic fins, Mama." I had to go out and buy more pink fabric so that her stuffed shark would be anatomically correct.
Hence, the desire to try making a freezer paper stenciled pink shark shirt! I bought the brightest, most obnoxious pink fabric paint I could find. It's neon pink and it has glitter...it was perfect! I paid a little more for the paint, about $2 as opposed to the $0.69 puff paint. But as I learned from my DIY polka dot jeans experiment, it's worth the difference to buy good paint! Cheap fabric paint will chip and crack and will not hold up in the wash. This stuff has been through three washes and bleaching and still looks fantastic.
To make a freezer paper stencil, you need a shirt (or fabric item of some kind), some fabric paint, cardboard and freezer paper. You will need to draw your image onto the non-slippery side of the freezer paper. For my Girly's shark I just free handed a shark silhouette:
Then you will cut out the inside of your drawing, leaving the outside intact. I used a sharp knife and cut it out on a cutting board. It will look a little something like this:
Position your freezer paper with your new stencil on your shirt where you want it:
Iron it on the "cotton" setting for about 3-5 minutes, moving it around so that every part of the paper you can is firmly ironed down:
It will look like this:
Slip a piece of cardboard inside the shirt, to prevent the paint from bleeding through to the other side:
Put several dollops of paint all around the outside of your stencil. This will help it be more even when you spread it on:
Using another small piece of cardboard, VERY gently spread your paint onto the open areas of the stencil, working with strokes from the outside in to the center:
When your freezer paper stencil is filled in evenly, let it sit for 2-4 hours to dry completely. Sadly, I'm not kidding about this part, I've ruined many a freezer paper stenciled shirt by being impatient and ripping off the paper too early. Don't do this! The paint will smear!
Once the paint is completely dry, gently tear away the fabric, revealing your design:
You should have a cute, clean lined design:
Cute right? I love how it turned out, but I wanted to add just a little touch to make it really adorable. A little embellishment can go a long way towards making your stenciled design look professional.
So I added a pink button eye! It's perfect, and God forbid I forget to make sure that this shark has anatomically correct eyes.
No, Seriously. I'd never hear the end of it!
I now have one VERY happy little girl, who is so excited to have a shirt with her own favorite animal in her favorite color! I love that this project can really be used to make a truly individual piece of clothing.
So cute! So now when the girls pretend that they're "Shark and Dolphin Scientists" having adventures and rescuing sea animals, they have matching shirts to wear! Prepare for cuteness overload:
~Jessica
OMG that's too cute! I'm going to try and make one for my own 17 month old. I'll post it on my blog when I'm done linking back to you of course. Thanks for sharing. Finally something I can actually do. :)
ReplyDeletePlease send us the link when you try it, we always love posting and sharing those kinds of reader-inspired crafts on Facebook and google+!
DeletePlease do, we'd love to see it! If you do link back send us the link and we'll share it on our FB page!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking up with "the petites" this month y'all! SO delighted to "meet" y'all and your lovely blog and to be your newest follower via Bloglovin!!
ReplyDelete:) I hope you are having a lovely day!
:) Rebecca
www.caravansonnet.com
This is awesome! Love the pink sharks. =0)
ReplyDelete~Kim
www.2justByou.com
My 16yr old daughter's favorite animal is the shark also! She's loved them since she's been small. Wants to be a marine biologist and work only with sharks! Love the shirts! I know how hard it is to find "girly" shark stuff!!
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial, so cute and your models are precious. Thanks tons for joining Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteComplete cuteness overload! How adorable are those girls!? This is the greatest idea! Love.
ReplyDeleteKristin
Exploringdomesticity.blogspot.com
Love them! Featured on FB :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking up!
xo
Heather
Thanks so much Heather!!
DeleteI love it! Thanks for sharing the 'how to'. You could link this to the Something Old Something New Challenge at Quilty Creations blog. :o)
ReplyDeleteThis is an incredible tutorial! I didn't realize how easy it could be to make such cute shirts! I can't wiat to try this! Thanks again for linking up with us at Pin It! Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteOMG OMG! Your girls look absolutely darling in the new t's! Thanks for the tutorial because I have always wanted to do something like that and now I know what to do. I have twin nephews who are 5-years-old and they need a shark - probably not in pink - they get very picky about the color. LOL (Sharon)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing on the BeBetsy BRAG ABOUT IT. We'd love it if you link back to BeBetsy. -xo
Sharon and Denise
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Thanks you guys! We have a giant list of linky parties on our bar above that we have added you too!
DeleteWhat a wonderful thing to do for your little girl!! It turned out so very well!
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial! Thanks so much for sharing. Looks like your little girl is beaming with pride! Pinning.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Nici
Absolutely adorable!
ReplyDeleteAdorable. The shirt is pretty cute too. :D Thanks for sharing your easy to follow idea on BeColorful.
ReplyDeletep
Your stencils turned out so clean and pretty! I have pinned this because not only are the shirts absolutely adorable but I need a lesson in stenciling. :-) Thanks for coming back and sharing at All Things Pretty.
ReplyDeleteThat is sooo cute - thanks for the tutorial!
ReplyDeleteI have done freezer paper stencils before, but your technique is slightly different and gives such great results! I am loving that your girl loves sharks. Your shirt turned out awesome!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations…this post was featured on Create It Thursday #10! Thanks for sharing such a fabulous idea last week! http://www.lambertslately.com/2013/07/create-it-thursday-10-plus-features.html
ReplyDeleteVery cute!! Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
ReplyDeleteSuper cute!!! LOve this idea and the pretty pics!Thanks so much for sharing the great tutorial! Would love to have you visit me sometime.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous week!
Hugs from Portugal,
Ana Love Craft
www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com
I absolutely LOOOOVE this and I'm so gonna do it... I have a few onesies waiting for this!!! I just have a question, Where do I find that Freezer paper since I'm not from USA but I'm in FL right now I can get my hands dirty with this idea. I want to buy it YESTERDAY lol!!! Please let me know!!! Thanks so much for sharing this with me at Bewitch Me & Titi! Hope to have you back next Sunday with another great share! Hope you are having a wonderful week!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs
Cami @ TitiCrafty by Camila
Hi! Oh I'm so glad you loved it! I got my freezer paper at Costco and it's the world's biggest roll, really overkill. I have also been able to find it at most grocery stores by the tinfoil, plastic wrap, etc. I can't wait to see what you do with it!!
DeleteCan I just say I LOVE THIS!! Thanks for the Blog!
ReplyDeleteMartha